BG Says: FIP Florida Rumble 2005 & New Year’s Classic 2006

I’d like to first send my condolences to FIP promoter Sal Hammoui and his entire family on their loss.

FIP graces us with another double-shot DVD here. This one also skips around a bit, as Attack of the Masked FIPPERs occurs between the two shows on this DVD. Seeing as how I’ve already reviewed that show getting the story straight on these shouldn’t really be a problem. First up, Florida Rumble 2005.

December 9, 2005 – Brooksville, Florida

When we last left FIP
Roderick Strong assembled a team to defeat DP Associates in a Survival Series style elimination match. Nothing else of note happened on the show except that Sal Rinauro pinned Phil Davis, giving him and Colt Cabana an argument for a tag title shot.

Dave Prazak and Lenny Leonard handle commentary for this show. Something must be wrong with the lighting system because from the hard camera it’s so dark that you almost can’t tell who is who.

VS.
Murphy and Moore start. Murphy overpowers Moore easily. Machete tags in and hits a snap suplex for 2. Murphy tags in and blocks a sunset flip. Moore hits a dropkick. Machete tags in and keeps Moore from tagging out. Moore blocks a blind charge and hits a head scissors takedown. Blanco tags in and takes Machete down with clotheslines and a bodyslam. He hits a standing moonsault for 2. He hits a double noggin knocker and tags to Moore. Things get sloppy until Machete dumps Blanco and with Murphy hits the Blackout on Moore for the win at 3:57. Nothing to see here.
Rating: ½*

Vic Slowhand brings FIP Heavyweight Champion Homicide out for an interview. Homicide was injured last weekend at a Ring of Honor show in a match against Steve Corino, so his arm is in a sling. Homicide says he doesn’t care what the doctor says he’s going to fight tonight. He doesn’t care who wins the Florida Rumble, he’ll defend his belt against them.

The rules as always are that the order of elimination in this Rumble match decide the singles matches (and a tag match) for the night. The winner gets a shot against the champion that very night. The rules are a little flawed as it’s the first two eliminated that get a tag title shot. Jerrelle Clark is #1 and Azrieal is #2. They trade strikes until Clark gains control with a head scissors takedown. Azrieal blocks a monkey flip and hits a dropkick. He hits a bodyslam and a slingshot senton. Clark hits another head scissors takedown. Jimmy Rave is #3. Dave Prazak comes out with him and says that since Anything Goes in FIP Jimmy Rave will wait on the floor until the numbers better suit him. Sean Waltman strolls out and drags Rave to the ring. Azrieal and Clark double-team Rave. Adam Pearce is #4. He saves Rave from being eliminated. He tosses Azrieal to the floor to eliminate him. Seth Delay is #5. Rave and Clark brawl slowly as Delay pairs off with Pearce. Clark eliminates Pearce with a hurricanrana to the floor. Pearce and Azrieal will now challenge for the tag titles. Milano Collection AT is #6. He drops Clark on top of Delay and puts them both in half crabs. Rave breaks it up because he’s an idiot. Milano ties Rave up in the Paradise Lock and hits a dropkick. Rave rolls under the ropes to the floor. Chasyn Rance is #7. Not much happens before Jay Fury comes out as #8. Fury and Clark hit Milano with a double dropkick. They hit their double-team finisher on Rance. They double-team Delay as well. Roderick Strong is #9. He cleans house with chops. Rave rolls out again. Kory Chavis is #10. He eliminates Delay, then Rance, then Fury. Bryan Danielson is #11. Prazak helps Rave keep from being eliminated at the hands of Milano. Sal Rinauro is #12. He eliminates Milano and himself with a Cactus clothesline. Rave and Danielson hits a double shoulder tackle on Strong. They throw him out of the ring to eliminate him. Colt Cabana is #13. He eliminates Chavis. Erick Stevens is #14. Cabana works over Danielson’s beard. Steve Madison rounds things out at #15. Clark immediately eliminates Stevens and then Madison. Danielson and Rave hit a double suplex on Clark and do sit ups. Cabana hits them with a double clothesline. He loudly calls for Danielson to reverse an Irish whip and gets eliminated from the match. That’s just bush league. Clark fights off both opponents until the numbers catch up to him. Rave hits him with a snap suplex. He hits a clothesline. Danielson holds him for another clothesline but ends up eating it. Clark hits Rave with a back bodydrop. He eliminates Danielson and himself with a head scissors takedown to the floor at 17:44. That leaves Jimmy Rave as the winner. Prazak reminds Homicide that he said he would defend the belt injured tonight. This was definitely the most mindless Rumble of the three that have occurred so far.
Rating: *½

VS.
They fight on the mat to start. Rance hits a hiptoss and a pair of dropkicks. He gets a headlock takeover. Delay comes back with armdrags and dropkick. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. He hits a bodyslam and a splash for 2. Rance fights out of a chinlock but gets wiped out by a back elbow. That gets 2 for Delay. Rance gets a sunset flip for 2. He hits an enziguiri for 2. He kicks Delay’s back and puts on a seated abdominal stretch. He hits a blockbuster for 2. Delay hits a forearm for 2. He hits a neckbreaker for 2. Rance gets a roll up for 2. He gets a school boy for 2. He hits the Sensational Spike for the win at 6:26. This was about as run of the mill as it gets.
Rating: **¼

VS.
Dig that heel on heel action. Chavis forces Stevens to the corner to start. Stevens responds in kind and hits a cheap shot. They do a headlock shoulder tackle exchange. Val chokes Stevens from the floor. Chavis hits a big boot for 2. Stevens goes to the eyes and hits a back suplex for 2. Chavis hits a dropkick for 2. He hits the Spine Splitta for 2. Stevens comes back with the TKO for 2. They hit eye pokes and clotheslines at the same time. They both bail and go after the same chair. Back in the ring they fight over the chair and inadvertently hit the referee with it, drawing a double disqualification at 7:24. My mind wandered, which never bodes well for a match in my opinion. The finish was cute, however. After the match Steve Madison and the Heartbreak Express run in to stop a brawl from erupting.
Rating: **¼

After the match So Cal Val suggests that rather than fight each other they all get on the same page. She knows Madison has to fight Cabana tonight because of the order of elimination in the Rumble match. She offers him the bounty money if he takes Cabana out right now.

VS.
Cabana starts things off with a dropkick. Madison bails and then gets back in the ring at 8. Cabana hits a hiptoss and Madison bails again. Back in the ring they criss cross and Cabana hits another hiptoss. He hits an armdrag. Both men get on their hands and knees where Cabana takes control. Madison spends much of his time stuck to the bottom rope. Cabana kicks Madison’s behind. He hits a monkey flip. He goes for another but Madison dodges it. Madison hits a bodyslam. He hits a legdrop off the second rope for 2. Cabana comes back with a crossbody for 2. Madison puts on a chinlock and hits a knee to the gut. He hits a kneedrop. He puts on the abdominal stretch and uses the ropes for added leverage. Cabana comes back with elbows. He hits a kneelift. He hits the Flying Asshole. They trade pin attempts and Cabana comes up on top for the win at 8:37. The most interesting part of this match was Prazak’s attempt at light anti-Semitism on commentary.
Rating: *¾

VS.
These two were not eliminated back-to-back, so I don’t understand why this match is happening. Fury should really be wrestling Rinauro or Milano. This is the only error, which makes me wonder if Chavis wasn’t supposed to eliminate Fury. They trade holds to start. Strong takes control with chops. He hits a hiptoss for 2. He hits a dropkick for 2. He shoots Fury to the floor and pursues. He beats Fury onto fans in the front row and rolls him back into the ring for 2. They trade strikes until Strong hits a forearm for 2. He hits a bodyslam but misses a second rope legdrop. Fury hits a basement dropkick for 2. He kicks Strong’s back repeatedly and kicks his chest once for 2. He hits a soccer kick and levels Strong with a forearm for 2. He climbs the ropes but Strong cuts him off with a dropkick and hits a superplex. Fury hits a knee to the face and a leg lariat for 2. The Jaytrix works but the Enzifury is countered to a capture backbreaker. That gets 2 for Strong. Fury hits a twisting vertical suplex for 2. Strong hits the uranage backbreaker out of nowhere for 2. He hits a running forearm but Fury dodges the Sick Kick with the Jaytrix and hits the Enzifury for 2. Strong counters a hurricanrana into a powerbomb and puts on the Stronghold for the win at 10:27. That was a really fun match. Fury looked just a step below Strong, but good enough that maybe he should break away from the tag scene.
Rating: **¾

VS.
The story here is that Prazak hates Azrieal because he didn’t join DP Associates with the rest of the New Dawn when CM Punk left the company, so he and his charge Pearce plan to mess with him throughout the match. Azrieal and Sean start. Sean wins a shoving match and won’t go down to a shoulder tackle. Azrieal goes to the eyes and hits a quick shoulder block to take Sean down. Phil tags in and gets caught with a hurricanrana. Azrieal tags Pearce in when he’s not looking. He circles Phil but tags Azrieal in rather than get physically involved in the match. Phil slingshots Azrieal into the ring. Sean hits him with an avalanche and a butt splash. He puts on a chinlock as Pearce disingenuously tries to get the fans behind Azrieal. Azrieal comes back with dropkicks to both opponents. He goes for the tag but Pearce won’t give it to him. Sean hits a back rake and tags to Phil. Phil hits a neck snap and Sean hits an elbowdrop. Phil starts dancing and hurts himself, so he tags to Sean. Sean hits a short-arm clothesline. Phil tags in and slugs Sean by mistake. Azrieal fights off both opponents and tries to tag to Pearce. Pearce kicks him in the face and the Sean hits a big splash for the win at 7:38. This was all about the finish, which makes the fact that the Davises were more competent here than usual all the more sad.
Rating: **

Prazak gets on the microphone and complains that Homicide has yet to accept the match against Rave. I could have sworn Homicide said unequivocally that he’d defend the belt against the winner of the Florida Rumble tonight. He comes out and signs a contract for a Heavyweight Championship match, putting that question to bed. Prazak reveals the contract is for a no disqualification match for the title. I think that benefits the injured Homicide more than Rave, as now he can have friends help him to make up for his bum shoulder.

VS.
They lock up to start. Milano powers Rinauro to the corner and hits a cheap shot. He puts on a wristlock but Rinauro counters the hold. Milano puts on a chinlock and pulls on Rinauro’s eyebrow. He goes to the eyes and gets a waistlock takedown. Rinauro hits an armdrag into an armbar. He keeps the hold on through Milano’s attempts to escape. Milano uses the ropes to block an armdrag and hits an armbreaker. He ties Rinauro’s arm around the middle rope. He hits a double stomp on the arm. He throws Rinauro into the arm and gets 2 after he hits the mat. He puts on a wristlock and bites Rinauro’s hand. He hits a basement dropkick. He lifts Rinauro into the air by his wrist. He puts on an armbar but Rinauro escapes and hits a moonsault press. He hits a dropkick and a leg lariat. He hits a head scissors takedown for 2. They fight up top where Rinauro hits a bulldog. His arm causes a delay and he only gets 2. Milano hits a swinging armbreaker. He hits the Armani Shoe Exchange for 2. Rinauro gets a one-armed roll up for 2. Milano blocks Sliced Bread #2 but not a dropkick to the knee. Rinauro goes for a springboard maneuver but Milano grabs his arm in midair and puts on the AT Lock for the win at 13:29. Rinauro’s selling was fantastic in this match, as was Milano’s dissection of the arm. After the match Val comes out and convinces Rinauro to keep the AT Lock on. Cabana makes the save.
Rating: ***¼

VS.
They lock up and Danielson puts Clark on the mat. They trade holds until Danielson goes to the ropes. He stalls forever as the crowd taunts him. He puts on a headlock and hits a shoulder tackle. He puts on a hammerlock but Clark escapes and gets a roll up for 2. Clark controls with arm holds and hits a hammerlock slam. Danielson asks for a handshake so Clark shakes hard and stomps on his hand. Danielson hits an armdrag into an armbar. Clark comes back with a head scissors takedown and a leg lariat. He hits a dropkick and Danielson bails. He breaks the count but hurts himself rushing back to the floor so Clark dives out onto him. Back in the ring Danielson hits a chop block and goes to work on Clark’s knee. He stomps the knee, slams it into the mat, hits the thigh stomp and a shinbreaker. He goes for another shinbreaker but Clark blocks it. He exposes Danielson’s rear end and hits a back bodydrop. Danielson, still bare-assed, hits a dragon screw. He thankfully covers himself up. He puts on a deathlock and uses the ropes for leverage. Clark grabs a fishhook to escape. Danielson wraps his leg around the middle rope. Clark blocks a blind charge and hits a back elbow. He hits a second rope clothesline but his bad leg keeps him from covering. He hits a back elbow and a clothesline for 2. He hits the dragon screw and puts on the figure 4 leglock. Clark turns it over but Danielson gets to the ropes. Danielson hits a bodyslam and climbs the ropes. He misses the diving headbutt. Clark gets a roll up for 2. He hits a back suplex and climbs the ropes. He’s slow to climb so Danielson is able to crotch him. He puts on the figure 4 leglock and uses the ropes for leverage until Clark taps at 19:40. This was very similarly structured to the last match, though Danielson’s cheating and Clark’s inability to use the majority of his offense added plenty of depth.
Rating: ***½

VS. [No Disqualification Match]
Prazak calls out Danielson and Pearce to take advantage of the stipulation. Azrieal tries to help out but the numbers catch up to our heroes. Waltman’s music hits and he rushes the ring. Rushes isn’t really an accurate verb for what Waltman does, as there are a good fifteen seconds between the time that Waltman’s music starts and the moment he actually gets to the ring. A lot of damage can be done in fifteen seconds. Azrieal hits a double stomp on Rave. He feeds Rave to Waltman’s X-Factor and Homicide gets the win at 2:12. The title ended up changing hands at the first ROH show of 2006. I feel that robbed the FIP fans of seeing the first title change live. This would have been a fine time to move the title, especially since Danielson was on the show and could have won the Rumble to get Rave’s spot. As it is we get this throw away nonsense as Homicide’s sendoff as champion.
Rating: DUD

After the match Prazak regroups his Associates and sends Pearce after Waltman. That’s right, Homicide’s last match as champion in FIP wasn’t even the main event.

VS.
Pearce catches Waltman off guard and takes control. With the referee distracted Prazak chokes Waltman. Pearce shoots Waltman to the floor and follows him out with an elbowdrop off the apron. Waltman fights back and shoves Pearce into the crowd. Pearce lifts Waltman up and crotches him on the post. Back in the ring Pearce hits a vertical suplex for 2. He puts on a sleeper hold but Waltman counters the hold. Waltman hits a back suplex. He hits a spinning kick for 2. Prazak gets on the apron so Waltman pulls him into the ring and hits him with the Bronco Buster. Pearce blocks the Bronco Buster with a low blow. He goes for a piledriver but Waltman counters to a backdrop. Prazak attacks Waltman but ends up eating a clothesline from Pearce. Waltman hits Pearce with the X-Factor for the win at 6:27. Pearce’s style complimented Waltman’s here, much moreso than the other opponents Waltman has faced in FIP, leading to his most entertaining contest.
Rating: **¼

And with that out of the way we skip over Attack of the Masked FIPPERs and head right into New Year’s Classic 2006.

January 6, 2006 – Bushnell, Florida

When we last left FIP
This stuff happened.

Prazak and Leonard keep things going on commentary.

VS.
Blanco and FIPPER #9 are wearing matching gear. Machete promises that this will be the last time he and Murphy will be in the opening match in FIP. He and Blanco start. Blanco hits a flying forearm and a bodyslam. He hits a standing moonsault for 2. #9 tags in and they hit a double back elbow. Machete hits a clothesline and tags to Murphy. Murphy tosses #9 into the air. Machete tags in and hits a snap suplex for 2. Murphy tags in and they hit the Blackout for the win at 2:16. Why would Blanco just let that happen? For as tedious as the Black Market vs. Heartbreak Express feud would become, it was at least more interesting than these never-ending squashes for Murphy and Machete.
Rating: ¾*

After the match Erick Stevens and Steven Madison run out and hit #9 with a Hart Attack powerbomb. Madison gets on the microphone and says that they will bring more violence to FIP in 2006. They’re the most dominant tag team in FIP. Their first order of business tonight is for Stevens to take on Jay Fury or Jerrelle Clark in a one-on-one match. Fury answers the call.

VS.
Stevens attacks Fury on his way into the ring. Fury comes back with dropkicks. He hits a leg lariat. He hits a back elbow and a crossbody off the top for 2. Stevens crotches him up top and hits a hanging neckbreaker for 2. He hits a bodyslam and a legdrop. He hits a neckbreaker for 2. He stands on Fury’s neck until the referee forces him to break. With the referee distracted Madison hits a cheap shot. Stevens puts on the Mark Nulty Special and gets some leverage from Madison. He releases and hits a kneedrop. He hits a big clothesline for 2. He chokes Fury with his own T-shirt and hits a vertical suplex. He puts on a camel clutch. Fury fights out but Stevens catches him in a sleeper hold. Fury fights out and hits a back suplex. He hits a head scissors takedown and a hurricanrana. He drives his knee into Stevens’s face for 2. Stevens sets him up top but Fury fights back and hits a slingshot legdrop for 2. Madison trips Fury, allowing Stevens to hit him with the TKO for 2. Clark runs out to neutralize Madison’s influence. Fury hits the Jaytrix Enzifury. Clark inadvertently distracts the referee, allowing Madison to lay out Fury with a foreign object to give Stevens the win at 10:09. Stevens showed flashes of the greatness he’d display a year and half later here, and Fury is no slouch. Unfortunately the finish sucked.
Rating: **½

Vic Slowhand calls out Dave Prazak Associates. Prazak flips out, saying it’s actually DP Associates. He threatens Slowhand, saying that Bryan Danielson will stretch him in ways he never knew DP could stretch a person. He hypes the main event and assures everyone that Danielson and Austin Aries will win with their DP double-team moves. He issues an open challenge for Jimmy Rave. Kahagas answers and the match is set.

VS.
Rave stalls for an eternity at the outset of the match. Kahagas grabs an armbar and puts Rave on the mat. Rave gets to the ropes and bails. Back in the ring Rave powers Kahagas to the corner. Kahagas returns the favor and chops Rave down. Rave comes back with a headlock. He shoots Kahagas to the floor where Mr. Milo Beasley puts him in his wheelchair and hits somersault dive off of the apron. Back in the ring Rave kicks his face. Kahagas fights back with a head scissors takedown. He hits a dropkick but Rave catches him with a clothesline to the back for 2. Their heads collide and both men collapse. Kahagas comes up with a belly-to-belly suplex. A spot involving the referee goes awry, leading awkwardly to Rave hitting the Pedigree for the win at 7:10. The finish was very obviously botched, but the rest of the match wasn’t as dull as most Kahagas matches.
Rating: **

VS. [No Disqualification Match]
After being repeatedly cheated out of title shots Cabana and Rinauro hid under FIPPER masks and defeated the Heartbreak Express at Attack of the Masked FIPPERs to earn this shot. The Davises say that this can only be a no disqualification match if it’s the challengers’ only shot at the titles. Cabana and Rinauro attack them on the stage. In the ring they put them in sexually suggestive positions, prompting them to bail. The Davises throw powder in their challengers’ faces and then try to suffocate them with plastic bags. Cabana proves to be the smartest man ever in wrestling by being the first wrestler to ever rip through the bag. There’s a theory about why plastic bag murders work in the movie Four Brothers, which I recommend everyone check out. Rinauro throws a water bottle at Phil as they brawl up the rafters. Cabana knocks Sean from the top of the rafters down the steps to the floor. Rinauro sprays something into Phil’s eyes. He hits an atomic drop, sending Phil into the post. Val starts yelling at Rinauro for grabbing her purse. Cabana goes after Val but Kory Chavis makes the save and beats Cabana down. Sean hits Rinauro with a bodyslam on the stage. Cabana and Chavis brawl to the back, and Chavis returns alone. In the ring the Davises hit Rinauro with a double clothesline. Chavis hits him with a press slam. The Davises hit a double legdrop to different parts of Rinauro’s anatomy. Cabana comes back out with a steel chair. He takes out both Davises and Chavis. Val rushes the ring so Cabana puts her over his leg and gives her a spanking. He hits the Davises with a double noggin knocker. Rinauro climbs the ropes but Stevens runs out and shoves him to the mat. Madison joins the fray to help the Heartbreak Express. Stevens and Madison hit Cabana with a spike piledriver, giving Sean the win at 8:40. This was a crappy end to a middling feud that blatantly was just there to move Cabana and Rinauro to a feud with the Miracle Violence Connection.
Rating: *½

After the match Madison reveals that the attack was payback for the loss he sustained at the hands of Cabana at the Florida Rumble. As such he made Cabana his second item of business for the night. I guess Jerrelle Clark gets a free pass.

VS.
Armani is ancient. He and Rance start. Armani slaps Rance across the face. They trade holds until Rance slaps Armani back. He puts on a wristlock but Armani escapes and tags to Moore. Rance puts on a wristlock and tags to Delay. Delay gets a headlock takedown. Moore hits a hiptoss and puts on a headlock. Delay gets a sunset flip for 2. He hits a dropkick. Rance tags in and puts on a chinlock. Moore counters to a hammerlock. Armani hits a cheap shot and Moore hits a reverse lungblower. Armani tags in and slugs Rance down. Moore tags in and puts on a surfboard stretch. Rance kicks his way out but Moore keeps him from making the tag. Armani tags in and hits a kneedrop for 2. Rance blocks a butterfly suplex and hits a backdrop for 2. Armani connects with the butterfly suplex for 2. Rance fights back with elbows but misses an enziguiri. Armani hits an inverted DDT for 2. Rance hits the enziguiri and tags to Delay. Moore also tags in but falls victim to Delay’s offense. Delay hits a back bodydrop on both opponents. He hits a leaping forearm on Moore for 2. Rance and Delay ram Armani and Moore into each other and hit Moore with a legsweep/blockbuster combo for the win at 10:17. Looking at the match time before watching the match I was worried that giving what seemed to be a jobber match ten minutes would be a disaster. As it is they filled those minutes well and proved they can handle as much time as the rest of the roster is given. Armani actually looked alright, despite the fact that he’s at least fifteen years older than everyone else on the roster. Even Moore put in a performance much better than his usual botch-fest. Rance and Delay were their usual solid selves.
Rating: ***

VS.
They trade holds to start. Mamaluke gets a roll up for 2. They fight on the mat until Clark backs off. Clark gets a roll up for 2. Mamaluke puts on a triangle choke and then gets a roll up for 2. Clark puts on a half crab but Mamaluke escapes. Clark misses a dropkick and Mamaluke rolls him up for 2. Clark hits a second attempt at dropkick. He botches a Clark Bar attempt but follows it with a head scissors takedown on the floor. Back inside Clark gets 2. He hits a bodyslam but a handspring moonsault hits knees. Mamaluke puts on a guillotine choke but Clark gets to the ropes. Mamaluke works the arm. He hits a hammerlock back suplex for 2. Clark flings Mamaluke to the floor but Mamaluke comes back with an armbreaker over the ropes for 2. He kicks Clark’s arm repeatedly. Clark grabs a kick and hits a dragon screw. Mamaluke climbs the ropes and comes down to grab the guillotine choke. Clark powers out and suplexes Mamaluke into the corner. He hits a neckbreaker and a slingshot legdrop on the apron. He hits a springboard knee kick. Mamaluke comes back with a backslide for 2. Clark hits the Jerrelle Driver for 2 when Mamaluke gets his foot on the bottom rope. That whole exchange looked awful. Mamaluke recovers entirely too quickly and puts on an armbar for the win at 15:20. This got incredibly sloppy by the end. Even the crisp holds early on were strung together way too loosely.
Rating: **

After the match Stevens and Madison hit the ring. They put the boots to Clark until Fury makes the save. He and Stevens brawl around the building into a supply closet. Madison gets on the microphone and runs down all of the night’s victims. Rinauro must still feel fine after his match because he runs out and attacks to make sure that Madison doesn’t get the night off.

VS.
Rinauro kicks the match off with a hiptoss and a dropkick. He hits a back bodydrop and Madison bails. Back in the ring Madison hits a neckbreaker. He hits a delayed butterfly suplex for 2. He puts on a chinlock but Rinauro fights out. Rinauro gets a backslide for 2. Madison hits a bodyslam but Rinauro rolls through for 2. He pulls down Madison’s trunks and gets a roll up for 2. Madison hits a dropkick, thankfully already having pulled up his trunks. He hits a bodyslam but comes off the second rope into Rinauro’s boot. He’s so woozy that Rinauro is able to literally blow him over. Madison comes back with the Ace Crusher. He climbs the ropes but misses a moonsault. Stevens strolls out to the ring. Rinauro hits a leaping forearm for 2. Madison blocks Sliced Bread #2 and Stevens slugs Rinauro. Madison takes advantage with the Axe Bomber for the win at 6:40. This was way too disjointed to be enjoyable.
Rating: *¾

VS.
This is Evans’s FIP debut, and the night before his more famous match AGAINST Strong. Evans and Danielson start. Danielson does the Sexy Party dance, to which Evans responds with some break dancing. Danielson does some break dancing of his own. Evans responds to that with a standing corkscrew moonsault, landing on his feet. Danielson tries to repeat the spot but lands on his shoulder. This is all part of the match, by the way. Evans keeps dancing, as we’re now what would turn out to be a quarter of the way through the legal match time. Danielson hits a pair armdrags. Evans comes back from a third with a pair of his own. He puts on an armbar and tags to Strong. Aries tags in and rakes Strong’s back. Strong comes back with a chop and Aries bails. Back in the ring Aries hits Strong from behind. Danielson tags in and gets caught with an armdrag. Strong puts on an armbar and tags to Evans. They hit a double hiptoss for 2. Strong tags in and gets beaten up. Aries tags in and hits a headbutt. Strong hits a hiptoss and a bodyslam. He hits a kneedrop for 2. Evans tags in and lets Strong press slam him into Aries. Aries bails and stalls for a while. Danielson tags in and chokes Evans. He distracts the referee, allowing Aries and Rave to choke Evans. Danielson drops Evans on the top rope. He puts on the Mexican surfboard and Aries kicks Evans’s gut. Danielson slams Evans’s nose. Aries tags in and hits a slingshot senton. He hits a kneedrop for 2. He puts on a deathlock and rolls over to keep Evans from escaping. He does push ups while keeping Evans in the hold. Danielson tags in and they hit a double shoulder tackle for 2. Danielson goes for the diving headbutt but Evans dodges it. Aries tags in and stomps on Evans’s head. He hangs Evans on the top rope and punts him off of it. Evans falls to the floor where Prazak hits him with an elbowdrop. Back in the ring Aries gets 2. Danielson tags in and sets Evans up top. Aries tries to help Danielson hit a double superplex but Evans fights them off and climbs over their shoulders to tag to Strong. Strong cleans house. He hits a back bodydrop on Aries. He hits a dropkick on Danielson. He hits the tiger driver on Danielson for 2 when Aries saves. The bad guys hit stereo Manhattan drops but end up hitting each other when they go for clotheslines. Strong throws Evans into a phoenix splash on Danielson for 2. Danielson and Aries regain control, putting the boots to their opponents. Evans fights them off with a double moonsault back elbow. Strong hits Aries with a snap suplex. He and Evans hit their opponents with Skipping a Generation. Evans shoots Aries to the floor and hits the entire entourage with the Space Flying Tiger Driver. Strong hits Danielson with the half nelson backbreaker and puts on the Stronghold for the win at 18:14. For the talent involved this was a little too silly. Too much stalling and too many gaga moments. The last three minutes were great, but three minutes out of eighteen do not a classic make.
Rating: ***

The 411:  Florida Rumble 2005: Strong vs. Fury is fun, but it’s the two shot of Rinauro vs. Milano and Clark vs. Danielson that acts as grounds to buy this DVD. Very rarely is effective selling evident on the independents, but Rinauro and Clark came through. The Homicide issue is frustrating in the overall scheme of FIP’s history, but it might interest the FIP fan to have his last title defense in the company. The main event is throw-away silliness, as Waltman went over everyone he faced and never asked for a title shot. I can’t recommend the show overall, but those two matches I mentioned are definitely worth seeing. New Year's Classic 2006: An incredibly short show at roughly one hour and forty five minutes, it’s a good thing it got doubled up with another show. This was the Miracle Violence Connection show. They were entertaining but didn’t produce any great matches. It’s surprising that the main event tag was only as good as the Rance & Delay vs. Moore & Armani tag. Overall this was a very disappointing show. Seeing as how this compliments the Florida Rumble so poorly I can’t in good conscience recommend this DVD.

Final Score:  5.0   [ Not So Good ]