IWA Puerto Rico Impacto Total 12-7-19 TV Review

IWA Puerto Rico Impacto Total 12.07.2019 TV Review

Your hosts are Savio Vega and El Profe.

Video Montage with promos to hype IWA Hardcore Weekend. Thunder & Lightning cut a promo for their Extreme Rules match against “The Golden Latino” Joe Bravo and Huracan Castillo. They promise this will be an old-school extreme rules match. Castillo and Bravo in their promo mention they have been wrestling longer than T & L and will take them to school. El Profe cuts a promo for Spectro & Vazago, saying they will destroy Puro Macho and take the IWA Tag Team Titles and when they are done, he will have five minutes with Walkyria to do as he pleases with her. He warns them to not bring kids because what he will do to her will be beyond R-rated. Eeww. Puro Macho cut a promo and when they defeat Spectro & Vazago, Walkyria will give El Profe the belt lashes his mother never gave him. Chicky Starr berates Monster Pain for interfering in the World Title match and says he bright him in only for the Intercontinental Title. A frustrated Monster Pain chokes Chicky. This cuts to a Monster Pain video package that includes him going crazy (reminded me of Matanza in Lucha Underground) and some highlights of him attacking other wrestlers. Mr. Big promo about his upcoming match against Mikel Judas for the IWA World Title. He says Monster Pain got involved and prevented him from becoming the champ, but their rematch is now No Disqualification and that is the type of match he thrives in. Mikel Judas promo in a dark room. Judas says if a higher being controlled his fate he would tell that being to shove his fate up his ass (?). He promises Mr. Big will go to an eternal sleep that lasts forever (no shit) and it will be an empty dream full of pain. Chicano shows up (he is working for both WWC and IWA) and says he can’t believe this kid is proclaiming he is the best Extreme wrestler in Puerto Rico when he has never faced Chicano. He says he is Mr. Extreme in Puerto Rico and no one can call themselves the king of extreme without taking him out first. “The Alpha Male” Manny Ferno says nobody invited Chicano to IWA but since he is one of the IWA originals and he has beaten the ass of every IWA original who stands in his way, he accepts the challenge and hopes Chicano brings “the kid” from ten years ago to their match because he is the new King of Extreme. Slash Venom meets with Miguel Perez and apparently exchanges “medicine” for 25% ownership of IWA. Then we see Savio Vega and his group beating down the faces until Slash Venom cleans house with a Singapore cane. Venom and Savio will meet at IWA Hardcore Weekend. We cut to Fernando Tonos distracting Venom as Savio ambushes him from behind with a bullrope/cowbell and beats him down. Well produced video package to hype all of the main angles and matches.

We begin with the widow and sons of Bison Smith going to the ring for the memorial held for Bison Smith. They have Bison’s bullrope/cowbell and one of his robes in the ring. Savio is the master of ceremonies. He honors Bison’s legacy in IWA and Puerto Rico. They unveil a memorial photo and a nice video package. Very emotional moment and a nice gesture from IWA.

Match 1 Extreme Rules Match: Chicano vs “The Alpha Male” Manny Ferno

We are JIP as Ferno eats a superkick and rolls outside. Chicano chases but Ferno has a baseball bat and hits Chicano in the gut. Cut to Ferno propping a trash can on the floor, but Chicano steals the baseball bat and whacks him. Chicano suplexes Ferno into the trash can. Cut to Ferno propping a wooden board covered in barbed wire between the floor and ring apron. He tries to whip a bloody Chicano into it, but Chicano reverses. Ferno stops just shy of the board and a stupid Chicano blindly charges him, only to get catapulted into the board that breaks in half. Cut to Chicano who gets his backpack and prepares to throw a fireball in Ferno’s face, but D-Rose from Puro Macho runs in and attacks him from behind putting a stop to it. Then we cut to Chicano issuing a challenge for a rematch in a Last Man Standing Match at Christmas in PR on December 14.

Winner: NO IDEA (2:35 shown) Rating: N/R   What is this? Just a couple of clips, no clear idea of who won the match and that’s it? Come on IWA, we deserve better.

Match 2: IWA Intercontinental Title:

Electro vs Monster Pain ©

Monster Pain is formerly known as Black Pain/Big Papi Sanchez and was once a developmental talent for WWE. Electro is a house on fire using his speed advantage to attack Pain, but it doesn’t phase him. Pain eventually takes over with big HAMMERIN’ blows and tosses Electro across the ring. He blindly charges and Electro moves. Electro with a big running knee to the face and staggers the monster. He seeks the ropes, ducks under a clothesline but gets caught in a tilt-a-whirl slam. Pain goes on the offensive with his 80’s big man offense, choking and hammering Electro all over the ring and cutting short Electro’s comebacks. Another hammering blow puts Electro down as we head to commercial.

When we come back is not to the match but to the slapping contest between Chicky Starr and Fernando Tonos. Why? Starr wins of course, and then smacks Tonos with a big right hand and out of the ring. El Profe sneaks in and attacks Starr from behind, tossing him headfirst into a table until Aiden Green runs in to make the save.

Back to the match as Pain bodyslams Electro. He goes for a running legdrop but Electro moves out of the way and begins his comeback. Quick series of punches and kicks as he does his best to stay away from the big man. He does a matrix move under a clothesline and then hits a superkick to the knee, dropping the big guy into a kneeling position. He runs to the ropes and gets a Springboard Ace Crusher! 1-2…NO! Electro with right hands but Pain cuts him off with a big boot to the face. He gets his chain and props it in the corner. Pain whips Electro into the chain covered buckle, but Electro jumps to the top rope and flashes the double bird at Pain! Pain blindly charges and eats the chain like an idiot. Big Running Knee to the face drops the big guy and Electro heads to the top rope: Mikel Judas runs in and shoves him from the top rope. Savio casually mentions that all matches at Hardcore Weekend were No DQ. Good to know Savio. Judas gives Electro the Crucifix (Razor’s Edge) and leaves him down and out. Pain gets up and drags Electro to the corner. He is looking for the Vader Bomb, but Mr. Big runs in and smacks him with a chair, dropping the big man down. Electro recovers and goes to the top rope: Five-Star Frog Splash! 1-2-3!

Winner and NEW IWA Intercontinental Champion: Electro by pinfall (7:13 shown) Rating: **   The match was short, and they didn’t appear to have cut much in the transition to TV. Pain’s slow 80’s big man offense isn’t exciting, but it is effective and makes sense. Electro has a great look but didn’t show much here, maybe because of the difficulties of working with a such a big man. Decent match before it devolved into an overbooked mess similar to ECW booking, which IWA mimics a lot.
 
Match 3: Barbed Wire Extreme Bullrope Match: Special Referee: Chicano
Slash Venom vs Savio Vega

Both men’s 25% stake in the company is on the line. The ring ropes are wrapped in barbed wire and both men are tied to each other with a bullrope. They brawl and Savio wins the first skirmish by whacking Slash with the cowbell. Clipped to Savio dragging barbed wire over Venom’s forehead, busting him open. Slash fights back with punches and kicks. Clipped to Venom choking Savio with the bullrope. Clipped to a closeup of Slash dragging the barbed wire on Savio’s forehead and these sadistic sons of bitches are using real barbed wire! We see one of the barbs penetrate Savio’s forehead in a stupidly up-close shot. I think this is the closest I have ever been to another man’s forehead. Slash then gives Savio a few kicks to the head for good measure. Clipped to Savio using a fork on Slash and Chicano breaks it up and they argue. Savio shoves Chicano into the barbed wire and a pissed off Chicano gives him a neckbreaker and steals the fork. Slash gets a baseball bat (Savio’s bat) and whacks Savio several times with it, then a big cowbell shot and covers for the pinfall win.
Winner: Slash Venom by pinfall (2:38 shown) Rating: N/A   Too short and clipped to properly rate, but it looked like another bloody plunder brawl. Once again it gets overbooked at the end with Chicano turning on Savio after an argument and essentially costing him the match, although since Savio is the heel the fans were into it.
 

Backstage, a doctor is seeing Fernando Tonos after the slap contest and informs him he has a dislocated jaw as Tonos screams in pain. The tiny heel ref whose name I don’t know walks in and informs him that Savio bet his 25% stake in the company and lost it to Slash Venom who now owns 50% of IWA. Tonos is shocked and angry.

IWA World Championship:
Mr. Big vs Mikel Judas ©

They brawl to start, and I expect this match to fully devolve into a punch-kick brawl pretty quick. Judas misses a blind charge and gets body slammed. Big goes for a running elbowdrop but Judas moves and connects with a big boot. He goes to the ropes and Big moves and throws him over the top, but he hangs on. They grapple and Big with a big forearm smash that finally drops Judas from the apron to the outside. Big goes for a tope but Judas receives him with a big right hand and drops him.

They start and a main event punch-kick brawl all over the arena as is typical in PR. Judas nails Big with a street sign and they go into the crowd. Judas tries to toss Big down the stairs but Big fights back with a big right hand. They walk further ahead and trade punches and chops. Judas finally tosses Big down the stairs and he slowly rolls down. Big fights back and tosses Judas over the railing and out of the crowd as they head back to the ring side area. Big with a leather belt and he smacks Judas clean on his back. He tries with a steal chair but Judas steals it and bangs him over the head with the chair. Judas now heads to the back as we go to commercial.

When we come back Fernando Tonos is backstage yelling at Savio for losing the 25% stake. He berates Savio who sits there looking forlorn and takes it. Okay then.

Back to the match and Judas emerges from the back with a table. He props the table ringside and tries to suplex Big from the apron to the outside and through the table, but Big counters and suplexes Judas back into the ring. He whips Judas to the corner and nails a big clothesline. He goes for the ten punches in the corner but gets powerbombed off at 6. No one does the ten punches anymore. It is always countered nowadays. Cover gets two. Judas now locks Big in the Half-Crab. Big holds on and drags himself to the ropes. Judas is frustrated now, Big counters an Irish Whip but misses a charge into the corner as Judas flips over him in a cool spot. Judas with two big boots and two clotheslines and Big doesn’t drop! He hulks up and fights back with rights as Judas pinballs around. Big misses a blind charge though and eats a big boot from Judas. Judas up top but Big recovers and shakes the ropes. They fight up top and Big uses a series of headbutts to take over. He busted himself open with those headbutts! Superplex! Big rolls outside and brings the table into the ring. He sets it up and goes for a chokeslam, but Judas breaks it up with a field goal kick low blow. They brawl and Judas hits a chokeslam! Judas sets Big up top and he is trying for a Running Crucifix Bomb on the table…. but Big counters out. Still impressive that he lifted such a large man. They brawl and counter each other a couple of times until Big hits the chokeslam through the table! 1-2-3!
Winner and NEW IWA World Champion: Mr. Big by pinfall (13:22 shown) Rating: ** Slow and plodding brawl between two big men. A lot of punching and walking initially as is the custom of the main event brawls in Puerto Rico. Then a combination of more striking and some plunder shots. Not a technically sound match but a decent enough brawl. Some parts were sloppy and disjointed but it is very difficult to be crisp when you are this size. It felt too long and dragged in parts, maybe they should have cut at least two minutes from this and shown more of Chicano vs Manny Ferno instead. Watchable but not great.
 

Post-match Monster Pain runs in and beats down Big. Judas joins in and it’s a two on one beatdown until Electro runs in with a chair and stares them down. Pain and Judas leave but behave like they are not afraid of Electro. Big thanks Electro who fist bumps him but stares at the World Title belt like he wants another crack at it (Electro is a former champion and the youngest in IWA history).

When we come back Slash Venom walks into Chicky Starr and says he found the documents that prove everything they suspected about Fernando Tonos. Starr says this is why Tonos is a real pain in the ass and hints that it proves at blackmail committed by Tonos all the way back to the days of Victor Quinones (RIP). Starr says they need to keep talking.

Clipped to Fernando Tonos promo time. He says he is the authority here in IWA and no one can make decisions without him. He adds some matches to the Christmas in PR card. First, Electro will defend the IC Title in a Fatal Fourway Match against Vazago, Jaxxed and Diosdado. Puro Macho will defend the IWA Tag Team Titles against Drunken Express. He has offered Spectro a lot of money to defeat and eliminate Aiden Green. He says he will personally make Chicky Starr and Slash Venom pay for stealing 50% of the company. He has an ace up his sleeve.

Clipped to Mr. Big. Manny Ferno walks in and congratulates him on his victory. “Your dream finally came true! Tell me, how long has it been? How long did it take you to earn that championship?”– Ferno. He tells Big everyone is coming for that title now. “Celebrate tonight. Celebrate tomorrow, and the next day, all the way until Christmas in PR”– Ferno. He walks away clearly hinting that he is gunning for the belt and Big is none too pleased with the Alpha Male.

Clipped to Chicky Starr. He makes a “Strip Away Match” between Walkyria and El Profe were the loser will end up in their underwear. He also makes a match between Thunder and Savio Vega in an Unsanctioned Match. IWA will not be responsible for anything that happens in that match. Finally, they will unmask the person responsible for the debacle of the IWA at Christmas in PR as they finally have all the proof.

6.0

The final score: review Average

The 411

Since they only have one show a week it runs for 1.5 hours, slightly longer than WWC’s. It felt much longer than that! The matches were okay, but two of them were clipped to the point of not being easily followed. Might as well have made them a highlights package. They also never mentioned who won the Chicano/Ferno match. The main event was too long and outside of the initial brawl in the crowd the fans were looking bored and seemed out of it until the end. I am not sure replacing Judas with an even bigger, slower dude in Monster Pain is going to make for a better result. While WWC is using smaller, more agile workers (outside of guys like Ursus and The Hangmen), IWA is relying on older people (like Venom must be 50, and Savio too) and bigger, slower workers. That works in small doses but not when every match feels the same. Guys like Electro and Manny Ferno were not properly showcased here. Also, they still have the same bullshit angles about the fate of IWA and who owns what and has what papers, stuff that they ran to the ground in the early 2000’s and feels like a rehash. Can anyone really keep track of this stuff? They have good production values and the opening montage/recap was extremely well done. Still, I feel like WWC is ahead in terms of match quality (at least their final December shows) and have more interesting angles. Thumbs in the middle.