IWA-MS presents Stylin’ & Profilin
Date: 12/20/2003
From: Highland, IN
Joe E. Legend starts the show to cut a promo before his opening match. This is is Legend’s debut in the IWA-MS. Legend tells the fans they are not going to boo him or Canada. Legend says that Canada doesn’t suck and nothing about it sucks. Legend is going to put an ass kicking on a local hero. Heroes come and go, but legends live forever.
Opening Contest: Joe E. Legend vs. Cru Jones: They trade wrist locks early on into the contest with Jones yanking down on Legend’s arm. Legend gets a two count with a rollup and taunts Jones afterward. Jones elbows Legend to the mat and Legend bails to the floor to regroup. Jones works over Legend with more strikes in the corner to maintain control of the contest. Legend backs Jones into the corner and delivers a few shoulder rams and right hands. Legend uppercuts Jones in the corner several times. Jones avoids a right hand and gets a few shots in followed by a backdrop for a two count. Legend yanks Jones down to the mat by his hair and comes off the ropes to deliver a boot to the head. Legend drives Jones chest first onto the mat and continues with strikes before pressing Jones head around the post. Legend hits an overhead suplex for a near fall. Jones hammers away on Legend briefly. Legend plants Jones with a modified neckbreaker for a near fall. Legend comes off the ropes to deliver an elbow drop for a near fall. Jones rams Legend face first into several turnbuckles. Legend tosses Jones out of the corner and connects with a superkick for a two count. Legend comes off the ropes to kick Jones in the head, but only manages a two count. Jones takes Legend over with a northern lights suplex. Jones clotheslines Legend a few times followed by a backdrop. Cruz hits a swinging Flatliner for a near fall. Jones hits an overhead suplex for another two count. Legend drops Jones with a kick to the head. Legend heads to the top rope, but Jones crotches Legend by getting into the ropes. Jones hooks Legend on the top rope, but Legend tosses Jones off. Legend hits a top rope crossbody, but Jones rolls through and pins Legend. (*1/4. For an opening match, that didn’t have much energy to it at all and didn’t provide excitement for the remainder of the show. I was surprised that a TNA guy would do a clean job for a virtual unknown.)
Second Contest: Lacy & Rain vs. Daizee Haze & Mickie Knuckles: Rain and Knuckles start the contest trading wrist locks and mat wrestling holds. Knuckles breaks free with a back suplex and locks in a Muta lock, but doesn’t get a submission. Lacy tags in and knee lifts Knuckles followed by strikes. Knuckles gets out of a chin lock and traps Lacy in a chokehold on the mat. Knuckles comes off the ropes to hit a swinging neckbreaker for a near fall. Knuckles hits a leg drop for a near fall. Haze clotheslines Lacy but Rain tags in. Haze takes Rain down to the mat and they counter each other a few times. Rain tried for the Rain Drop, but Haze countered again. Haze plants Rain with a reverse DDT for a near fall. Haze hits a snap suplex followed by right hands. Lacy shakes the ropes to knock Haze to the mat. Lacy legally enters the match and forearms Haze on the top rope. Lacy hits an elevated swinging neckbreaker for a near fall. Lacy slams Haze and delivers a kick to the back for a two count. Rain returns to the match to prevent Haze from tagging out. Rain comes off the top to drive Haze down to the mat for a near fall.
Lacy gets a two count after a double team neckbreaker. Lacy has a submission locked in, but Haze isn’t giving in. Knuckles gets tagged in but the referee didn’t see it and Haze is worked over some more. Haze gets a chokehold on Rain for a moment. Rain clotheslines Haze for a near fall. Lacy splashes Haze in the corner and misses a second one. Haze nearly wins with a rollup out of the corner. They collide on stereo clothesline attempts. Knuckles gets the hot tag and cleans house with clotheslines and forearms. Rain sends Knuckles into the post while Haze gets a win with a tornado DDT, which looked botched. (*1/4. That wasn’t a good match at all and it dragged on forever. They got way too much time and the finish wasn’t executed well at all.)
Third Contest: Matt Sydal vs. Delirious: They focus on some mat wrestling to start the contest with Delirious getting the advantage early on. Sydal tries for an arm drag, but they mess that up. They are trading rollups until Delirious drives Sydal down to the mat for a near fall. Sydal monkey flips Delirious out of the corner. Sydal drops Delirious with a leg lariat and hits a twisting senton for a near fall. Brad Bradley and Ryan Boz slide into the ring and attack both men and that’s going to lead to a tag match…
Carmine is demanding a match tonight because they took out Balls Mahoney. He’s taunting Sydal and Delirious by calling them midgets. They have an open challenge and it’s answered by Sydal and Delirious, obviously.
Fourth Contest: Brad Bradley & Ryan Boz vs. Matt Sydal & Delirious: Bradley and Boz hit stereo fallaway slams to start the tag match. They are dumped over the top to the floor. Sydal fakes a dive to the floor and the heels scatter away. Bradley works over Sydal with several strikes until Delirious tags in and hits a top rope crossbody for a near fall. Sydal connects with a somersault kick and a spin kick to Bradley’s chest. Boz tags in and Delirious hammers away on Boz. Delirious kicks Boz away to hit a missile dropkick. Sydal and Delirious leap off the top with Sydal taking everyone out with a moonsault to the floor. Boz powerslams Delirious and tags in Bradley to deliver several elbow drops. Bradley locks in a Stretch Muffler on Delirious, but doesn’t get a submission. Boz kicks Delirious followed by leg drop after a kick by Bradley. Delirious is driven down with a wheelbarrow/leg drop combo. Sydal tries to get involved and is stopped by the referee while Delirious continues to be beaten up. Boz clotheslines Delirious and Bradley delivers a few running boots in the corner.
Delirious is sent to the floor and Sydal tries to help him. Bradley takes everyone out with a crossbody over the top to the floor. Boz sends Sydal into the ring post. Delirious drops Boz over his knee face first and a kick to the head. Sydal is tagged in and hammers away on the heels. Sydal dropkicks Boz but nails Bradley with a springboard dropkick from the apron. Sydal hits the Shooting Star Press for a two count on Bradley. Boz drops Sydal with a Rikishi Driver. Delirious plants Boz with a tornado DDT and heads to the top rope hitting the Shadows Over Hell. Bradley lariats Delirious, but Sydal gets involved. Sydal is driven to the mat with a double swinging Stretch Muffler and hits the mat face first. Bradley has Delirious over his shoulder, but Ian Rotten crotches Boz on the top rope. Delirious gets an inside cradle on Bradley and Sydal helps on the cover to get a three count. After the match, BJ Whitmer and Danny Daniels send Rotten into the ring post and Rotten has been busted wide open. Daniels has an arm bar on Rotten, who is gushing blood. Carmine taunts Rotten. Rotten is selling an arm injury. The locker room empties to make the save. (***. A solid enough match with Bradley and Boz looking good as they tossed their smaller opponents around the ring. I’m indifferent about the finish as I feel a win for Bradley and Boz would have been better to build them up for the eventual match with Mahoney.)
Corporal Robinson comes out and wants a thumbtack match with Necro Butcher and Mad Man Pondo.
Fifth Contest: Arik Cannon vs. Steve Stone: Stone takes Cannon over with a headlock a few times to start the contest before they have a standoff. Stone keeps wrist control of Cannon and delivers a few arm drags. Cannon comes back with a few of his own, but bails to the floor to regroup. Stone hits a baseball slide dropkick on the floor and continues with chops around ringside. They trade forearms to the back. Stone arm drags Cannon and keeps arm control in the ring. Cannon fights out to put a sleeper on Cannon for a moment. Stone counters with an arm bar of his own. Cannon dropkicks Stone on the knee after Stone was distracted by Weird Cookie, who is Cannon’s manager. Cannon has a bridging submission locked in, but Stone refuses to give in. Cannon drives Stone’s knee down to the mat followed by a knee breaker. Cannon continues with a dragon screw leg whip. Stone fights out of a leg lock but is met with another dropkick to the knee. Stone crashes to the floor and Cannon follows to eye rake Stone. Cannon brings the action back to the ring to choke Stone. Cannon takes Stone over with a spinebuster for a near fall.
Cannon traps Stone in the ropes and delivers a dropkick. Cannon kicks Stone on the knee and tries for a leg lock, but Stone reaches the ropes. Stone sunset flips Cannon for a near fall. Stone ducks a clothesline to backslide Cannon for a two count. Stone nearly wins with another rollup. Cannon kicks Stone on the knee. Stone drops Cannon with a backbreaker, but hurt his knee. Stone and Cannon trade forearm strikes with Cannon dropping to the mat. Stone hits a sit out spinebuster for a near fall. Stone decks Cannon with a lariat after avoiding Cannon in the corner. Cannon ducks another lariat to kick Stone on the knee and hits a shining wizard for a two count. Stone counters a tornado DDT, but gets distracted and tripped by Weird Cookie. Stone grabs Cookie on the apron by his mohawk. Stone hits the White Out on Cookie. Cannon tosses Stone with a release German suplex for a near fall. Stone plants Cannon with the White Out and signals for a moonsault. Stone barely hits a moonsault off the top to win the match. (**. A decent match between two guys that I don’t normally care about at all. They did enough to make this not a complete waste of time.)
Dave Prazak says that if Ian Rotten wanted to wrestle BJ Whitmer that he would. Prazak says they flipped the card around to allow Rotten to recover. Rotten comes out and his bleeding with a bandage on his head and his arm wrapped up. Rotten admits he’s not wrestling, but you don’t mess with the pencil. Rotten has the power to change things. There was someone visiting and they just happened to have their gear. He’s back from Pro Wrestling NOAH… Ace Steel! Jim Fannin says this will not be happening since a contract has not been signed. Steel asks if Whitmer is a professional or a coward. Rotten tells Whitmer if he doesn’t wrestle Steel then he doesn’t get paid. Rotten suggests Whitmer wrestles since they have wrestled previously.
Sixth Contest: Ace Steel vs. BJ Whitmer: A slow start to the match as there’s a couple of standoffs. Steel controls Whitmer with a head scissors on the mat, but Whitmer reaches the ropes quickly. Steel arm drags Whitmer after getting out of wrist control and controls Whitmer on the mat for a few moments. Steel gets tired of a test of strength and clotheslines Whitmer in the corner. Steel takes Whitmer over with a vertical suplex for a two count. Whitmer takes Steel down with a drop toe hold and a hammerlock. Steel keeps Whitmer on the mat with a hammerlock and stomps on the arm causing Whitmer to roll to the floor. Steel wraps Whitmer’s arm under the top rope to focus his attack. Steel takes Whitmer down to the mat to keep arm control. Whitmer eye rakes Steel and drops Steel throat first over the top rope. Whitmer continues with a clothesline for a near fall. Fannin chokes Steel over the middle rope and Whitmer continues to choke Steel in the ropes. Whitmer drives Steel down with a neckbreaker.
Whitmer delivers a few elbow strikes to keep control of the contest and puts a sleeper on Steel. Whitmer works over Steel in the corner with stomps and chokes Steel. Whitmer counters a backdrop with a neckbreaker for a near fall. Whitmer puts a camel clutch on Steel. Steel doesn’t give in and Whitmer splashes down onto Steel’s back. Steel counters a neckbreaker with a reverse DDT! Steel uppercuts Whitmer a couple of times. Steel elbows Whitmer to the mat and continues with forearms and a running dropkick in the corner. Steel forearms Whitmer from the apron and is stopped on the top rope. Whitmer hooks Steel for a superplex and hits it leading to a near fall. Steel fights out of an exploder and nearly wins with a rollup. Steel kicks Whitmer and hits a Tiger Driver for a near fall. Whitmer takes Steel over with a German suplex and a dragon suplex. Whitmer tries for a powerbomb, but Steel breaks free. Steel blocks a superkick and drops Whitmer with a Gory Special for the clean win. (***. A good match even if it was a little sloppy towards the end. I can appreciate the clean win for Steel as I’m sure this won’t hurt BJ who is destined to feud with Ian Rotten at some point in the future.)
Seventh Contest: IWA-MS Light Heavyweight Champion JC Bailey vs. Nate Webb: They slap each other to start the match and right hands. Bailey decks Webb to the floor but doesn’t follow to the floor. They trade wrist control and forearms. Bailey has leg control on the mat, but Webb manages to counter with an arm bar and a rolling surfboard submission. Bailey reaches the ropes to break the hold. Webb takes Bailey down to keep leg control. Bailey pops out of a rollup attempt. Bailey double stomps Webb on the back. Webb drops Bailey over his knee followed by a palm strike. Webb takes Bailey out with a somersault dive to the outside. They trade chops while kneeling on the floor. Bailey nails Webb with a forearm to stop the exchange. Bailey runs the ropes and hits a somersault suicide dive, but Bailey’s legs his the ropes and landed on his head. Webb shoulder rams Bailey from the apron and gets a two count on a sunset flip into the ring. They have a standoff after a few pin attempts.
Webb leg drops Bailey on the back of the head. Webb comes off the ropes to hit a twisting splash for a two count. Bailey hits a top rope blockbuster for a near fall. Bailey grabs two ladders and a chair. Bailey tosses a ladder onto Webb’s legs. Webb blindly tosses the ladder at Bailey in the corner. Bailey drops Webb onto the ladder and chair with a German suplex. Bailey sandwiches Webb on the ladder, but misses a somersault landing only on the ladder. Webb goes to the top rope with a ladder and hits a laddersault for a near fall. Bailey comes off the ropes to drop Webb with a neckbreaker. Bailey plants Webb with a fisherman buster for a two count. Webb forearms Bailey on the middle rope and DDTs Bailey off the middle rope onto a steel chair! Webb covers, but Bailey kicks out at two. Webb lays a chair onto Bailey and hits a top rope moonsault double stomp! Webb tries for another cover, but Bailey kicks out at two. Webb hits an over the shoulder twisting DDT onto a chair, but Bailey kicks out again.
Bailey avoids a splash in the corner and Webb crashes over the top to the floor. Webb almost wins with an inside cradle. Bailey headbutts Webb several times. Bailey slams Webb and climbs to the top rope. Bailey misses a leg drop. They both look for running crossbody blocks and they drop to the mat. Webb comes off the ropes to nail Bailey with a spinning kick to the back of the head for a near fall. Bailey manages to get a backslide and his feet on the ropes for the cheap win. (***1/4. It’s a little bizarre to see Bailey wrestling in non-death matches, but I thought this was an enjoyable contest. The finish is a little cheap, but it could lead to another match and I’d be interested in that.) After the match, Webb says that Bailey can keep the belt for another week because next week in Salem they will be wrestling a in a tables match where you can only win by pin.
Eighth Contest: Chris Hero vs. B-Boy: Hero controls Boy with a neck vice in the opening moments of the contest. Boy counters and they continue to trade holds on the mat. They have a standoff after Boy breaks free from Hero. Boy gets leg control and leg sweeps Hero to the mat. Hero breaks free, but Boy takes Hero over with a backdrop. Boy keeps wrist control on Hero, but Hero quickly takes Boy down to the mat. Hero gets out of a head scissors to put a headlock on Boy. Hero kips up out of an arm bar leading to another standoff. Hero puts a neck vice on Boy, but Boy quickly reaches the ropes to break the hold. Boy backs Hero into a corner, but cleanly breaks away. Hero forearms Boy in the corner deciding to not cleanly break away. Boy blocks a forearm and nails Hero with a strike. Hero puts a modified figure four on Boy, but doesn’t get a submission. Boy goes to the floor to regroup. Hero takes Boy over with a few arm drags. Hero nearly wins with a rollup for a two count. Hero double stomps Boy on the mat, but Boy hits two double stomps and a senton splash.
Boy keeps a sleeper hold on Hero for a few moments. Hero fights out with strikes and is met with an elbow strike by Boy. Boy kicks Hero on the back followed by a dropkick to the head for a near fall. They begin to trade forearms while kneeling on the mat. Boy nearly wins following a forearm strike. Boy elbow strikes Hero over the back and hooks Hero with a butterfly submission on the mat. Boy decks Hero with a forearm strike followed by a knee drop to the back of his head. Boy locks in a camel clutch top wrist lock submission on the mat, but Hero isn’t giving up. Boy yanks Hero down by his hair and Hero rolls to the corner. Boy tries for a running kick in the corner, but Hero decks Boy with a lariat. Hero clotheslines Boy a few times followed by a big boot to send Boy into the corner. Hero plants Boy with a brainbuster for a near fall. Hero headbutts Boy in the corner a few times before going to the middle rope. Hero tries for a neckbreaker, but Boy holds onto the ropes. Hero hits a sit out neck vice slam for a two count.
Hero forearms Boy into the ropes, but Boy kicks Hero before attempting a powerbomb. Hero counters, but Boy spikes Hero with a Death Valley Driver for a near fall. Boy comes off the ropes, but Hero has Boy over his shoulder looking for Hero’s Welcome. Boy counters and drops Hero to his knees looking for a shining wizard. Hero counters, but Boy counters into the STF. Hero breaks free and gets the Hangman’s Clutch locked in. Boy tries to reach the ropes and is able to break the hold. Boy plants Hero with a straightjacket piledriver for a near fall. Boy works over Hero in the corner, but Hero fires back with strikes. They begin to exchange several blows. Boy forearms Hero in the corner and hits the running dropkick to a seated Hero. Boy nails Hero with the shining wizard for a two count. Boy tries for another brainbuster, but Hero blocks it. Hero takes Boy down with a flipping vertical suplex. Hero tries for a cloverleaf piledriver and hits it! Hero gets the Hangman’s Clutch locked in right in the middle of the ring. Boy’s arm doesn’t drop three times and he reaches the ropes!
Hero hits the Heroes Welcome, but Boy kicks free on a second attempt. Boy nails Hero with a shining wizard. Hero is up first and hits the Heroes Welcome. They are both down and have their arms on each other. Hero clearly tells the referee to count and they have wrestled to a double pin. (***1/2. I may have gone higher if they didn’t go with a draw finish. The crowd was red hot for this and I found myself highly invested and interested in this match, which is rarely accomplished by me for Chris Hero matches in this era. I really enjoyed this and wish there was an actual winner to really allow a satisfying finish.)
IWA-MS Heavyweight Champion Danny Daniels comes out and hits Hero with the championship. Daniels simply walks to the back taunting the match we had just seen. Naturally, Ian Rotten comes out to cut a promo because he has to get some shine on the guys. Rotten wants Boy to give him a date to return and have them wrestle in a best two out of three falls match. Boy agrees to return to IWA-MS for the match.
Ninth Contest: AJ Styles vs. NWA-TNA X-Division Champion Michael Shane: This is a non-title match. Styles backs Shane into a corner, but cleanly breaks away. Shane decks Styles over the back a few times followed by jabs. Styles nails Shane with a dropkick and Shane begs off. Styles goes right after Shane with kicks in the corner, but is kicked away. Styles hip tosses and arm drags Shane followed by a knee drop. Styles pulls Shane’s tights down and kicks his exposed ass. Shane misses a clothesline and Styles catches Shane on a crossbody. Styles dangerously drops Shane on his head. Shane breaks free of a sleeper with a jawbreaker. Shane punches Styles against the ropes a few times. Shane avoids a dropkick by hanging onto the ropes. Styles takes Shane over with a kip up hurricanrana to send Shane to the floor. Styles attempts a suicide dive, but is met with a forearm by Shane. Shane is on the apron trying to suplex Styles to the floor. Styles drops Shane over the top rope throat first and hits a slingshot crossbody to the outside! Styles rams Shane face first onto the apron and rolls Shane into the ring.
Styles kicks Shane in the ring to maintain control of the contest. Styles continues with strikes in the corner and chops. Shane is sent into the corner, but Styles runs into a boot and Shane sends Styles into the ring post shoulder first. Shane rams Styles shoulder first into the ring post a few times. Shane continues to beat on Styles until they return to the ring. Shane stomps on Styles to keep control of the contest. Shane tries for a suplex, but settles for sending Styles shoulder first into the top turnbuckle. Shane delivers a few short arm shoulder blocks. Styles fights back with right hands. Styles charges towards Shane, but is dropped throat first over the top rope for a two count. Shane eye rakes Styles in the corner and delivers a leg drop to the arm for a near fall. Styles runs into a boot in the corner, but clotheslines Shane a few times. Shane dumps Styles to the apron and drops AJ’s arm over the top rope sending Styles to the floor.
Shane throws water onto Styles at ringside before returning to the ring. Shane keeps Styles on the mat by choking AJ. Shane slams Styles before heading to the top rope. Styles stops Shane on the top rope looking for a suplex, but Shane tosses Styles to the mat. Shane misses an elbow drop. Styles decks Shane with a discus clothesline. Styles clotheslines Shane a few times followed by a kick to the shoulder. Styles plants Shane with a springboard reverse DDT for a two count. Shane sunset flips Styles for a two count. They begin to trade rollups with both men getting near falls. They both stagger up and collapse to the mat. Styles hits a German suplex, but Shane comes back with one of his own. Styles connects with a vertical suplex turned into a neckbreaker for a near fall. Shane tosses Styles to avoid a tornado DDT. Shane hits a Flatliner for a near fall. Styles drops Shane with a Pele kick. Styles tries for a discus clothesline, but Shane nails Styles with a superkick sending Styles to the floor. Shane misses a superkick and Styles leg sweeps Shane. Styles tries for the Styles Clash, but Shane head scissors Styles. Shane drives Styles into the corner with a shoulder ram. Shane sits Styles on the top rope. Styles avoids a hurricanrana and sunset flips Shane before hitting the Styles Clash for the clean win. (***1/4. There were a few sloppy moments, but the action was solid and they did a good job to follow the Hero/Boy match, which was a tough thing to accomplish. Shane’s offense came across better than it normally does in TNA, too.) After the match, Shane demands Styles come to the ring and they have a standoff. Shane offers his hand and they show mutual respect for each other. Shane low blows Styles from behind and walks off!
Tenth Contest: IWA-MS Heavyweight Champion Danny Daniels vs. Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley vs. Jimmy Jacobs in an elimination match: Shelley and Sabin kickoff the match with Shelley going to the floor to stall for a moment. Shelley returns to the ring and they trade wrist locks. Sabin punches Shelley away to get out of a test of a strength on the mat. Shelley leg sweeps Sabin to the mat out of a test of strength. Sabin knee strikes Shelley a few times on the back and locks in a head scissors on the mat. Shelley eye rakes Sabin and keeps Sabin on the mat briefly. Sabin bridges up with Shelley on him and they roll around the ring leading to a standoff. Daniels tags into the match to try his luck with Shelley. Shelley tags in Jacobs, who hits a double stomp off the top onto Daniels arm. Jacobs bites on Daniels fingers while having a wrist lock on the champ. Daniels almost gets a win with a rollup on Jacobs. Jacobs attempts a few pins, but Daniels breaks free before the three count. Jacobs tried for a head scissors, but Daniels pushes away. Jacobs hits a hurricanrana and a forearm smash.
Sabin tags in and sends Jacobs into the corner, but is met with a kick. Jacobs comes off the ropes and runs into a dropkick. Shelley tags in and Sabin head scissors Shelley. Shelley recovers to hit a springboard strike. Daniels tags in and Shelley lands on his knee for a gut buster. Daniels delivers another gut buster. Daniels hits a third gut buster for a two count. Jacobs tags in and manages to arm drag Daniels to counter a gut buster. Jacobs head scissors Daniels to the floor. Jacobs hits a somersault dive to the floor but appears to whack his back on the floor. Jacobs rolls under the ring as several wrestlers and officials walk down to check on him. Jacobs is carried to the backstage area and is likely eliminated from the match.
Daniels controls Sabin on the mat with a leg lock. Sabin counters with a leg lock of his own, but doesn’t get a submission. Shelley tags into the match and keeps a top wrist lock on the champ. Shelley gets an STF on Daniels, but switches to the Border City Stretch. Daniels prevents the hold from being locked in and breaks the hold. Sabin beats on Daniels in the corner with a right hand and a vertical suplex for a near fall. Sabin hits a springboard leg drop to Daniels for a near fall. Sabin locks in a modified strangle hold, but Daniels doesn’t give in. Sabin knee lifts Daniels into the ropes and Shelley kicks Daniels from the apron. Shelley works over Sabin with a few face washes and taunts the fans. Shelley fakes a kick to the back and goes for a nerve hold. Sabin fights back with a kick to the back a few times.
Jimmy Jacobs has returned to the match and double stomps Shelley. Jacobs forearms Shelley in the corner several times. Jacobs plants Shelley with a modified pedigree for a two count. Shelley blocks a kick and plants Jacobs with Shell Shock to officially eliminate Jacobs
Sabin comes into the ring and Shelley puts the Border City Stretch on Sabin! Sabin nearly wins with a rollup counter. Shelley forearms Sabin several times. Sabin hits the Cradle Shock to eliminate Shelley!
Daniels forearms Sabin a few times against the ropes, but Sabin catches Daniels on a crossbody. Daniels counters a swinging slam with an arm bar. Sabin tries to reach the ropes and manages to break the hold. Daniels drives Sabin down with an arm breaker. Daniels tries to get an arm bar on Sabin, but Sabin reaches the ropes. Sabin kicks Daniels and they both struggle to their feet. They begin to trade strikes. Sabin rolls through a top rope crossbody by Daniels to hit a backbreaker. Sabin plants Daniels with a springboard tornado DDT for a near fall. Daniels hits an impressive piledriver out of the corner that started as a head scissors, but Sabin kicks out at two. Daniels spikes Sabin with a tombstone piledriver for a near fall. Sabin plants Daniels with a double under hook piledriver for a two count. Daniels low blows Sabin and hits the Rubik Cube for the win. (***1/4. An enjoyable four way elimination match with Daniels surprising me by managing to hang with his three opponents. The Jacobs segment was done well, but I wouldn’t have had him eliminated so quickly upon his return to the match. There weren’t a lot of big spots, but it was a solid enough match to hold my interest.)
Chris Hero comes out and says that Daniels ruined his match tonight. Hero is sick of the bullshit. Hero wants a match with Daniels for the championship. Hero wants the shot in Highland. Prazak mentions Hero has a title shot next week. Daniels says he’s tired of kicking Hero’s ass everywhere. Daniels tells Hero that he hates him. Daniels is the man here in IWAMS, but all he hears about is Hero. Daniels wants a stipulation where the loser leaves IWA. Hero wants another stipulation and wants the match inside a steel cage. Daniels accepts the match. That match will take place on January 17th.
Main Event: Necro Butcher vs. Mad Man Pondo vs. Corporal Robinson in a thumbtack death match: They have a tarp on the mat because of all the thumbtacks to be used. Butcher is actually wearing sneakers as he hits a double German suplex onto the tacks. Pondo whacks Butcher over the head with a stop sign. This match is going to be nothing but weapon shots as we are about three minutes into the match and everyone is bloody. Butcher put tacks into Pondo’s mouth before hitting a stunner and hit an ace cutter on Robinson onto the tacks. Robinson and Butcher are on the middle rope leading to Robinson hitting a superplex to the floor! Pondo suplexs Robinson off the middle rope onto the tacks. Pondo hits a middle rope senton onto Butcher, who had three chairs over his body. Robinson breaks the cover. Robinson hits a cobra clutch leg sweep, but the cover is broken up. Jim Fannin enters and uses scissors on Robinson. Pondo took Fannin’s shoe and Fannin stepped on tacks. Fannin is sitting on the top rope and is slammed off the top onto the tacks! Butcher counters a double suplex with a double DDT onto the tacks.
Pondo is sitting on a chair and Butcher misses a swanton landing on the chair. Butcher is suplexed onto the chair with the back of his head hitting the chair. Robinson covers Butcher to win the match. (NR. I really don’t know how to rate these matches. They had some crazy spots in the match and Fannin getting tossed onto the tacks was something the fans wanted to see. If you like these kind of matches, it’s probably one of the better ones I’ve seen.)
Final Thoughts:
For a show that ran for nearly four hours, I’d say this was a good show with several good matches and there wasn’t anything that was awful. It likely helps that IWA was able to draw a decent crowd and made for a better viewing experience. I’d say this is a worthwhile show to watch if you have several hours to spare.
Thanks for reading.