IWA-MS Extreme Farewell 5/18/2006

Written by: Bob Colling

IWA-MS presents Extreme Farewell
Date: 5/18/2006
From: Streamwood, IL

Opening Contest: Jason Dukes vs. Jeff Brooks: Brooks his a springboard crossbody and a hurricanrana in the opening moments for a two count. Dukes works over Brooks with chops in the corner. Dukes misses a splash in the corner and Brooks delivers a running knee strike. Brooks misses a shooting star press and Dukes clotheslines Brooks. Dukes delivers the Garvin Stomp and then rolls Brooks over to do more stomps. Brooks battles back with right hands in the corner and kicks to the knee. Dukes elbows Brooks and hits a middle rope flipping neckbreaker for a two count. Dukes hits a slingshot suplex for a near fall. Dukes heads to the middle rope hitting a leg drop. Dukes tries for a cover, but Brooks kicks out at two. Dukes scoop slams Brooks and heads to the top rope again. Dukes connects with a moonsault for the win. (**1/4. It’s a quick match, but they did quite a bit and kept a good pace to pop the crowd. I thought it was a fine way to start the show.) After the match, Dukes attacks Brooks and shoves bacon into Brooks mouth.

Second Contest: CJ Otis vs. Jimmy Shalwin: Otis takes Shalwin down, but they quickly get to their feet. Shalwin clubs Otis a few times, but Otis forearms and chops Shalwin against the ropes. Otis continues with a clothesline and a kick to the head. Shalwin elbows Otis to the mat followed by stomps and a standing fist drop for a two count. Shalwin hammers away on Otis in the corner, but Otis fires back with strikes. Shalwin delivers a backbreaker and continues with a big boot for a two count. Otis takes Shalwin over with an overhead suplex. Otis elbows Shalwin coming off the ropes followed by a t-bone suplex. Otis covers, but Shalwin kicks out at two. Otis tries for a slam, but Shalwin breaks free looking for a chokeslam. Otis chops his way free and is splashed by Shalwin in the corner. Shalwin plants Otis with a sit out chokeslam. Shalwin goes to the top missing a moonsault. Otis dropkicks Shalwin followed by a leg drop and hits a senton splash off the top for the win. (**. A short match, but I enjoyed it and it exceeded my expectations. I wasn’t expecting much from Shalwin, but he delivered some quality moves.)

Third Contest: Vito & Brandon Thomaselli vs. Corporal Robinson & Hardcore Craig: Craig and Brandon kickoff the tag match. Brandon flexes to taunt Craig after a lockup. Brandon wants a test of strength, but fakes out Craig a few times. Craig gains wrist control until Brandon counters with a wrist lock of his own and a series of overhand chops. Robinson tags into the match as does Vito. Robinson eye rakes Vito and sends the action to the floor. Robinson brawls with Vito around ringside delivering knee lifts. Craig catches Brandon coming off the ropes with a fallaway slam as the match has already fallen apart. Craig has Vito and tosses Vito into Brandon with a fallaway slam. Robinson delivers a running clothesline to both men. Robinson has grabbed a chair, but Brandon fights back with right hands. Brandon smashes Robinson with the chair and delivers a DDT on the floor. Vito rolls Craig into the ring, but Craig hammers away on Vitro. Vito plants Craig with a spinebuster for a two count. Vito and Brandon drive Craig down with an elevated DD. Robinson breaks up an arm lock with a kick to Brandon. Vito keeps control on the mat delivering a leg drop and keeping an arm lock on Craig for a two count.

Brandon dropkicks Craig coming off the ropes for another near fall. Vito goes to the top rope and axe handles Craig. Vito keeps arm control on Craig, but can’t get a submission on the mat. Brandon keeps a headlock on Craig, but Craig stands up and falls backward to break the hold. Craig plants Brandon with a TKO and both men are laid out. Robinson and Vito tag in with Robinson cleaning house tossing Brandon with an overhead suplex. Robinson hits a side Russian leg sweep on Vito, but Sal gets involved. Brandon kicks Robinson for a two count. Sal crotches Craig into the ring post. Sal gets in the ring as the referee checks on Craig. Sal spikes Robinson with a DDT and Brandon hits a top rope 450 splash for the win. (*1/2. I’m not use to seeing Robinson wrestle in a match that doesn’t include weapons and bloodshed, so this was a weird experience. The match wasn’t anything spectacular and was rather dull and basic for the most part. Thomaselli’s worked like an old school heel tag team and did a fairly good job at it, too. This felt like an angle advancement towards something bigger for the feud.)

Fourth Contest: American Kickboxer vs. Dysfunction vs. Chuck Taylor: Dysfunction and Taylor start the match trading some mat wrestling to kickoff the match. Taylor keeps Dysfunction on the mat, but is kicked several times as Dysfunction breaks free. Dysfunction kicks Taylor a few times and keeps wrist control, but Taylor springboards free and tosses Dysfunction overhead with a suplex. Kickboxer kicks Dysfunction on the floor and Taylor hits a crossbody to take Dysfunction out on the floor. Kickboxer puts a death lock on Dysfunction allowing Taylor to hit a top rope leg drop. Kickboxer kicks Taylor a few times, but Dysfunction clotheslines Kickboxer to the floor. Dysfunction chops Taylor against the ropes, but Taylor responds with chops of his own. Dysfunction decks Taylor with a clothesline for a two count. Kickboxer works over Dysfunction with a kick in the corner, but Dysfunction hits a death valley driver leg drop and leaves the ring to grab a ladder. Dysfunction brings the ladder into the ring and sets it up in the corner. Dysfunction chops Kickboxer in the corner, but Kickboxer sends Dysfunction into the ladder followed by a spinning heel kick. Dysfunction low blows Taylor while Kickboxer leaps off the ladder to hurricanrana Dysfunction. Taylor dropkicks Kickboxer to the floor and hits the Eat Defeat on Dysfunction followed by a modified Muscle Buster for the clean win. After the match, the Thomaselli’s attack Kickboxer with a three on one attack. Brandon hits a top rope 450 splash to leave Kickboxer laying. (**. A quick match, but a fine undercard three way. The match flowed pretty well and it held my interest. Kickboxer coming off the ladder was a nice spot. I thought all three guys worked well and each had moments of shine.)

Fifth Contest: IWA-MS Light Heavyweight Champion Josh Abercrombie vs. Marek Brave: Abercrombie backs Brave into a corner and cleanly backs away. Abercrombie has wrist control, but Brave counters quickly. Abercrombie takes Brave down to the mat and gets leg control. Brave tries for a cross arm bar, but Abercrombie manages to break free and backs away. Abercrombie takes Brave down to the mat and keeps wrist control on the canvas. Brave takes Abercrombie down to the mat and keeps leg control, but doesn’t get a submission. They trade hammerlocks a few times, but Brave keeps the advantage. Brave sends Abercrombie through the ropes to the floor. Abercrombie begs off but manages to drop Brave over the top rope and hits a springboard dropkick knocking Brave off the apron to the floor. Brave rolls into the ring and Abercrombie gets a two count. Abercrombie counters a clothesline with a rollup, but Brave counters with a few rollup attempts. Abercrombie steps on Brave’s throat to regain control of the contest. Abercrombie rams Brave back first into the apron and delivers a side Russian leg sweep into the ring post. Abercrombie tries for a cover, but Brave kicks out at two. Abercrombie gets a leg lock on the mat, but Brave quickly reaches the ropes.

Brave sends Abercrombie into the corner and Brave tosses Abercrombie off the middle rope. Brave hits a middle rope blockbuster and both men are down. Abercrombie misses a strike and Brave fires back with right hands. Abercrombie kicks Brave, but Brave hits a sit out powerbomb for a two count. Abercrombie almost wins with a rollup. Brave nails Abercrombie with a flipping spear for a two count. Abercrombie elbows Brave and drives Brave down to the mat face first for a near fall. Abercrombie is stopped on the top rope by Brave, but Abercrombie regains control. Abercrombie and Brave stand on the top rope with Brave hitting a hurricanrana for a near fall. Brave gains footing on the top rope, but Abercrombie nails Brave on the groin. Abercrombie hits a top rope lung blower for the win. (**1/2. The final moments of the match were just nuts with a crazy hurricanrana and a top rope lung blower being just insane moves to close the match. I’ve really been enjoying Abercrombie’s work as I find him to be an enjoyable worker and character.)

Sixth Contest: Silas Young vs. Colt Cabana: Young isn’t interested in shaking hands before locking up. Young twists Cabana down to the mat and they have a standoff. Young keeps a hammerlock on Cabana, but Cabana takes Young down to the mat for a two count and they have another standoff. Cabana shoulder blocks Young coming off the ropes and taunts him. They do a test of strength with Cabana getting the advantage. Cabana kicks Young’s arms away. Young uppercuts Cabana followed by strikes against the ropes. Cabana tries for a backslide, but settles for an uppercut a few times. Young knee lifts Cabana against the ropes, but Cabana comes back with an arm drag and keeps control on the mat. Cabana works over the left arm of Young, but doesn’t get a submission. Cabana almost wins with a rollup, but Young locks in an arm bar while in the ropes. Young works over Cabana in the corner with strikes. Cabana forearms Young followed by a right hand and a dropkick for a two count. Cabana keeps a nerve hold on Young, but switches to a headlock. Young walks over Cabana’s back, but Cabana battles back with chops. Cabana dropkicks Young through the ropes and Young is upside down on the apron with his legs hooked on the top rope. Cabana ends up dropping Young to the floor.

Young rams Cabana shoulder first into the ring post. Young stomps on Cabana followed by right hands. Young rolls Cabana back into the ring and stomps away on Cabana for a few moments. Young catapults Cabana into the bottom rope throat first. Young continues to beat on Cabana on the apron. They return to the ring where Young keeps beating on Cabana. Cabana elbow smashes Young, but is sent chest first into the corner. Young casually back kicks Cabana while Cabana is sitting on the mat for a two count. Cabana fires back with elbow strikes to stagger Young and hits a crossbody for a two count. Cabana with another crossbody, but Young ducks a third crossbody attempt. Young and Cabana trade rights on the floor with Cabana getting the advantage with uppercuts. Young rams Cabana face first onto the apron. Cabana kicks Young away and dropkicks Young. Young connects with a snap suplex for a two count. They both attempt suplexs, but Cabana counters with an inside cradle to win the match. (**. The trend of average matches continues on the undercard. There were moments of comedy, but it didn’t overwhelm the match by any means.) After the match, Ian Rotten cuts a promo and invites Cabana to compete in the 2006 TPI on September 29th and 30th. Cabana pretends to look at his datebook and accepts.

Seventh Contest: Matt Sydal vs. Ricochet: Sydal takes Ricochet down to the mat and gets leg control for a brief moment leading to a standoff. Sydal takes Ricochet down to the mat and Ricochet gets a front face lock until Sydal counters with an arm lock on the mat. Ricochet tries for a shoulder block, but Sydal doesn’t budge. Sydal arm drags Ricochet and keeps arm control on the mat. Sydal works over Ricochet in the corner, but misses a clothesline. Ricochet kicks Sydal to the floor and misses a baseball slide. Sydal chops Ricochet on the floor, but is sent into the apron. Ricochet takes Sydal out with a dive over the top to the floor. Ricochet hits a springboard dropkick leading to a near fall on Sydal. Ricochet nails Sydal with a spinning heel kick to the back of Sydal’s head for a near fall. Ricochet chops Sydal in the corner and delivers a running dropkick in the corner. Ricochet kicks Sydal to the floor and follows up with more strikes. Ricochet tries for a cover, but Sydal easily kicks out. Ricochet tries for a springboard moonsault, but Sydal got his feet up. Sydal clotheslines Ricochet in the corner and continues with stomps. Sydal flips Ricochet out of the corner and almost wins with a leg drop. Sydal takes Ricochet over with a bridging supex for a two count. Ricochet almost wins with an inside cradle and kicks Sydal a few times. Sydal drops Ricochet with a step up kick for a near fall. Sydal chops Ricochet in the corner and delivers a running shining wizard in the corner. Sydal spikes Ricochet with a brainbuster. Sydal taunts Ricochet and delivers a backbreaker. Ricochet fights back with strikes, but Sydal drives Ricochet face first down to the mat for a near fall. Sydal tries for a rollup and manages a two count. Sydal connects with a backbreaker and keeps Ricochet over his knee. Sydal plants Ricochet with a flatliner for a two count. Sydal misses a clothesline and Ricochet fires back with a clothesline and dropkick. Ricochet almost pins Sydal with a rollup. Ricochet elbows Sydal and hits a head scissors for a near fall. Ricochet plants Sydal with a tornado DDT for a near fall. Ricochet heads to the top rope, but Sydal stops Ricochet with a top rope hurricanrana for a near fall. Ricochet drops Sydal with a German suplex and a spinning kick to the face for a near fall. Ricochet goes to the top rope missing reverse 630 landing seemingly on his head. That was gross. Sydal hits the Here It Is Driver, but Ricochet kicks out at two! Nobody can believe it! Sydal chops Ricochet in the corner and sits Ricochet on the top turnbuckle. Ricochet shoves Sydal off the ropes, but misses a senton. Sydal hits a standing moonsault for the win. (****. The match started off kind of slow, but boy did that pickup and become a crazy fun match. Ricochet must have been within inches of breaking his neck late in the match. I cringed when he landed on the side of his head, or at least that’s what it looked like. I think it’s safe to consider this a star making performance for Ricochet in IWA. I thought that was exactly what it needed to be by the end.) After the match, Ian Rotten can’t possibly let people get a pop without getting some level of the rub so he chats with Sydal and offers him a spot in the TPI. Sydal accepts.

Eighth Contest: Sal Thomaselli vs. El Generico: Generico controls Thomaselli with a headlock to start the bout. Generico takes Thomaselli down to the mat. Generico keeps wrist control and takes Thomaselli down to the mat with a headlock. Generico kips up and they have a standoff for moment. Generico shoulder blocks Thomaselli followed by a few arm drags. Generico is distracted by Brandon allowing Thomaselli to get a brief advantage. Generico holds onto the ropes every time he’s sent into the ropes. Thomaselli runs into a boot and Generico elbows Vito off the apron and dumps Sal over the top to the floor. Generico hits a somersault senton dive off the top to the floor! Brandon and Vito have been ejected from ringside by the referee. Generico elbow drops Thomaselli while the referee deals with the brothers on the apron. Thomaselli misses a clothesline and Generico hits a backbreaker for a two count. Generico misses a running kick in the corner and Thomaselli delivers a few strikes. Thomaselli clotheslines Generico to maintain control of the contest. Thomaselli hits a back suplex for a near fall. Thomaselli forearms Generico in the corner a few times followed by chops. Generico fights back with a chops of his own out of the corner. Thomaselli eye rakes Generico and keeps a front face lock on Generico. Thomaselli back elbows Generico coming off the ropes.

Thomaselli keeps Generico on the mat with a sleeper. Generico elbows free, but is yanked down by his mask. Generico is sent into the corner, but elbows Thomaselli a couple of times. Generico tosses Thomaselli into the corner with an overhead suplex. Generico hammers away on Thomaselli to gain the advantage. Generico continues with chops against the ropes. Generico dropkicks Thomaselli but misses a running boot in the corner. Thomaselli tries for a back suplex, but Generico slaps Thomaselli managing to hit a tornado DDT for a near fall. Generico heads to the top rope hitting a big splash for a near fall. Generico is elbowed by Thomaselli and Thomaselli almost wins following a death valley driver. Thomaselli shoulder rams Generico in the corner and once again blocks a kick. Thomaselli plants Generico with a horse collar driver for a two count. Generico almost steals a pin with a rollup. Thomaselli heads to the top rope, but Generico cuts Thomaslli off. Generico tries for a top rope brainbuster, but is shoved off. Generico recovers with a dropkick and hits the top rope brainbuster on the top turnbuckle for the win. (**1/4. Thomaselli didn’t really do much for me here, but I enjoyed Generico quite a bit. I liked that the story was Generico wanting to win with the yakuza kick in the corner, but then settling for the top rope brainbuster because it just kind of fell in his lap to do that. The top rope brainbuster on the turnbuckle is one of the best finishing moves and most dangerous looking ones I’ve ever seen. Generico carried the entertainment here.)

Ninth Contest: Tyler Black vs. Kevin Steen: Steen attacks Black during his entrance and mocks Black for doing his arm swinging taunt. Steen uppercuts Black in the crowd to keep control. Steen rams Black back first into the apron and rolls him into the ring. Steen beats on Black with a strike to the back as the match finally begins officially. Black battles back with a dropkick and a head scissors. Black shoulder rams Steen from the apron and hits a springboard clothesline to send Steen rolling to the floor. Black takes Steen out with a somersault dive to the floor. Black heads to the top rope missing the Phoenix Splash, but rolls through. Steen delivers a backbreaker and chokes Black on the mat to keep the advantage. Steen chokes Black over the ropes followed by stomps to the back. Steen sends Black into the corner back first and continues to club away on Black. Steen sends Black hard into the corner back first and follows up with knee drops to the back. Black is taken down and Steen delivers a senton splash for a two count. Steen stands on Black’s hair and pulls his arm up. Steen scoop slams Black for another near fall. Steen puts his knee into Black’s shoulder blades and pulls back on his arms for extra leverage. Black kicks Steen a few times, but a knee lift to the back stops Black’s momentum. Black nails Steen with a jumping kick to the head. Steen jabs Black and they begin to exchange blows. Black forearms Steen and manages to hit a running boot for a near fall.

Steen plants Black with a snap powerslam for a two count. Steen goes to the top rope, but Black stops him looking for a superplex. Steen shoves black off the middle rope, but Black dropkicks Steen. Black hits a hurricanrana off the top and goes to the top hitting a frog splash for a near fall. Black tries for a fisherman buster, but Steen counters with a pop up powerbomb. Steen drops Black over his knee for a near fall. Steen goes for a package piledriver, but Black drops down to his knees. Black counters a suplex with an inside cradle for a near fall. Black counters the Package Piledriver with a rollup for the win. (***. I’m not really a fan of repeating finishes on the same show, which is exactly what happened here. Aside from the lackluster finish, the match was solid and they clearly had chemistry early into their careers.) After the match, Steen spikes Black with a Package Piledriver and leaves through the crowd taunting a few of them along the way.

Main Event: Mad Man Pondo vs. Sabu: Sabu tries to take Pondo down early on, but Pondo sidesteps each attempt and they both grab chairs. They swing chairs, but neither man connect. Sabu jabs Pondo in the midsection with the chair and they trade strikes. Pondo sends Sabu into the bleachers and wall. Pondo rams a ladder into Sabu and gets a running head start with a metal chair holding structure to ram it into Sabu against the wall with the ladder up against him. Sabu fights back with a triple jump dive to the floor onto Pondo. Sabu sets a table up at ringside. Sabu tries for a springboard, but Pondo yanks Sabu down on the apron. Pondo whacks Sabu over the head with a stop sign for a near fall. Pondo sits Sabu on a chair by the corner. Pondo hits a somersault splash off the top for a two count. Pondo grabs the table on the floor and slides it into the ring. Sabu hammers away on Pondo, but Pondo low blows Sabu. Pondo lays Sabu onto the table. Pondo is stopped by Sabu delivering a spike shot. Sabu beats on Pondo with several more spike shots to the forehead. Sabu digs the spike into Pondo’s forehead. Sabu jabs Pondo with the spike while having a camel clutch loosely locked in. Sabu leg drops a chair onto Pondo for a near fall. Sabu lays Pondo onto the table and goes to the top rope. Pondo slams Sabu off the top rope and sets a table up. Pondo piledrives Sabu through the table! Pondo only manages a two count on the cover attempt. Pondo grabs another table from outside the ring, but Sabu pummels Pondo with strikes before setting the table up. Sabu lays Pondo onto the table and leaps off the top with a chair to hit a leg drop for the win. (**1/2. The match went less than ten minutes, but the length was ideal. There were several good hardcore spots with Pondo’s piledriver through the table standing out. I enjoyed the brawl and thought this was a fine enough main event to close the show. This exceeded my expectations.)

Final Thoughts:
The undercard is full of average matches along with a standout Sydal/Ricochet match. Black/Steen and the main event also delivered. I’m going to give this a mild thumbs up since there’s plenty of solid action and nothing was outright awful.

Thanks for reading.