IWA-MS presents Opportunity
Date: 5/22/2009
From: Bellevue, IL
Opening Contest: Mark Sterling vs. Neil Diamond Cutter: Sterling shoves Cutter across the ring out of a lockup and backs Cutter into a corner before shoving Cutter. Sterling delivers a kick after being slapped and puts a headlock on Cutter. Sterling shoulder blocks Cutter and blocks a hip toss with a clothesline. Sterling drives Cutter down to the mat with a backbreaker for a two count. Sterling uppercuts Cutter a few times. Cutter ducks a clothesline, but is caught on a crossbody and tossed with a fallaway slam. Sterling clotheslines Cutter in the corner and connects with a delayed vertical suplex for a near fall. Sterling rams Cutter into the corner and continues with overhand strikes in the corner. Sterling runs into a boot in the corner and is dropkicked by Cutter off the middle rope. Cutter drop toe holds Sterling and drives his knee down to the mat a few times. Cutter hits a senton splash onto Sterling for a near fall. Cutter continues to work over the left leg, but doesn’t get a submission. Sterling kicks free and nails Cutter with a lariat to turn him inside out. Sterling scoop slams Cutter and gets the crowd behind him. Sterling ducks a wild strike and plants Cutter to the mat face first for a near fall. Sterling dumps Cutter to the apron, but Cutter pulls Sterling down from the apron. Cutter misses a springboard clothesline and is tossed overhead by Sterling with a suplex for a near fall. Cutter goes for a backslide, but low blows Sterling. Cutter hits a Slice Bread off the ropes for the three count. (**. First off, this is not the same Mark Sterling of AEW fame. It’s a fine opening match, but I was really not expecting Neil Diamond Cutter to pull out the victory. Sterling looked good in there and more seasoned than Cutter. It was a short match and it was fine for what it was.)
Keith Walker has attacked Michael Elgin before their match tonight. Walker tosses Elgin into empty seats and delivers a chair shot to the ribs. Several wrestlers and officials come out to break them apart.
Second Contest: Juice Robinson vs. Ian Rotten: They shake hands to show respect for each other. Robinson arm drags Rotten to the mat, but Rotten comes back with a headlock after avoiding being sent into the ropes. Rotten takes Robinson down to the mat and keeps arm control. Robinson keeps a head scissors on Rotten on the mat. Rotten breaks free and gets a headlock on Robinson. Robinson dropkicks Rotten to the floor. They do a test of strength in the middle of the ring. Rotten takes Robinson down and delivers a few strikes to the face. Rotten gets a choke on Robinson, but doesn’t get a submission. Robinson keeps a hammerlock on Rotten, but Rotten reaches the ropes. They go back to a test of strength. Rotten gets control with a full nelson and delivers a knee strike to the ribs. Rotten headbutts Robinson on the ribs several times until Robinson bails to the floor to regroup. Robinson eye rakes Rotten to send Rotten into the corner. They stall for a few moments. Rotten gets wrist control on Robinson. Rotten keeps Robinson on the mat and twists his head a bit. Robinson has a hammerlock on Rotten for a few moments. Rotten stomps on Robinson’s foot and Robinson backs off to the corner.
Rotten continues with a few strikes and pummels Robinson over the middle rope with strikes. Robinson is met with an uppercut and choked by Rotten in the corner. Rotten keeps a headlock on Robinson, and delivers several knee strikes to the head. Rotten taunts Robinson why grabbing his midsection. Robinson tries to fight back, but Rotten puts the claw on Robinson and slams his head on the mat several times. Robinson sends Rotten to the floor, but is met with a kick to the head. Rotten uppercuts Robinson and they brawl onto the bleachers. Rotten hits a snap suplex on the bleachers. Rotten locks in a camel clutch, but Robinson fights out of the hold. Robinson rolls Rotten back into the ring and gets a two count. Rotten chops Robinson and hits a double arm DDT for the clean win. (*. It’s really a shame that Robinson had to do a clean job to Rotten. There was nothing here other than brawling and the DDT finish. This didn’t need to go nearly fifteen minutes.)
Third Contest: Drake Younger vs. Jon Moxley: Younger takes Moxley down to the mat and gets a hammerlock upon standing back up. Mox controls Younger with a side headlock, but Younger fights out with forearms. Mox shoulder blocks Younger and they counter each other on hip tosses. They leg sweep each other and we get a standoff. Younger arm drags Mox a few times and Mox bails to the floor to regroup. They do a test of strength with Mox getting the advantage for a moment. Younger gets the advantage, but Mox delivers a forearm strike to knock Younger to the mat. Younger dumps Mox over the top to the floor. Younger runs off the apron to take Mox out with a somersault dive. Younger chops Mox around ringside. Younger sends Mox into the bleachers and continues with strikes. Mox knee lifts Younger and delivers a strike over the back. Younger sends Mox into the bleachers face first. Mox big boots Younger off the apron to the floor. Mox whacks Younger over the head with a chair shot. Mox taunts Younger while the referee demands they get back into the ring. Mox gouges Younger’s face and continues with right hands. Mox clubs Younger over the back and chokes Younger for a moment. Mox sends Younger chest first into the corner and plays to the crowd. Mox headbutts Younger followed by a side Russian leg sweep and locks in a submission.
Younger breaks free and forearms Mox against the ropes. Mox gets a sleeper on Younger, but is sent into the ropes and Younger gets a sleeper. Mox breaks free with a dragon screw leg whip and locks in a figure four. Younger doesn’t give in and is almost counted out. Younger tries to reach the ropes and successfully does. Mox goes to the floor and grabs a steel chair. Mox stomps on Younger and puts the chair on Younger’s leg. Younger smashes Mox with a chair shot and delivers a few headbutts on the top rope. Younger connects with a superplex and both men are down. Younger clotheslines Mox a few times. Mox tries for a back suplex, but Younger counters with a Death Valley Driver. Younger hobbles around and Mox gets an ankle lock on Younger. Younger sends Mox chest first into the corner and hits a modified Angle Slam for a near fall. Younger bails to the floor and slides a few chairs into the ring. Younger puts a chair over Mox’s head and smashes it with another chair. Mox counters Younger and looks for a suplex, but Younger counters Mox. Mox elbows Younger and manages to slam Younger onto the chairs for a near fall. Mox argues with the referee, but Younger gets a backslide for a two count. Mox goes for a cradle piledriver, but settles for a rollup and a two count. Younger forearms Mox and hits the Drakes Landing onto the chairs for the win. (**1/2. A solid match, but nothing to get too excited about. The brawling was decent and they probably did a better job with the counters and reversals than I expected. It felt kind of predictable, but still an enjoyable match.)
Fourth Contest: Egotistico Fantastico vs. xOMGx: They cleanly break apart in the corner to start the match. OMG cleanly breaks away from Ego in the corner, again. Ego gets wrist control, but OMG gets out of the hold. Ego keeps arm control on the mat. Ego shoulder blocks OMG and runs the ropes. Ego hip tosses and arm drags OMG to keep arm control on the mat. OMG arm drags Ego a few times and tries for a hurricanrana, but switches to another arm drag. Ego dropkicks OMG to stop his momentum. Ego goes to the floor and OMG hits a somersault dive to the floor. They trade strikes around ringside with OMG hitting a head scissors on the floor. Ego chops OMG followed by a strike to the chest. Ego kicks OMG on the bleachers. Ego uppercuts OMG and delivers another kick to the chest. Ego puts a cape on and shoulder tackles OMG into the bleachers. Ego hits a leaping crossbody into the bleachers. OMG fights back with a strike and rolls Ego back into the ring. OMG is nailed by a clothesline and Ego gets a two count. Ego keeps control on the mat, but doesn’t get a submission. OMG elbows free from Ego, but is met with a spinning heel kick and Ego gets a two count. Ego keeps wrist control on OMG and goes to the mat to get a body scissors while keeping wrist control.
OMG pushes Ego backward and they trade forearm strikes. They are both doing handstands and slapping each other before dropping down to the mat. OMG chops Ego a few times, but Ego connects with a spinning kick for a near fall. OMG delivers a dropkick to Ego for a near fall. OMG overhand chops Ego several times and delivers a shining wizard for a near fall. OMG forearms Ego followed by another chop. Ego dropkicks OMG on the knee and locks in a surfboard. Ego tosses OMG to the mat face first for a near fall and they both struggle to their feet. Ego goes to the middle rope, but is stopped by OMG on the middle rope. Ego elbows OMG off the middle rope, but OMG comes back with a German suplex for a near fall. OMG hits a powerslam, but Ego kicks out at two. OMG and Ego begin to trade forearms on the mat and slaps. OMG hits a tilt a whirl tornado DDT for a near fall. OMG gets a sloppy looking Boston Crab on Ego, but fails to get a submission. OMG chops Ego a few times to keep control. Ego dangerously drops OMG on his head on a botched move to get the win. (*1/2. I’m not sure why, but the match didn’t really click with me at all. There was some odd comedy about OMG having a birthday, but his birthday isn’t until July. The action wasn’t bad, but I just didn’t find myself invested in it and it came across sloppy. That ending was cringe because OMG could have gotten seriously hurt.)
Fifth Contest: Michael Elgin vs. Keith Walker in a last man standing match: Elgin shoulder rams Walker from the apron to start the match. Elgin dumps Walker to the floor and hits a suicide dive into some chairs. Elgin pummels Walker with right hands. They trade a few forearms in the crowd. Elgin elbow strikes Walker, but Walker sends Elgin into several chairs. Walker gets a chair and jabs Elgin in the face with it. Walker jabs Elgin with a chair to the midsection and face. Walker delivers an elbow and demands the referee count. Elgin gets to his feet easily and Walker goes back to working over Elgin. Walker misses a running strike and hits the post. Elgin jabs Walker with a chair to the back. Elgin and Walker trade strikes around ringside. Elgin boots Walker and sends Walker into the post shoulder first. Elgin delivers a kick to the shoulder. They return to the ring where Elgin locks in a Crossface, which shouldn’t matter in this kind of match for a submission. Walker reaches the ropes, but that shouldn’t matter either. Elgin clubs Walker several times, but is dropped over the top rope. Walker waits in the corner and uses a chain to choke Elgin in the middle of the ring. Elgin is knocked out in the middle of the ring.
The referee counts to five as Elgin battles back with right hands. Walker stomps on Elgin to keep the advantage. Walker pulls Elgin up and delivers a neckbreaker. Walker demands the referee count Elgin. Elgin continues to get up to his feet, though. Walker chops Elgin in the corner several times. Elgin responds with chops of his own. Walker drops Elgin over the top turnbuckle. Elgin struggles to his feet, but beats the count. Elgin forearms Walker in the corner a few times. Elgin tries for a German suplex, but Walker holds the ropes. Elgin hits a German suplex anyway. Elgin gets the Crossface on Walker and Walker passes out. Walker gets to his feet at nine. Elgin tries for a powerbomb, but Walker counters with a backdrop. Walker waits in the corner and runs into a knee strike. Elgin nails Walker with another kick. Elgin hits a suplex and both men are down. They both get up again and Elgin tries for another powerbomb. Elgin switches looking for a Razors Edge. Elgin gets distracted by Ali at ringside and Walker hits a chokebomb. Elgin gets up, but is driven down again with another chokebomb. Elgin powers up like he’s Hulk Hogan and is nailed by a lariat. Walker hits another chokebomb. Elgin can’t get up and the towel is thrown in by Drake Younger. Elgin wasn’t getting up anyway. (**1/2. The finishing sequence was good, but Elgin powering up and no selling was a bit comical to me. I’m glad that Walker ended up prevailing here, though. I was hoping for some more hardcore stuff, but that was quite limited and not what I was expecting.)
Sixth Contest: Prince Mustafa Ali vs. Mike Sydal: Ali tries to get the crowd behind him, but they chant for Sydal instead. Sydal takes Ali down to the mat and keeps arm control. Ali gets control and a near fall. Ali takes Sydal down to the mat and keeps control with a front face lock. Sydal counters with a headlock. Sydal head scissors Ali into the corner, but runs into a boot. Sydal hits a standing hurricanrana. Sydal connects with a running clothesline in the corner. Sydal goes to the top hitting a moonsault for a near fall. Ali uppercuts Sydal followed by a suplex with a kick on the way down. Ali slams Sydal to the mat and plays to the crowd. Sydal hammers away on Sydal followed by a slam. Ali keeps a chin lock on Sydal, but doesn’t get a submission. Ali taunts the fans and chokes Sydal over the middle rope. Ali is sent chest first into the corner. Ali battles back with a back suplex with a kick on the way down. Ali taunts the fans, but Sydal counters with a rollup for a two count. Ali kicks Sydal and tries for a slam, but Sydal hits a standing leg drop to the chest. Sydal chops Ali a few times and continues with forearms. Sydal dropkicks Ali away and a second one. Sydal hits a running double knee in the corner and a gut buster. Sydal hits a standing moonsault for a near fall. Ali stops Sydal on the top rope with a few strikes. Ali yanks Sydal off the ropes to the mat. Sydal knocks Ali on the apron with a few right hands. Sydal is dropped over the top rope and Ali hits a spear into the ring. Ali manages to hang on for a pin and gets a three count. (***. They didn’t get a ton of time, but this was a solid match with good action and their offense was unique. The finish was good enough for me and having it be a clean one is always a positive.)
Seventh Contest: The Hooligans (Devin & Mason Cutter) vs. Ash & Sal Thomaselli: Sal and Mason kickoff the tag match. Ash quickly tags in and kicks Mason on the back for a two count. Sal tags into the match and chops Mason before delivering a clothesline. Sal misses a splash in the corner and Mason hits an arm breaker. Devin enters the match to work over the arm, but Sal gets up and kicks Devin. They trade forearms with Devin getting the advantage. Mason has an arm bar on Sal, but doesn’t get a submission as Sal reaches the ropes. Mason continues to work over the arm, but doesn’t get a submission. Sal fights out of the corner and nearly makes the tag, but has to kick Devin. Ash tags in and hammers away on Devin followed by a spin kick. Ash kicks Devin and delivers a running curb stomp for a near fall. Ash hits a reverse DDT for a near fall on Devin. Mason accidentally splashes Devin in the corner. Ash kicks Mason and delivers a running kick to the head. Ash cannon balls Mason in the corner and superkicks Devin. Ash kicks Devin and hits the Slice Bread for a near fall. Mason trips Sal from the floor and Ash decks Mason off the apron to the floor. Ash is sent into the ring post face first. Devin drives Sal down to the mat and Sal is double teamed. Devin locks in a cross arm bar and gets a submission win. (*1/2. Another fairly short match, but I appreciated the pace of it so that it didn’t feel like it dragged along. I enjoyed the Thomaselli’s here and was a bit surprised they ended up losing and doing so cleanly.) After the match, Sal is attacked, but fights back until a chair shot to the arm stops that momentum. A chair is put on Sal’s arm, but he’s saved just in time.
Eighth Contest: Ryan Phoenix vs. Al Snow: Snow backs Phoenix into a corner and backs off. Phoenix backs Snow into a corner, but backs off cleanly. Snow takes Phoenix down to the mat, but Phoenix breaks free. Snow takes Phoenix down again to the mat, but Phoenix gets arm control. Phoenix shoulder blocks Snow leading to a near fall. They shake hands to show respect for each other. Snow takes Phoenix down to the mat, but Phoenix comes back with arm drags. Snow ends up decking Phoenix after a handshake. Phoenix wants another handshake, but Snow delivers a headbutt. Phoenix gets a two count and they begin to trade rollups. Snow knee lifts Phoenix to gain control of the match. Snow slams Phoenix to the mat and delivers a strike to the back a few times. Snow knee lifts Phoenix yet again. Snow delivers a forearm to the midsection. Snow hits a snap suplex to keep the advantage. Snow overhand strikes Phoenix, but Phoenix counters a knee lift with a rollup for a two count. Phoenix kicks Snow and hits a shining wizard for a near fall. Snow kicks Phoenix away and hits the Snow Plow for the win. (1/2*. I mean, that was a disappointing match and effort by Snow. This benefited nobody.) After the match, Snow offers a handshake and they embrace. That was dumb.
Ninth Contest: IWA-MS Heavyweight Champion Dingo vs. The Yellow Dog: Dog starts off with an arm drag on Dingo. Dog tosses Dingo with a suplex and arm drags Dingo out of the corner. Dingo knee lifts Dog, but Dog hits a standing hurricanrana to send Dingo to the floor. Dog hits a crossbody to the floor. Dog headbutts Dingo for a near fall. Dog slams Dingo and heads to the apron, but is met with a strike. Dingo suplexs Dog into the ring for a near fall. Dingo kicks Dog on the back a few times. Dingo sends Dog into the corner. Dingo headbutts Dog on the lower back. They begin to trade strikes with Dog getting the momentum. Dog big boots Dingo and hits a leg drop for a near fall. Dingo gets control and chokes Dog. Dingo splashes onto Dog and Fannin cheap shots Dog. Dingo backdrops Dog coming off the ropes. Dingo misses a sit down splash. Dog hits a somersault neckbreaker for a near fall. Dingo uppercuts Dog and delivers a few jabs. Dingo hits a suplex for a near fall. Dog ducks a clothesline and they collide on stereo crossbody attempts. Dog chops Dingo several times. Dog kicks Dingo away and gets an inside cradle for a near fall. Dingo kicks Dog followed by an attempted fisherman buster. Dog breaks free, but Dingo hits a German suplex for a two count. Dog heads to the top rope, but Fannin yanks off Dog’s tail. Dingo takes advantage with a fisherman buster for the win. (*. Okay, that finish was just silly. The match was mostly boring, but luckily it didn’t go overly long.) After the match, Fannin demands the Dog remove his mask. Dingo chases Dog with a fan, but Dog doesn’t remove his mask.
Main Event: IWA-MS Light Heavyweight Champion Jimmy Jacobs vs. Jason Hades: Jacobs dropkicks Hades and sends Hades to the floor. Jacobs dives over the top to take out Hades. Jacobs hits a crossbody off the top for a two count. Hades gets a two count on Jacobs. Hades controls Jacobs with an arm bar. Jacobs backslides Hades for a two count and locks in a body scissors. Hades is kicked away in the corner by Jacobs. Jacobs sends Hades into the corner face first. Jacobs rams Hades into the corner face first a few times. Hades kicks Jacobs and hits a tornado DDT. Hades takes Jacobs out with a sloppy slingshot crossbody to the floor. Hades forearms Jacobs a few times on the floor. Hades keeps control with an arm lock, but Jacobs punches Hades to break free and sends Hades into the corner chest first. Jacobs hammers away on Hades in the corner. Jacobs leaps off a chair to splash Hades in the corner. Jacobs stomps on Hades in the corner and chokes Hades. Jacobs misses a bronco buster on the middle rope. Hades knee strikes Jacobs a few times. Hades covers Jacobs for a near fall. Jacobs stops Hades on the top rope hitting a hurricanrana. Jacobs hits a top rope elbow drop for a near fall. Hades hits a twisting facebuster and both men are down. Hades covers, but Jacobs kicks out. Hades nails Jacobs with a back spin kick for a two count. Jacobs eye rakes Hades, but Hades kicks Jacobs and delivers a double stomp for a near fall. Hades avoids a move, but Jacobs quickly locks in a choke with a body scissors. Hades tries for a cover, but Jacobs kicks out and keeps the choke on. Hades is forced to submit and Jacobs retains the title. (*1/2. There wasn’t much heat to this nor was there much excitement. Hades seems to have some potential, but there just wasn’t much here to really showcase his skillset. There were a few good spots, but the match lacked drama or much intensity.)
Final Thoughts:
There were a couple of solid matches, but there’s just not enough here to be a recommended show. The last few matches were very disappointing and the Snow match was especially annoying to me. The runtime was less than two-hours, so that’s a plus. I just wish there were more well delivered matches.
Thanks for reading.