JAPW Unfinished Business 7/13/2002

Jersey All Pro Wrestling presents Unfinished Business
Date: 7/13/2002
From: Seaside Heights, NJ

It is announced that the JAPW Tag Team Champions the Shane Twins have been stripped of the titles. As a result, a triple threat tag match involving the Briscoe Brothers, Da Hit Squad and Wasted Youth will crown new champions.

Opening Contest: Azireal vs. Elax: Elax takes Azireal down to the mat to start the match and keeps control with a front face lock. Azireal reaches the ropes and Elax laughs at him. Azireal puts a hammerlock on Elax and rolls to the mat to lock in a submission, but Elax breaks free. Elax shoulder blocks Azireal and runs the ropes leading to a wheelbarrow arm drag by Azireal. Azireal gets a rollup on Elax for a two count. Azireal kicks Elax in the midsection and hits a DDT for a near fall. Azireal yanks on Elax’s arm and delivers stomps to the arm before locking in an arm bar. Elax reaches the ropes to break the hold. Azireal kicks Elax in the midsection and kicks Elax over the back followed by a seated dropkick for a two count. Azireal goes back to an arm bar, but Elax reaches the ropes again. Elax locks in a modified abdominal stretch, but Azireal counters with kicks to the back and locks in an arm bar. Azireal forearms Elax and goes back to the arm bar in the middle of the ring. Elax manages to reach the ropes again. Azireal slams Elax and heads to the top rope, but Elax cuts Azireal off with right hands. Elax hooks Azireal and hits a superplex. Azireal hammers away on Elax, but Elax responds with right hands. Elax connects with a spinning heel kick for a two count.

Elax misses a clothesline and Azireal dropkicks Elax to the floor. Azireal fakes a dive to the floor and kicks Elax. Azireal hits a moonsault off the middle rope to the floor. Elax dumps Azireal to the apron and kicks Azireal to the floor. Elax takes Azireal out with a suicide dive to the floor. Elax tries for a cover, but Azireal kicks out at two. Azireal hits a northern lights suplex and locks in another arm bar. Elax escapes and plants Azireal with a DDT for the win. (**1/2. I’m not familiar with Elax, but apparently he hadn’t been in JAPW since March. The match was a fine opener and had a few highspots to pop the crowd. I wasn’t expecting Azireal to do the job here, at all. The action was a little repetitive, but overall a fine start to the show.) After the match, they shake hands, but Boogalou runs down to the ring and attacks both men. Boogalou drops Elax with a fisherman buster and a German suplex after having dumped Azireal to the floor. Boogalou tosses Azireal overhead with a suplex. Elax is dumped over the middle rope and choked out with a chain.

Second Contest: The Christopher Street Connection (Buff-E & Mace) vs. Eddie Thomas & Tony Lazaro: Buff and Mace attack before the bell for the cheap advantage. Mace slams Lazaro and then crawls on the mat to taunt Lazard. Lazaro is worked over in the corner by Buff and Mace. Mace sits on Lazaro, but doesn’t get a three count. Buff decks Lazaro with a forearm and Mace tags back in to hit a hip toss. Lazaro responds with strikes and a monkey flip. Lazaro continues with a dropkick to Buff. Thomas gets tagged in and double teams Buff. They hit a chop block/running blockbuster combo for a two count. Thomas hits a splash on Mace in the corner. Mace sends Thomas into the corner to hit a cannonball splash. Buff returns to the match and hits a spinning backbreaker on Thomas. Buff kicks Thomas followed by an overhand strike and chops in the corner. Buff hits a vertical suplex on Thomas and gives Thomas a kiss. Thomas hits a running crossbody for a two count. Mace misses a splash and is taken over by a backdrop by Thomas. Mace prevents Thomas from tagging out and tags in Buff. Buff nails Thomas with a clothesline leading to a near fall. Mace chops Thomas in the corner and delivers a face buster to the mat. Mace crawls on the mat and elbow drops Thomas for another two count. Allison Danger chokes Thomas, but Mace misses a splash over the middle rope. Thomas hits a middle rope bulldog. Lazaro and Mace get tagged in with Lazaro cleaning house. Lazaro is kissed in the corner by Buff. Thomas is sent over the top to the floor by Buff. Lazaro is held by Buff and Mace goes to the top to hit a sit down splash for the win. (*1/2. I’m assuming Thomas and Lazaro are students of some kind for JAPW at this point, at least. The CSC is an enjoyable act and the crowd responds to their actions with entertainment and not disgust. I feel like if they were wrestling 10 years later they’d have a successful run on a bigger platform.)

Third Contest: Jay Lethal vs. Low Ryder: Lethal backs Ryder into a corner and backs off slowly. Ryder kicks Lethal in the midsection and backs off. Lethal arm drags Ryder out of the corner. Lethal has a go-behind on Ryder, but Ryder counters with a go-behind. They counter wrist locks in the middle of the ring. Ryder continues to wrench on the arm. Lethal shoulder blocks Ryder, but Ryder runs the ropes. Ryder pushes Lethal and puts a front face lock on Lethal, but is backed into a corner. Lethal takes Ryder over with a snap suplex for a two count. Lethal slams Ryder, but misses a leg drop. Ryder keeps control with right hands in the corner and a strike to the back. Ryder takes Lethal over with a northern lights suplex for a two count. Ryder works over Lethal in the corner with a chop and hits a splash. Ryder nails Lethal with a kick to the chin and hits a bronco buster in the corner. Ryder chokes Lethal in the corner and hits an elbow drop to the groin area. Ryder hits a swinging side slam for a two count. Ryder plants Lethal with a side slam for a two count. Ryder misses a somersault leg drop off the middle rope. Lethal punches Ryder a few times, but Ryder connects with a spinning knee. Ryder covers Lethal for a two count. Lethal sidesteps Ryder with a kick to the knee. Lethal sits Ryder on the top turnbuckle and tries for a superplex, but Ryder shoves Lethal off to hit a knee drop for a near fall. Lethal dropkicks Ryder for a two count.Lethal slams Ryder and goes to the corner hitting a diving headbutt across the ring for a two count. Lethal hits a fisherman suplex for a near fall. Lethal plants Ryder with a powerbomb for a two count. Lethal avoids a clothesline and hits a pump handle powerbomb for the win. (**. This was fine for what it was. It’s obvious that there is a ton of potential for Lethal to be great down the road with some excellent moves throughout the match.)

Shane Douglas comes out to cut a promo and tells the audio guy to cut the f’n music. Douglas reminds us that he saved pro wrestling in 1993 when he built Extreme Championship Wrestling. Douglas is wrestling former friend and enemy, Bam-Bam Bigelow. Douglas talks about the money that Bigelow made to buy a huge house down the road. Douglas brings up Rick Rude and is literally recalling the 1997 angle between himself and Bigelow.

Fourth Contest: Bam-Bam Bigelow vs. Shane Douglas: Bigelow storms the ring and hammers away on Douglas followed by a backdrop. Bigelow sends Douglas into the corner, but runs into a boot. Douglas drops Bigelow with a right hand and chokes Bigelow over the middle rope. Bigelow takes Douglas down and delivers a headbutt to the midsection. Bigelow comes off the ropes to hit a headbutt and Douglas bails to the floor. Bigelow sends Douglas into the ring post and continues with a chop. Douglas sends Bigelow face first into the ring post before returning to the ring. Douglas kicks Bigelow to the mat and chokes Bigelow in the corner. Bigelow eye rakes Douglas followed by a hip toss and a headbutt for a near fall. Bigelow keeps control with a chin lock. Bigelow elbow drops Douglas on the knee and a headbutt to the midsection for a two count. Bigelow stomps on Douglas and delivers a clothesline to a kneeling Douglas for a two count. Douglas low blows Bigelow in the corner and connects with a clothesline. Douglas taunts a fan about Flair and tries for a slam, but Bigelow lands on top for a near fall. Bigelow connects with a leg drop. Bigelow hooks Douglas for a suplex and drives Douglas down to the mat. Bigelow keeps an arm bar on Douglas, but doesn’t get a submission.

Bigelow continues to wrench on the arm on the mat, but Douglas gets up only to be brought back down to the mat. Douglas stomps on Bigelow’s groin to keep control of the match. Douglas delivers a low blow to Bigelow’s groin in the corner. Douglas continues to eye rake Bigelow and they do an awkward double clothesline spot with both men going down despite it looking sloppy. Bigelow slams Douglas and goes to the top rope. Bigelow leaps off and misses a diving headbutt. Douglas covers for a two count. Douglas boots Bigelow in the corner a couple of times. Bigelow tries for a splash, but hits the ropes and Douglas clotheslines Bigelow over the top to the floor. Da Hit Squad slides into the ring and attacks Douglas to cause the match to be thrown out. Douglas is beaten down in the corner. Bigelow makes the save for Douglas and knocks down the Squad with strikes. Bigelow drops Mafia with a headbutt. However, Bigelow gets double teamed until Douglas leaps off the top to hit a crossbody onto both men. (*1/2. Well, that was certainly not to the level you’d see from them in 1997 that’s for sure. They kept it very basic, and there were a few sloppy moments that kind of took me out of the match. I’m sure this was cool for fans to see the ECW nostalgia and two fairly recent national TV wrestlers in WCW.)

There’s a promo after the match by Johnny D saying that Bigelow was brought in to take out Douglas, but apparently blood is thicker than water. Bigelow and Douglas embrace before knocking Johnny off the apron and there’s a pull apart segment. I’m assuming this is to lead to a tag match between Da Hit Squad and Douglas/Bigelow? Johnny offers a match for any time they want it. Bigelow chases them off with a chair. Douglas gets the fans to chant for Bigelow. Douglas tells Bigelow they will take care of Da Hit Squad on August 10th (that match doesn’t happen).

Fifth Contest: Xavier vs. Striker: Xavier backs Striker into a corner and chops him on the chest before backing off. Xavier takes Striker down to the mat with a go-behind. Striker counters for a moment, but Xavier counters. Xavier takes Striker down to the mat again and keeps control with a hammerlock. Xavier keeps a headlock on Striker, but Striker rolls Xavier over and gets a two count. Xavier gets a rollup on Striker for a two count. Striker drop toe holds Xavier for a two count. Striker hammers away on Xavier, but Xavier slams Striker to the mat. Striker slams Xavier again, but is kicked away. Xavier misses a clothesline and they collide in the middle of the ring. Striker decks Xavier with a clothesline for a two count. Striker headbutts Xavier and goes for a suplex, but Striker sends Xavier to the floor instead. Xavier gets on the apron and is decked by Striker. Striker slingshots Xavier into the ring from the apron and delivers a couple of arm drags. Striker dropkicks Xavier to the floor. Striker follows to the floor and Xavier rolls into the ring. Xavier misses a clothesline and Striker hits a shoulder block for a two count. Striker elbows Xavier, but Xavier connects with a swinging neckbreaker for a near fall. Xavier mounts Striker with right hands on the mat. Xavier hits a rolling neck snap to keep Striker on the mat.

Striker breaks free with a jawbreaker and they trade elbow strikes. Xavier chops Striker in the corner a few times to maintain control of the contest. Striker chops Xavier several times and is fired up. Xavier drops Striker with a back suplex and gets a two count. Xavier forearms Striker several times and delivers a headbutt. Xavier shoulder rams Striker in the corner followed by a headbutt. Xavier misses a splash in the corner and Striker connects with a running bulldog for a near fall. They begin to trade forearm strikes in the middle of the ring. Striker misses a Rocker Dropper and Xavier connects with a clothesline. Xavier heads to the top rope, but Striker crotches Xavier. Striker hooks Xavier and hits a superplex for a two count. Striker slams Xavier and goes to the top missing a frog splash. Xavier hits a pump handle sit out slam. Xavier goes to the top and hits the 450 splash for the win. (*1/2. A mostly forgettable match, but the 450 by Xavier is quite impressive.)

Sixth Contest: Crazy Ivan vs. Axl Rotten in a street fight: Ivan attacks on the floor with right hands to Rotten, but Rotten sends Ivan into the ring post quickly. Rotten chokes Ivan over the railing for a few moments. They get in the ring where Ivan gets control and slices Rotten’s forehead with scissors. Naturally, Rotten has been busted wide open as Ivan continues to work over the cut. They go to the floor where Ivan continues to hammer away on Rotten, but is stopped by an eye rake. Rotten fights back with forearm strikes to the chest as they head towards the backstage area. They brawl into the crowd and Rotten rams Ivan onto a table. Rotten whacks Ivan over the back with a chair shot. Rotten sends Ivan into the production truck. Ivan whacks Rotten over the back with another chair shot. Rotten avoids a splash against the railing and Ivan goes into the crowd. Rotten whacks Ivan over the head with a chair shot. Rotten tosses Ivan back over the railing to the ringside area. Ivan regains control with strikes in the ring. Ivan axe handles Rotten over the back and chokes Rotten over the middle rope. Rotten ducks a clothesline and jabs Ivan several times. Rotten drops Ivan with a clothesline and signals to Ivan’s buddy, Sheik. Rotten grabs his chair in the corner and destroys Ivan with a chair shot for the win. (DUD. This was essentially nothing of a match and was just an extended segment for Rotten.) After the match, Rotten ends up whacking Sheik with a chair shot, too.

Axl Rotten gets on the microphone and says “F Paul Heyman.” Rotten proceeds to do some crowd work to get some pops.

Seventh Contest: JAPW Light Heavyweight Champion Dixie vs. Rainchild: Dixie controls Rain with a headlock in the opening moments of the match. Dixie shoulder blocks Rain, but Rain hip tosses Dixie followed by a dropkick to send Dixie to the floor. Rain hits a shooting star press off the top rope to the floor. Rain sends Dixie into the ring and keeps control with strikes in the corner. Dixie tries for a backdrop, but Rain hits a flipping DDT out of the corner for a two count. Dixie bails to the floor and runs away from Rain. Dixie drops Rain over the top rope throat first and delivers a knee to the head. Dixie drops Rain with a headbutt. Dixie connects with a few running elbows in the corner. Dixie drops Rain with a few chops to the chest. Dixie runs into a boot in the corner and dropkicks Rain in the groin. Dixie stomps on Rain in the corner and chokes the challenger for a moment. Dixie eye rakes Rain over the ropes. Dixie keeps control on the mat with a chin lock. Rain hits a stunner for a two count. Rain hits a Falcon Arrow, but Dixie kicks out at two. Dixie puts a neck lock on Rain, but hits a snap suplex to keep control of the match. Dixie drives Rain down to the mat with a neckbreaker for a two count.

Jay Lethal has come down to ringside to watch the match. Dixie nails Rain with a forearm shot to the face, but doesn’t go for the cover. Dixie eventually goes for the cover, but Rain kicks out at two. Dixie slams Rain to the mat and heads to the corner. Dixie leaps off the top missing a knee drop. Rain hits a superkick and goes to the top rope, but Dixie shoves the referee into the ropes managing to crotch Rain. Dixie plants Rain with the Dixie Driver and pins Rain with a rollup. (*1/2. For a Light Heavyweight match this was a disappointment to me. Aside from the shooting star press from the top to the floor, there wasn’t anything all that enjoyable here whatsoever.)

Eighth Contest: JAPW Heavyweight Champion Homicide vs. Slyck Wagner Brown: Brown attacks Homicide before the bell with right hands. Homicide chops Brown and hits a backdrop. Homicide chops Brown in the corner followed by a forearm in the corner. Homicide tosses Brown with an exploder suplex for a two count. Homicide responds with a running big boot to send Brown to the floor. Homicide follows to the floor and rams Brown into the ring post face first. Homicide whacks Brown over the back with a steel chair. Homicide chops Brown onto a chair, but Homicide gets distracted by April Hunter. Brown hits a leaping leg lariat for a two count. Homicide elbows Brown in the corner, but Brown catches Homicide coming off the ropes with a slam for a two count. Brown knee lifts Homicide followed by a strike to the back. Brown drives Homicide down with a delayed vertical suplex for a two count. Brown misses a dropkick and Homicide connects with a lariat for a two count. Homicide takes off his elbow pad and misses a clothesline. Brown hits a neckbreaker and plants Homicide with the Appreciation Bomb for a near fall. Brown chokes Homicide over the middle rope.

April Hunter leg drops Homicide on the apron over the middle rope. Brown chokes Homicide and hits a slingshot leg drop on the apron. Brown hooks Homicide for a suplex, but Homicide responds with a running elbow strike. Homicide takes Brown out with a somersault suicide dive on the floor. Homicide goes for a cover, but Brown kicks out. Homicide chops Brown in the corner several times. Homicide sits Brown on the top rope hitting a cutter. Brown recovers to low blow Homicide and Hunter hits a neckbreaker. Brown tries for a cover, but Homicide kicks out at two. Brown drives Homicide down with a sit out slam. Brown misses a moonsault off the top rope. Homicide nails Brown with a shining wizard and wins the match. After the match, Hunter slaps Homicide and Homicide goes for the Cop Killa, but Brown makes the save. Brown whacks Homicide with a chair several times. J Train comes out and attacks Brown hitting a monkey flip out of the corner followed by a dropkick. It sure didn’t seem as if anyone really cared about Train. (***. I liked the match because it was a fast paced match with constant action and they didn’t seem to waste a moment. Judging by the aftermath, I’m thinking there’s a rematch for Slyck going after the gold.)

Main Event: Da Hit Squad (Mafia & Mack) vs. Briscoe Brothers (Jay & Mark) vs. Wasted Youth (Deranged & The Insane Dragon) for the vacant JAPW Tag Team Championships: Deranged and Mark kickoff the main event. Deranged controls Mark with a headlock on the mat, but Mark gets a head scissors on the mat. They counter each other quickly until Mark keeps a head scissors on the mat. Mark forearms Deranged against the ropes, but Deranged comes back with an arm drag and hurricanrana. Mark shoulder blocks Deranged and hits an overhead suplex. Dragon gets tagged in and misses a wild clothesline. Mark hammers away on Dragon, but misses a dropkick. Dragon nails Mark with a kick to the head. Jay tags in and hammers away on Dragon. Jay decks Dragon with a few right hands, but misses a clothesline. Dragon connects with an arm drag and a backdrop. Jay locks in a submission on the mat, but doesn’t get a submission. Mack gets in the ring and slams Mark. Mafia breaks up the submission by Jay and it looks like the match is getting out of control now.

Jay pulls Mafia to the floor to brawl. Mafia fakes the crowd out by not sending Jay into the crowd. Jay proceeds to take Mafia out with a dive. Deranged hits a somersault dive and Dragon hits a corkscrew dive to the floor, too. All six men are down on the floor. Mafia slaps Dragon in the ring, and Dragon responds with several strikes. Dragon kicks Mafia, but Mafia hits a swinging neckbreaker. Deranged nails Mafia with a springboard crossbody for a two count. The Briscoe’s are brawling with Mack in the crowd. Deranged dropkicks Mafia to the floor. Mack is tossed into the production truck. It looks like everyone is brawling towards the production truck. Everyone is tossing chairs at each other. People are sent into the production truck several times. As expected, Deranged is on top of the production truck. Insane Dragon is up there too and they both jump off onto everyone in the crowd!

Mark, Dragon and Mack are in the ring. Mack is double teamed by several kicks. Mack nails Mark with a big clothesline. Mafia tosses Dragon overhead with a suplex. Mafia nails Jay with a shining wizard, but misses a senton. Jay avoids Mafia in the corner and grabs Deranged to hit the Jay Driller. Jay goes for the cover, but Mack pulls the referee out and forearms the referee on the floor. Jay grabs Deranged again, but Mafia gets up and spears both men. Mack hits Greetings from Brooklyn on Dragon. Mack spikes Mark with another Greetings from Brooklyn. Well, Bam-Bam Bigelow comes out and plants Mack with the Greetings From Asbury Park. Bigelow does the same to Mafia! Dragon and Mark pin both Mafia and Mack. Two referees make separate counts and that means we still don’t have tag champions. The match ends with a double pin and the titles are still vacant. (***1/2. I enjoyed the match and the crazy production truck jump by Wasted Youth. Bigelow’s involvement doesn’t bug me since it ultimately didn’t impact on who the new champions would be. Once the match broke down and there wasn’t any rules being implemented it became a fun match to watch.) After the match, Hit Squad attack Deranged with a running powerbomb. Mafia press slams Deranged face first into the production truck.

Final Thoughts:
I’m going to consider this a good show by JAPW. There are some entertaining acts in JAPW at this point and the final couple of matches delivered quality action to leave a positive reaction at the end of the show. I’m disappointed that Bigelow doesn’t return to JAPW to have a blowoff with Da Hit Squad, but it was cool to see his involvement on the show regardless. The fact he hit both guys with the Greetings From Asbury Park was quite impressive.

Thanks for reading.