SAMUEL ADAMS TROPHY ROUND 2

Round 2
Sunday 30th May, The Dome – Morecambe
 
Rob Van Dam Vs Xavier ( * * * ½ ) – This was almost a cracker, but in the end had to settle for merely being very good when it almost abruptly came to a halt, just as it looked ready to explode.  The two were having their usual great match when, from nowhere, Xav took out some Brass Knux, clonked RVD, and got the pinfall victory.  Great match, pity it didn’t go on that little bit longer.
John Cena Vs Charles Haas ( * * ¾ ) – Cena continued his winning streak in this tidy little match with Haas (who is looking more comfortable out there every day).  The crowd were really into this one too, and they were pleased as punch when Cena hit the F-U to get the pinfall victory. 
Kevin Nash Vs Matt Morgan ( ¾ * ) – This was bad, no doubt, but at least it was kept short.  Morgan is still a little green, and it was proved here with Nash in no fit state to carry his share of the load never mind his opponents.  It also seems as Nash’s push is already over as he fell by pinfall to Morgan in fairly rapid order. 
Edge Vs Chris Kanyon ( * * * * ) – The action got back into the swing of things with this high-octane match.  The two went at it with a fury and really held nothing back.  This was see-saw action and it really did look like Edge could wrap up a surprise win but in the end Kanyon prevailed, finishing Edge off with a top-rope DDT.  Impressive encounter. 
Chris Jericho Vs Jay Reso ( * * * ) – With Jericho now officially a baby-face he got a great reaction from the crowd here, and Reso played his heelish part to great effect too which made for a great atmosphere throughout this match.  And it seemed to spur Jericho on as he wrapped the match up following a Lion-Sault.  Good stuff. 
Kurt Angle Vs Phil Jackson ( * * * ½ ) – Jackson is nowhere near the level of Kurt Angle but if this cracker is anything to go by then he is on his way to turning his potential into actual achievement.  Angle dominated the majority of the match, but Jackson held his own and did manage to get the crowd behind him for his efforts.  But in the end, Angle’s superior experience and class shone through as he made Jackson tap to the Ankle Lock. 
Eddy Guerrero Vs Rhino ( * * * ) – This was a decent enough match but was another that wasn’t really allotted the time it deserved to bloom into a cracker.  Still what the two was good and it did keep the crowd awake.  In the end, Eddy sidestepped the Gore and hit back with his Frog Splash for the ever-so-popular pinfall victory. 
Jeff Jarrett Vs Randy Orton ( * * ¾ ) – Jarrett is certainly getting good treatment in the IWF and it continued here as he defeated our resident European Champion, clean.  This was decent enough, without ever being excellent, and Jarrett pinned Orton following a DDT, although Orton had previously fought his way out of a Figure Four attempt. 

INTO THE DARKNESS 2004 REPORT

 
Randy Orton Vs Phil Jackson (Non-Title, * * * )
                The card kicked off with this “battle of the champions” which pitted European Champion against United Kingdom Champion.  The crowd were quite into this, with the Graduate getting a good reception and Orton showed that his all-round act is improving with each passing month. 
                The two had some great back and forth exchanges and they really were matching each other move for move, with neither man seeming able to keep the advantage for very long.  Orton did slowly appear to get the upper-hand in the match though and it seemed like he was set for the victory that his title’s superior status would have suggested, but he was just a little bit too cocky.  As he sized up Jackson for the RKO, he left Phil plenty of time to regain his thoughts and when he finally went to hit it, Jackson blocked it and then wrapped up the “Blue Chipper” in a small package to get the very popular 1-2-3 and the surprise pinfall victory.  After the match however, Orton did manage to hit Jackson with an RKO and he left to a chorus of boos.
Raven Vs Acid ( * * ½ )
                These two men have sworn all out war on each other ever since the build up to MuscleMania, and tonight they were finally getting the chance to go one-on-one without any distractions…what’s that…ok, so there were plenty of distractions but for once they seemed to add to the match. 
                This was, if you like, ICW style brawling all the way, with the two taking a tour of the ringside and battering each other with all kinds of implements as the referee struggled to maintain control (although why he didn’t just disqualify both men we don’t know).  Eventually the ref took a bump and this was the cue for Zoltar and his merry men to waltz in.  Mathuras and Rancour went straight for the kill on Raven, and even when Jamie Knoble and Rick Shaw ran out to even up the odds, it did Raven little help. As the extra curricular activity went on, Acid hit Raven with a killer chair shot and then Zoltar woke up the referee and the pinfall was a mere formality.  Not that the fun stopped there.  Acid continued his attack, alongside Zoltar’s cronies, but finally Knoble and Shaw managed to fight them off, as a hoard of IWF officials swarmed the ring to keep them all apart.
John Cena Vs Rhino ( * * * )
                So it was time for the first slice of “PWF” influenced action of the evening, and the very popular John Cena certainly did go down a storm.  Rhino has had a recent upturn in fortune too, and so this was a highly charged match that had plenty of heat to go with it. 
                This was very entertaining stuff indeed, and Cena’s pre-match rap about Rhino was a real hoot, though Cena wasn’t laughing as Rhino immediately launched into him with some serious offence.  Rhino dominated the match for the most part, but Cena stuck in there and with the help of the crowd (who were cheering like mad for him to make his comeback) he finally gained the upper hand.  Even then Rhino fought back into it, but when he went for the Gore, Cena sidestepped it, and nipped in and hit Rhino with the F-U for the pinfall victory.  Decent enough stuff and promising signs for both men. 
Matt Morgan Vs Sean O’Haire ( * * ¼ )
                Two men who faced huge disappointment at MuscleMania got a quick chance to redeem themselves in a high profile match here.   Sadly whilst this was decent, it wasn’t great and the crowd did seem to be disinterested, at least until the final moments of the match. 
                O’Haire surprisingly dominated the early going with some slick moves, but it wasn’t long before Morgan used his sheer strength and presence to overpower O’Haire and dish out some punishment.        
                Indeed, Morgan’s ever impressive array of power moves brought the crowd back to life somewhat and some of them even cheered for Morgan as he pummelled poor Sean.  They were positively wowed however when Morgan climbed the ropes and hit a Big Splash onto O’Haire.  Ok, so we’ve seen flashier moves, but when done by a man this size it was an impressive sight, and he did look graceful as he flew.  It came as little surprise after this when the ref slapped the mat three times, and we had ourselves a winner. 
Kevin Nash Vs Xavier ( * ½  )
                Go on, be honest, did you ever expect to see “Bi-Sexy” Kevin Nash back in an IWF ring?  Exactly, but back he is, and here he was tangling with Xavier, who seemingly is finally being treated as a genuine top-liner (after his sojourn with X-Rated) once again.  But could even the super-worker that is Xavi, pull a half way decent match out of the ageing Nash?  Well no, but he made a decent fist of it. 
                Xav bumped like a beast in an attempt to make Nash look good whilst Nash mainly just stood there flicking his hair.  Xav also seemed to get visibly annoyed when Nash messed up a couple of spots and, with shades in the memory of that infamous Xav/Mercy UKWF match from many years ago, Xavi potatoed him with some wicked chops. 
                The end came when Nash went for his Jack-Knife power-bomb, but Xav hit a low blow and then finished Nash off with the Xav Attack for the 1-2-3.  Nash’s monster run was seemingly brought to a halt right here.  This was bad, but thanks to Xavier it probably wasn’t as bad as it had every right to be. 
Edge & RVD Vs Hardy & Reso Vs Jarrett & Morrus Vs APA ( * * )
                Time for the first title match of the evening, in the penultimate match nevertheless, which actually made this match seem more important (considering that we hadn’t sat through numerous other title bouts already) and the crowd did seem fairly up for it . Well at least for three of the teams…the APA were booed out of the building, and not in the good “heat” way either. 
                Fought under elimination rules this was a swift bout, which whilst never being excellent was decent enough, and did show flashes of entertainment.  Not least of all within the first three minutes.  John Layfield and Ron Simmons tried their usual hard-men routine but on this particular occasion it got them nowhere as all three of their opposing teams almost broke character and took great delight in knocking seven bells of crap out of them.  Once Simmons had been dealt with we saw the amusing sight of Layfield taking SIX finishing manoeuvres; Morrus hit him with the “No Laughing Matter”, he then got up only to be hit by a Reso “Unprettier”; Edge then hit him with a spear, just before Hardy got him with a Twist of Fate.  Jarrett then locked him in the figure four whilst RVD climbed the ropes and hit the Five Star Frog Splash to get the pin. 
                With the dead weight out of the way the match continued, with former champions Hardy & Reso surprisingly next to go when Morrus hit the “No Laughing Matter” again, this time on Reso for the pinfall.  The final two teams then meandered somewhat to a conclusion before Edge finished off Morrus with a Spear.  The champions thus retained. 
Chris Kanyon Vs Kurt Angle ( Iron Man, * * * * * )
                If ever a main event came to a rescue of a decidedly average pay-per-view under card, then this may very well be the one.  Not only was this a distinct early front runner for the match of the year, this has to be considered one of the greatest bouts in the IWF’s distinguished history.  The two managed to keep things fresh for an hour and kept the fans on the edge of their seats throughout.  The order of decisions were as follows;
i)                     Kanyon pinned Angle following a Reverse Neck-breaker in 17.21
ii)                   Angle pinned Kanyon following an Angle Slam in 28.12
iii)                  Angle made Kanyon tap-out to the Ankle Lock in 37.48
iv)                  Angle pinned Kanyon, who was still out of it following the ankle lock, in 38.21
v)                   Kanyon pinned Angle following a roll-up in 44.55
vi)                  Angle pinned Kanyon following a Fisherman’s suplex in 49.04
vii)                Kanyon pinned Angle following a top-rope face buster in 54.11
viii)               Kanyon pinned Angle after Angle missed a moonsault in 58.12
ix)                  Kanyon pinned Angle after the Kanyon Kutter in 6.03 of overtime.
KANYON WINS BY 5 falls to 4 in over-time.
                This was a superb effort and both men were out on their feet before Angle slowly left and Kanyon acknowledged the cheers of the crowd.  There was a twist yet to come though because as Kanyon was celebrating, he was well and truly blindsided by the Big Gee who absolutely kicked the crap out of him and he was soaking in a chorus of boo’s as the show faded to black. 
 
So Into the Darkness has passed for another year.  This is often a difficult ppv to get into, coming as it does just four weeks after the biggest show of the year, but there were no such problems here.  Toss in some choice (and, admittedly, some not so choice) “PWF” names and season it with an absolutely superb Iron Man Match main event and you had a card which held some promise indeed.  The under card was perhaps a little underdone and poor  but names such as John Cena, Phil Jackson and Acid all took steps to improve their profile and put on good performances.  However, the under card could have been the worst ever and it wouldn’t have mattered, such was the absolutely superb main event, which featured phenomenal performances from both Chris Kanyon and Kurt Angle . The two went at it for over an hour and kept the fans captivated every step of the way.  It’s hard to imagine there being a better match this year, and for something to top that in the Year end polls it would have to be very special indeed.  All in all the card easily drifts into thumbs up territory; the under card was decent enough, with enough good moments to make it fly by, and the main event was off the scale.  The very end of the show was intriguing too, with the Big Gee’s appearance and it really does look like the IWF are able to brush off the recent retirements, firings and movie-role hiatus’ and still put on one hell of a show. 

SAMUEL ADAMS TROPHY ROUND 1

Round 1
Saturday 8th May, Walthamstow Assembly Halls
 
Rob Van Dam Vs Simon Starshot ( * * * ¼ ) – An exciting match that featured plenty of high risk and high flying moves from both competitors, with the fans being quite partial to both men.  In the end though RVD’s more spectacular move-set won him the day and he polished off Double S with a picture perfect Five Star Frog Splash.  
Bradshaw Vs Xavier ( ½ * ) – If we did not know quite what to expect from this match, it still didn’t come as that much of a surprise to see that the end result was bloody awful.  Xav tried, he really did, but he was pissing in the wind here.  The only plus point, and it wasn’t really much of a plus point considering that Xavier was supposed to be the heel , was that there was serious rejoicing from the fans as Xavier well and truly kicked John Layfield’s sorry ass.  Xav took the win following a Xav-Attack.
John Cena Vs Ashten Drake ( * * ) – In complete contrast to Bradshaw, John Cena was a PWF guy who everyone knew would bag an IWF contract, and the IWF fans have also been quick to acknowledge him as a serious player.  This was a tidy little match up, without ever threatening to explode, but it was entertaining enough.  Cena took the win with an F-U. 
Charles Haas Vs Billy Kidman ( * * ½ ) – Haas showed considerable presence here in this one, presence that Billy Kidman seems unable to replicate these days which is quite a shame for a once prominent member of the IWF mid-card roster.  This was decent stuff, although it was Haas all the way.  It came as no surprise when Charles finished off Billy with the Haas Attack. 
Kevin Nash Vs Lance Storm ( Sq ) – Oh dear.  With Nash having a ppv date with Xavier upcoming at Into The Darkness, the bookers elected to keep him strong and poor Lance Storm drew the short straw.  Nash made his way into the ring, laughed off Storm’s initial flurry of offence, kicked him in the gut and then finished him off with the Jack-Knife for an easy pinfall victory inside an insulting twenty seconds.  Still as an exercise in keeping Nash strong for ITD it did it’s trick, especially considering that the crowd seemed to love it. 
Matt Morgan Vs Jamie Knoble ( Sq ) – Another squash match here, and whilst there was nothing much to it, it was an exciting blast of power wrestling from Morgan, who won easily with his Moriginator finisher.  Another one the fans loved. 
Edge Vs Matt Hardy ( * * * ½ ) – Finally there was more solid technical action, as these two put on quite a show.  As this was the only match on this night to have any real kind of storyline background to it (the two being on opposing sides in a tag match at MuscleMania XIII) there was also a great deal of heat during this one too.  The two had a back and forth battle and they matched each other every step of the way, but in the end it was Edge who prevailed as he avoided a Twist Of Fate attempt to hit back with an Edgecution of his own for the pinfall victory.
Chris Kanyon Vs Mark Jindrak ( * * ¾ ) – This was a very entertaining match indeed, with the crowd really into it throughout.  Granted it wasn’t a great technical match in most respects but this was great stuff from an entertainment point of view, and at times it was very funny too.  Kanyon did just enough to get Jindrak over as a threat without ever truly looking like he was going to get beaten, and in the end he won the match with the Kanyon Kutter and sent the fans home happy. 
 
Sunday 9th May, JJB Arena - Wigan
 
Chris Jericho Vs Brian Kendrick ( * * * ½ ) – This was  a very good match indeed. Although it featured the Cruiserweight champion Kendrick, Jericho treated him pretty much as an equal which made the match.  Kendrick was superb as the heel and Jericho looked like his inevitable “official” baby-face push will work.  In the end Jericho won a close run call when he made the valiant Kendrick submit to the Lion-Tamer. 
Jay Reso Vs Acid ( * * * ) – With two heels in there (and unlike the previous match, no inclination to really cheer anyone) the crowd were a bit dead for this match.  Which was a great shame, as this was very decent stuff indeed.  In the end, interference from Ashten Drake was nullified by retaliation by Matt Hardy and Jay hit the Unprettier for the pinfall victory.  
Ron Simmons Vs Kurt Angle ( * ) – Why oh why.  That’s the question every time we see one of the APA in an IWF ring.  Still, they’re here now so what use is complaining?  Angle made a decent effort, but Simmons was washed up four years ago, and there was really no saving this one.  Angle won via the angle slam, a match result which left the fans deliriously happy. 
The Big Gee Vs Phil “The Graduate” Jackson ( * * ½ ) – This clash of two stars who call Wigan their hometown certainly got the hometown fans on their feet. It’s doubtful that Jackson has ever been so well received in an IWF ring, and although the old-school IWA fans in attendance helped swell the reaction, its clear that his big win at MuscleMania XIII has given him some credibility with the IWF faithful.  And his credibility soared in this one too as he got a huge pinfall victory over the Big Gee, following a roll-up when the Gee was distracted by arguing with the referee.  Gee was livid afterwards but Jackson was smart enough to get out of the way and so it was the ref who felt the force of a devastating Gee-Bomb. 
Rick Shaw Vs Eddy Guerrero ( * * * * ) – Another home town boy got a great reception here, with Shaw being very over with the crowd.  Eddy, subtly playing the heel role to perfection here, helped matters too with a wonderful display which really did get Shaw over as a super-star.  Alas in the end Shaw couldn’t pick up the victory, falling prey to the Frog Splash, but the two shook hands at the conclusion of the bout, to a rousing ovation from the fans.
Rhino Vs Raven ( * * * ¼ ) – This was old ICW style hardcore wrestling at its most reckless.  The two battered each other with all manner of objects (which the referee let pass for some reason or another) as the crowd bayed for blood.  In the end Rhino got the win following the Gore, in a match which will no doubt be highly edited when Channel 5 show the highlights!
Jeff Jarrett Vs Sean O’Haire ( * * ½ ) – Of all the recent PWF signings by the IWF, Jeff Jarrett was the one with the biggest IWF history behind him, having been World Champion back in 1996 and been given a main event chance again in 2000, and whilst no one seriously expects him to scale those heights again in this tenure he has settled in nicely and he showed here why he can be considered a dependable act.  O’Haire on the other hand seems to be stuck in a rut so it was no surprise when Jarrett made him tap out to the Figure-Four leglock.  Decent enough match too.

Bill De Mott Vs Randy Orton ( * * ¾ ) – This was a decent enough affair, with the former Hugh Morrus putting in one of his usual inconsistent displays, noticeably missing a couple of spots.  But Orton looked his usual cool self and picked up the pinfall victory after De Mott had missed a moonsault attempt (this being an intentional miss if you get my drift).

Slammin – Bank Holiday Slamboree
Monday 3rd May 2004
Isle Of Cally, Scotland
 
Chris Kanyon & Phil Jackson Vs Kurt Angle & Randy Orton
 
Rhino Vs Eddy Guerrero
 
CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE;
Brian Kendrick Vs Rick Shaw
 
(The Debut of) Sean Schizz Vs “Bootylicious” Chris Chetti
 
Hugh Morrus & Jeff Jarrett Vs The Positive Role Models
 
Review;
1) Eddy Vs Rhino ( * * ¾ ) – This was an action packed way to open up this Bank Holiday special, and the fans really did lap this one up.  The only reasons for the relatively low rating were that it was a criminally short match, and that it featured a run-in ending, of sorts anyway.  Former PWF superstar John Cena decided to come to ringside and add his own brand of commentary on the match, a move which infuriated Rhino who kept trying to antagonise the Doctor of Thuganomics, which turned out to be a bad move.  He slapped Cena at ringside, but this only made JC mad and, whilst the referee’s back was turned, he hopped onto the ring apron and slugged Rhino with a Word Life-brass knux assisted punch.  Eddy, who had missed all of this, turned around to see a prone Rhino and so he climbed up the ropes, hit the Frog Splash and got the mildly surprising pinfall victory.
2) Jarrett & Morrus Vs PRM ( * * ¼ ) – Considering they have lost their European Tag titles and their commissionership of the IWF, is it any wonder that Riprock and Corino haven’t taken too kindly to the new influx of PWF guys?  They were in an uncharacteristically serious mood, not that in led to an upswing in their fortunes.  The former PWF duo of Jarrett & Morrus were solid, if unspectacular, and that was enough for them to take the bout, which ended when Jarrett pinned Corino.
3) Schizz Vs Chetti ( * *  ) – So onto the much heralded debut of (former HWA development talent) Sean Schizz.  Ok, so maybe “much heralded” is a bit of an exaggeration, but his fun (and women) filled promo’s over the past month or so have been funny.  Of course pitting him against Chetti only emphasised that “funny” doesn’t necessarily translate all that well into long-term prospects, but for not Sean is looking good.  He put in a competent display and showed a decent sprinkling of character and charisma, and he finished off Chetti with the wonderfully monikered “Schizz Hot”.  A promising debut indeed all things considered.
4) Kendrick Vs Shaw ( * * * * ) – Finally we got some stellar wrestling action and these two proved well worth the wait.  This was top class Cruiserweight action all the way and it was back and forth throughout.  The battle of the former SLAM members was not only entertaining from a technical point of view, but from a psychology point of view too. In the end Kendrick took the win following his BK Flamer, but once Shaw had recovered, the fans showed their appreciation by giving him a standing ovation.
5) Kanyon & Jackson Vs Angle & Orton ( * * * ¼ ) – Main event time and what a decent main event it was too.  Whilst never quite throttling into top gear, this was nevertheless a very entertaining bout, featuring good performances from all four men.  From the opening moments (as Angle sulked because he was the only one of the four without a championship belt) to the final moments this was a blast.  And in the end, Kanyon took the victory for his team by finishing the European champion Orton with the Kanyon Kutter.  Great main event.

 Whilst not the best Slammin that the IWF have ever put on, this was still a very decent event indeed.  The opening three matches weren’t great but they all zipped by and at least seemed enjoyable enough, even if upon a second viewing they probably weren’t all that hot.  It was the final two matches that made the night; the main event was one of those technically sparse, but wonderfully enteratning matches that we all know and love.  And the Cruiserweight match was a superb slice of 21st Century grappling that went down a storm with the crowd and proved that the company is still serious about promoting the division.