MuscleMania XVI PREVIEW

MUSCLEMANIA XVI

Sunday 29th April 2007

MEN ARENA - MANCHESTER

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UNIFIED HEAVYWEIGHT TRIPLE CROWN MATCH;
Vs
JAY RESO Vs MATT MORGAN
Since Breaking Point and the legendary Satan’s Cage match Matt Morgan has had one thing on his mind; winning back the Unified Triple Crown. After overcoming Samoa Joe he came within inches of winning the Robo Rumble, only for Matthew Mercy to take the glory. However in the main event of Shoot Out, Morgan pinned Mercy to earn his main event slot at MuscleMania. Jay Reso, who won the title in the Satan’s Cage match, has held onto the belt since then with some classic defences, including PPV wins over Randy Orton and CM Punk. He also scored what could be a vital psychological blow over Morgan by pinning him at Survival Ground. Both men have admitted their intense hatred for each other and they’ve traded blows in the build up to MM with no clear advantage being claimed. Morgan has experience of the MuscleMania main event whilst this marks Reso’s first time as “the man” at MM. The two men meet in the battle for it all; there can only be one winner. It’s a match you simply cannot miss.

NON-SANCTIONED MATCH;
Vs
DEAN ROBERTS Vs EDGE
Last June, at Heat Wave, Dean Roberts wrestled Matthew Mercy is a “Loser Retires” match. When he lost, that was his wrestling career over. And it might have stayed that way if events hadn’t taken a surreal turn on the Boxing Day 2006 episode of Warfare. Dean and his wife Annalise were special guests of IWF Commissioner Eric Bischoff but as Dean soaked in the adulation of the crowd, Annalise had a bombshell announcement…she was filing for divorce. Dean was devastated but things were soon to get worse. At a charity event at Bolton Casino, Dean saw his soon to be ex-wife Annalise cavorting with the Rated-R superstar Edge and then the whole truth came out. Annalise and Edge were lovers! Edge taunted Dean, seemingly sure that Dean could never wrestle again after the Heat Wave stipulation but Eric Bischoff saw the loophole. The IWF Board Of Directors wouldn’t sanction Dean Roberts for a match, so we would have a Non-Sanctioned battle. The two signed the contract at Shoot Out, but Edge left Dean in a bloody mess. Dean got a modicum of revenge at Survival Ground when his interference led to Edge being eliminated from his Super Series match. Now at MuscleMania XVI, for the one and only time, Dean Roberts & Edge meet one-on-one to settle this grudge. With Annalise Anderson at ringside who knows what will happen?

Vs
FINLAY Vs MATTHEW MERCY
If there’s one match at MuscleMania that is likely to leave both men in a bloody mess, then it’s this one. Finlay has been on Mercy’s case for a couple of months, telling the big man that he’s lost his passion for the business and is no longer the tough superstar he once was. Mercy’s attitude seemed to suggest that Finlay was right, given his apparent lack of interest in his team-mates for Survival Ground. Finlay threatened to “knock some sense” into Mercy but Mercy proved again that his actions speak louder than words by turning on Finlay at Survival Ground, leaving him easy prey to be eliminated, before counting himself out. Once he’d recovered Finlay demanded this one-on-one match and Mercy was all too happy to oblige. The scene is set for what is sure to be one of the most brutal MuscleMania matches of all-time.

Vs
THE BIG GEE Vs RANDY ORTON
Ever since Randy Orton attempted to “bed” The Big Gee’s girlfriend Riley Mason this has been a match that has just been waiting to explode. Orton has insisted that Riley can’t keep her hands off him but most suspect that he’s merely playing psychological games to distract the Gee from the matter in hand, a plan which bore fruit at Shoot Out when Orton’s attack on Riley was enough to leave Gee prey for a pinfall loss. For his part the Gee says he trusts Riley implicitly and that it’s about time someone taught Orton some manners. The two have traded barbs but now is the time for action. Can The Big Gee overcome the cocky and arrogant Orton, or will Orton take both the match and the girl? This is a grudge that will be settled the old-fashioned way, with fists!

Vs
TRIPLE H Vs BARABUS LASHLEY
Triple H has fought virtually every superstar you’d care to name from the past decade but he’s never faced a challenge quite like Barabus Lashley. Lashley may be softly spoken but he sure is hard-hitting, a fact HHH found out to his cost when he thought he would be easy pickings. HHH exudes confidence and tells the world that he will set the matter straight when the two meet at MuscleMania XVI but there is no doubting the fact that Lashley has rattled the Cerebral Assassin. Can Lashley get the biggest win of his career or will HHH’s experience prevail? There’s only one way to find out….

Vs
WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES;
AMERICA’S MOST WANTED Vs PAUL WARDLE & PHIL JACKSON
AMW have been the dominant tag-team in the IWF since their arrival over a year ago, holding onto the World Tag Team Titles for the majority of that time. They’ve seen off some of the best teams around but now at MuscleMania XVI they face a unique challenge, against two men who don’t even like each other. After a huge arena-wide brawl at Survival Ground, Paul Wardle challenged Phil Jackson to another “Dream” tag-team match to bring back memories of MuscleMania XV when Jackson teamed with Mick Foley to take on Wardle and Raven. IWF Commissioner had a better idea though; he informed Wardle & Jackson that they must team up WITH each other to take on AMW. Since that announcement Wardle and Jackson have had a very uneasy truce and have hardly had a good word for each other. At one stage Wardle cost Jackson a match with Chris Harris and in response, Jackson’s interference led to Wardle dropping a match to James Storm. However amongst the in-fighting there have been some displays of unity, with Jackson coming to the aid of Wardle when he was attacked backstage by AMW. The champs are ultra-confident that they’ve got the win in the bag, but if Wardle & Jackson can stay on the same page, they might just pull off the “impossible task.”

WORLD WOMEN’S TITLE;
Vs
REBECCA KNOX Vs CHRISTY HEMME
Krissy Vaine’s suspension led to a huge window of opportunity for the stars of the Women’s division at Survival Ground with 10 women battling in a gauntlet match to decide the new champion. Christy Hemme was the undoubted star of the match wining 4 matches (against Trinity, Alexis Laree, Carina and Melina) before Melina’s post-match attack left her easy-prey for final entrant Rebecca Knox who grabbed the easy win. As a virtue of her brilliant display, Hemme was installed as the number one-contender and the two meet at MuscleMania XVI with the title on the line. Knox says that she’ll beat Hemme as easily as she did at Survival Ground but Hemme insists that tonight will be her night. This is sure to be an intriguing battle, but which woman will prevail?

Vs
XAVIER Vs ELIJAH BURKE
Elijah Burke has rattled up an impressive winning streak since making his IWF debut at Corporal Punishment (defeating Carlito and Chris Benoit on PPV alone) and pinned Xavier to win his Survival Ground match, after a masked man distracted Xavier. Burke, who some are saying is the most promising rookie to hit the IWF since Xavier himself, denies knowing who is behind the mask, but in recent weeks on Warfare and Impact Xavier has complained that he feels someone is following/watching him. Even without these distractions though, Burke is still a strong competitor and he feels that this will be just another win for himself on the big stage. Xavier, who has seen a lot of superstars come and go during his career, on the other hand sees this as his chance to make a big statement on the grandest stage of them all.

Vs
STING Vs RHINO
Sting shocked the world by returning to the IWF in December of last year and his performances have undoubtedly proved that his passion for the business still rages within. Rhino on the other hand has had his critics over the past 12 months but has vowed to prove that he is not wrestling’s forgotten man. Sting managed to defeat Rhino at Survival Ground but a pair of Gore’s on a recent Warfare made it clear that The Man Beast wanted his one-on-one opportunity with the former PWF World Champion; Sting was happy to oblige. It’s the Scorpion Deathlock Vs The Gore, but which man will come out on top?

HARDCORE MATCH:
EUROPEAN TITLE;
Vs Vs
KANE Vs UMAGA Vs SAMOA JOE
A ring has proved unable to contain these three men as they have brawled in the weeks leading up to MuscleMania XVI so IWF Commissioner Eric Bischoff has done the only thing he could do...make this a no-holds-barred, falls-count-anywhere Hardcore match, with first pinfall wins rules. Kane had an impressive victory over Barabus Lashley at Shoot Out to win the title, but he faces his toughest challenge yet against the wrecking machine Umaga and shoot-style favourite Samoa Joe. Only one man can take the title and only one man can survive the carnage.

UNITED KINGDOM TITLE;
Vs
CM PUNK Vs ABYSS
Two of the hottest up and coming stars in the IWF clash in this intriguing battle for the United Kingdom Championship. Even turning on Colt Cabana (and stealing his girlfriend Maria) couldn’t turn the fans against Punk for long and now that he’s got the monster Abyss on his tail, the fans are firmly behind Punk. Abyss absolutely destroyed Punk at Survival Ground, getting himself disqualified in the process, but Punk offered to put his title on the line to secure this one-on-one fight. Abyss, through his handler James Mitchell, accepted and the contracts were signed. Can Punk douse the fire of the monster Abyss or will Abyss “punk-out” his opponent? Either way it’s sure to be a match to remember.

PLUS:

The IWF Hall Of Fame class of 2007 make special appearances

and, singing the National Anthem...


GIRLS ALOUD

SURVIVAL GROUND RESULTS

STING et al Vs ABYSS et al ( * * * ¼ )

This was a hot way to kick things off at this first ever Survival Ground pay-per-view. And wouldn’t you know, Eric Bischoff was right; Dean Roberts did make his presence known, turning up mid-match to smash Edge with a steel chair. Abyss went mental, his attack on CM Punk giving the referee no-other choice than to disqualify him – Edge, ever the opportunist, did manage to pin Punk after this, and also pinned John Cena before Dean ended his night. It came down to Sting and Rob Van Dam against Rhino & Gregory Helms, and in the end it was Sting who prevailed, last eliminating Rhino to become the sole survivor. Rhino was not best pleased and seemed to intimate that this wasn’t the last of their battles.

Order Of Elimination;

I) William Regal pinned Ray Gordy
II) Edge pinned John Cena
III) Abyss disqualified
IV) Edge pinned CM Punk
V) Sting pinned William Regal
VI) Sting pinned Edge after interference from Dean Roberts
VII) Rob Van Dam pinned Gregory Helms
VIII) Rhino pinned Rob Van Dam
IX) Sting pinned Rhino
SOLE SURVIVOR – STING.

PJW et al Vs BANG GANG ( * * )

Ok so no-one was expecting a classic, but this was entertaining and, most importantly, kept brief, even if it did somewhat cut the Bang Gang off at the knees. And hell, even Nash managed a match without an injury!

Order of Elimination;
I) Baron Heap pinned Mantorras Figuierdo
II) Loco Delgado pinned Baron Alker
III) Michael PS Hayes pinned Titi Buengo
IV) Flavio Love pinned Baron Heap
V) Kevin Nash pinned Loco Delgado
VI) Mario Lama pinned Michael PS Hayes
VII) PJW pinned Flavio Love
VIII) Kevin Nash pinned Mario Lama
SURVIVORS - Kevin Nash & PJW

XAVIER et al Vs ELIJAH BURKE et. al (* * * 1/4 )

This was an absolute barnstormer in terms of crowd heat. Xavier's mob started off well with Joe getting rid of the mighty Russian Oleg Prudius but the next few decisions went back and forth until Xavier was cut open by some brutality from his opponents meaning he had to be taken to medical facilities in the locker room area. By the time Elijah Burke pinned Chris Benoit this left Kane alone against not only Burke but Sly Terkay and Umaga as well. The odds looked unsurmountable but Xavier, much to the delight of the crowd, made his way back to the ring, all bandaged and bloodied and the twist distracted Terkay enought to fall prey to the pinfall from Kane. Still the mighty Samoan Umaga dispatched Kane leaving Xavier facing two-to-one odds. Xavier rose to the challenge though, pinning Umaga and it looked as if he would defeat Burke too until a masked man ran out from the crowd and had an altercation with Xavier, which distracted him allowing Burke to get the roll-up and the 1-2-3 to become the sole survivor.

Order Of Elimination;
I) Samoa Joe pinned Oleg Prudius
II) Umaga pinned Steve Lewington
III) Chris Benoit pinned Shinya Makaybe
IV) Sly Terkay pinned Samoa Joe
V) Elijah Burke pinned Chris Benoit
VI) Kane pinned Sly Terkay
VII) Umaga pinned Kane
VIII) Xavier pinned Umaga
IX) Elijah Burke pinned Xavier
SOLE SURVIVOR: Elijah Burke

THE BIG GEE et.al Vs RANDY ORTON et.al. ( * * * ½ )

One of the most hotly anticipated elimination matches, this lived up to all expectations. In the end though it was Triple H and Randy Orton who took most of the glory and ended up as the survivors, with both eliminating two men during the match (Paul London & The Big Gee and Rick Shaw & Barabus Lashley respectively). Barabus Lashley was the only other an to get a pinfall as an almighty fight between Paul Wardle & Phil Jackson led to both men being counted out – not that they cared as they continued their fight into the crowd.

Order of elimination;

I) Barabus Lashley pinned James Storm
II) Triple H pinned Paul London
III) Randy Orton pinned Rick Shaw
IV) Paul Wardle & Phil Jackson counted out
V) The Big Gee pinned Chris Harris
VI) Randy Orton pinned Barabus Lashley
VII) Triple H pinned The Big Gee
SURVIVORS – Randy Orton & Triple H

GAUNTLET FOR WOMEN’S TITLE ( * * )
Well thanks to Krissy Vaine being a naughty girl and getting a suspension we were treated to this 10-woman gauntlet to decide the new women’s champion, a match which George Minister told us was the first ever of its kind in the IWF. Which doesn’t make it a good idea does it? As ever with the gauntlet scenario you don’t really get given much time for each elimination…but for once, with some of the “talent” on display that may not have been a bad thing. Here, for the records are the “matches” as they happened; as an aside, all matches were of course refereed by the IWF’s only female referee, Shantelle Taylor.
Maria Vs Riley Mason – obviously someone’s idea of a joke. “Hey let’s start the match with the two worst “workers” of the lot”. As bad as you might expect although if we’re being fair it was a spirited effort from both, as far as it went, and Mason won with a positively amateurish roll-up.
Riley Mason Vs Trinity – The fans actually went mental for Trinity, officially the “bad-ass” of the woman’s division, seemingly for no other reason than they suspected Mason was about the get snotted. And she was. Trinity won with ease.
Trinity Vs Michelle McCool – McCool looked positively riddled with fear, as well she might. Trinity made quick and easy work of her too.
Trinity Vs Jenny Taylor – At last something resembling a proper match. Having had two matches on the run hadn’t had much effect on Trinity as they’d been so easy but Taylor wasn’t about to let Trinity have it all her own way and actually looked on the verge of an upset, but it wasn’t to be as Trinity pulled out her moonsault for the win.
Trinity Vs Christy Hemme – Christy has shown more aptitude than any newcomer to the women’s division in quite some time. She’s also very charismatic which led to this being a segment that was very well received indeed. It looked as if Trinity’s domination would continue but Christy pulled this one out of the bag to get the 1-2-3.
Christy Hemme Vs Alexis Laree – This was another closely contested fall, and both women looked good out there. It came perhaps as a bit of a surprise to see Laree lose this one, but lose it she did. Hemme was certainly on a roll at this point.
Christy Hemme Vs Carina– Carina really has come one leap and bounds since her debut in the IWF (although quite why she couldn’t have done this learning before her debut is not something they’re telling us) and she showed it in this good, albeit losing, effort. Hemme was just too strong for her.
Christy Hemme Vs Melina – Well Hemme was starting to show signs of tiredness by now and Melina looked as if she was really confident that she would be winning this one. In fact she handed out quite a beating; but she was too confident and didn’t finish Christy off when she had the chance on a couple of occasions. And that error came back to haunt her as Christy took advantage of a lack of concentration to get the pinfall. Melina was not best pleased…
Christy Hemme Vs Rebecca Knox – …a fact that was evidenced by the fact that Melina battered Hemme as Knox was making her way to the ring. As Melina was dragged away by a number of officials, Knox sauntered in, made the cover and became the new Women’s Champion as the fans booed mercilessly and George Minister put over the Herculean effort by Hemme. And as daft as some of it sounds, it would make a brilliant “issue” for MuscleMania wouldn’t it?

JAY RESO et al Vs MATT MORGAN et al
( * * * 1/4 )
Main event time and both sides of the MuscleMania XVI main event led their teams into battle, with Jay Reso getting those vital psychological points leading up to the big show with his victory here – no matter that he had to smack Morgan with the title belt to get it. The match was also memorable for team-mates Matthew Mercy & Finlay getting it on; Mercy refused to tag in during the early going and when Finlay finally tagged him in himself, Mercy immediately turned on the Irish Bruiser before walking off (being counted out in the process) all of which left Finlay easy prey for being pinned by Morgan. Still, Reso’s nefarious tactics ensured that he had the last laugh.

Order of elimination;

I) Matt Morgan pinned Bobby Roode
II) Brian Kendrick pinned Eric Young
III) Finlay pinned Joey Mercury
IV) Jay Reso pinned Brian Kendrick
V) Finlay pinned Shelton Benjamin
VI) Jay Reso pinned Lance Hoyt
VII) Matthew Mercy was counted out
VIII) Matt Morgan pinned Finlay
IX) Jay Reso pinned Matt Morgan
SOLE SURVIVOR – Jay Reso

In some ways this was a strange pay-per-view but there is no doubt that for the most part it was an entertaining one. Yes it lacked the absolutely killer match that sets the great cards apart from the mere good ones, but as a stop on the Road to MuscleMania this did everything you could ask of it.

SURVIVAL GROUND Card

SURVIVAL GROUND
Sunday 25th March 2007
Ricoh Arena, Coventry

For the first time ever, the International Wrestling Federation presents SURVIVAL GROUND, featuring 5 classic Super Series style 5-on-5 elimination matches as well as a 10 Woman Gauntlet match to decide who takes the currently vacant Women's Championship.

JAY RESO, MATTHEW MERCY , FINLAY, BOBBY ROODE & ERIC YOUNG
Vs
MATT MORGAN, JOEY MERCURY, SHELTON BENJAMIN, BRIAN KENDRICK & LANCE HOYT
The opposite sides of the MuscleMania XVI main event collide as Jay Reso & Matt Morgan lead their teams into battle. Reso teams up with Hollywood Superstar Matthew Mercy, Irish Legend Finaly and Team Canada's Bobby Roode & Eric Young. However early signs are that all is not well in the Reso camp. Matthew Mercy has made it clear he's a very reluctant member of the team and Finlay, in particular, doesn't appreciate his attitude. Morgan had gone for tag team experience in MNM and current European Tag Team Champions Brian Kendrick & Lance Hoyt but Johnny Nitro's injury means that he's drafted in Shelton Benjamin. With the World Champion in action any of the opposing team could make a name for themselves by defeating him; similarly any victory over Morgan or Mercy would also be a big boost for the young talent. This is a match sure to go down to the wire.

STING, CM PUNK, ROB VAN DAM, RAY GORDY & JOHN CENA
Vs
ABYSS, EDGE, RHINO, GREGORY HELMS & WILLIAM REGAL

Another intriguing match up mixing global superstar with young up and comers. Sting leads his "squadron" into battle and has perhaps the hottest new IWF superstar on his books in the shape of CM Punk. They are joined by former IWF & ICW World Champion Rob Van Dam, 2nd Generation star Ray Gordy and former PWF Intercontinental Champion John Cena. Their task won't be easy however as Abyss & Edge join forces with three of the toughest superstars on the roster in the form of former ICW World Champion Rhino, Cruiserweight competitor Gregory Helms and renowned tough guy William Regal. A mix of styles and the team that gel's the best could ultimately be the team that prevails.

THE BIG GEE, BARABUS LASHLEY, PAUL LONDON, PHIL JACKSON & RICK SHAW

Vs
RANDY ORTON, TRIPLE H, PAUL WARDLE & AMW

Arguably the most hotly-anticipated match of the night, with many issues to be resolved. The Big Gee has not only called on his good friends Phil Jackson and Rick Shaw but has enlisted the help of Cruiserweight sensation Paul London saying that speed of thought may give his team the advantage. His final team-mate was the source of much speculation but when Randy Orton & AMW decided to end their business relationship with Barabus Lashley, Gee took advantage of the situation and gave Lashley the chance at an early bit of revenge. The Team Orton trio wasted no time in bringing in some top quality team-mates though as former IWF & PWF World Champion Triple H joined up to the cause alongside the Phenomenon Paul Wardle. The history of trouble between Gee/Orton, Gee/HHH and Jackson/Wardle alongside recently brewing wars between Team Orton/Lashley and Shaw & London/AMW means that all hell is likely to break loose in this one.

XAVIER, SAMOA JOE , CHRIS BENOIT, KANE & STEVE LEWINGTON
Vs
ELIJAH BURKE, UMAGA, OLEG PRUDIUS, SLY TERKAY & SHINYA MAKAYBE

Although Xavier has undoubtedly recruited well his team may well have the most unenviable task of the evening given the sheer size of their opponents. Samoa Joe and Chris Benoit are two of the toughest and most well respected wrestlers on the roster, Kane was happy to help out his old buddy Xavier and Steve Lewington was pleased to be given the opportunity to show what he could do but even this quintet must be nervous. Cocky upstart Elijah Burker has pulled out the biggest monsters he can find. The Samoan Wrecking Machine Umaga made an impressive debut at the Robo Rumble, giant Russian Oleg Prudius holds a pinfall victory over Dean Roberts on his resume and Shinya Makaybe has garnered a reputation in the Japanese Dojo's for being a pain machine. However just when we thought Burke had finished he revealed that shoot-fighting superstar Sly Terkay would be making his debut at Survival Ground. Xavier and his team won't back down from anybody but even they might have their work cut out against these behemoths.

PJW, KEVIN NASH, MICHAEL PS HAYES & THE BARONS
Vs
THE BANG GANG

The final Super Series style match sees PJW trying to gain revenge for the Bang Gang's repeated attempts to humiliate him on Warfare and Impact over the past few weeks. The Gang, led by Loco Delgado and Flavio Love, even went as far as to suggest that PJ wouldn't be able to round up 4 friends, but he proved them wrong by assembling quite the dream team. Joining forces with PJ are former IWF World Champion Kevin Nash, the legendary "Fabulous Freebird" Michael Hayes and UK legends The Barons (Baron Heap & Baron Alker). This is sure to be one of the most entertaining matches of the night.

GAUNTLET MATCH FOR THE VACANT WOMEN'S TITLE;

ALEXIS LAREE
Vs
CARINA
Vs
CHRISTY HEMME
Vs
JENNY TAYLOR
Vs
MARIA
Vs
MELINA
Vs
MICHELLE McCOOL
Vs
REBECCA KNOX
Vs
RILEY MASON
Vs
TRINITY

Krissy Vaine's suspension under the Welfare & Wellness programme whilst she was still champion has opened up a window of opportunity. IWF Commissioner Eric Bischoff declared the title vacant and has put the belt on the line in this 10 woman Gauntlet match. Each women will draw a number which will make the order of entrance. The first two women battle and when there is a winner, they battle the third woman and so on until only one Woman is left standing.