Traditionally, the IWF's Boxing Day Warfare specials are momentous affairs, and 2007's was no different.
In the much awaited special challenge bout, Paul "The Phenomenon" Wardle turned back the challenge of Callum Best, DESPITE the interference attempted by the returning Phil "The Graduate" Jackson. Prior to Jackson's injury, the long-running Wardle/Jackson saga had seen them as something approaching team-mates, but Jackson's time on the sideline has seen Wardle explode towards the top-line scene and it seems as if Jackson has some issues that need to be resolved.
The big fall-out from Breaking Point was of course the chaos that surrounded the world title match between Triple H and Matthew Mercy and IWF Commissioner Dean Roberts was quick to deliver his decision. Telling the world that he was sick of the "lack of respect" shown to the IWF officials and fans by the wrestlers he shocked the world by announcing that the World Title was now officially vacant and that, for the first time in International Wrestling Federation history the title would be up for grabs at the January PPV Corporal Punishment in the Robo Rumble match.
Neither Triple H nor Mercy were thrilled with that decision but as they clashed head-to-head at the end of the show, their battle was overshadowed by the unexpected collapse of Dean Roberts at ringside. Although Dean had regained conciousness before the show went off the air, it seems as if the start of 2008 will neccessitate the IWF Board of Directors choosing a new Commissioner.
The night also saw Lil' Louis paying his respects to Oscar Peterson.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Breaking Point Report
1) Finlay Vs Jazz Hands Gee ( Steel Cage, * * * 1/2 )
We started off with the ultimate grudge match, with the promise that this was the "winner takes all" match of the feud. Not that there was anything to "win" other than the pride of vanquishing their hated opponent. The two went at it with a fury that suggested they were welcome of the chance to do this without resorting to the usual Hornswoggle/Lil Louis nonsense which has been funny, but has also totally overshadowed the two men's efforts in the ring in recent months. The two put it right here with a brutal stunner, featuring plenty of claret from both men. The crowd loved it as well and they loved the ending as Jazz Hands Gee got the win via pinfall.
2) Mistico Vs Hennigan Vs Castagnoli Vs Scorpio ( * * 3/4 )
As talented as those four men are, they had a tough act to follow and given less than ten minutes to build the tempo they couldn't quite manage it. Having all four men in there at once hurt the flow of the match ( I don't know about you but the pinfall attempt - break up routine that these kind of matches always contain got boring about 10 years ago) but there were some choice moments and the home stretch was very exciting. After numerous close falls, Mistico finally got the pinfall on Castagnoli to wrap up the match and retain the UK Title.
3) Chris Jericho Vs Elijah Burke ( * * * * )
If Jericho's return to the IWF had been a slightly disappointing prior to tonight, from an in-ring perspective at least, tonight was the night he put it right alongside the increasingly impressive Elijah Burke. The "former friends and tag team partners" routine can always work well given the right two people and this was one of those occasions. The two were in sync with each other from start to finish and there was very little wasted motion in the entire match. Which meant that eventual winner Elijah Burke looked like a true superstar throughout and he got the clean win with the Elijah Express. The fans gave both men a good ovation at the end and Jericho proved that if you lose the right way, it needn't hurt you in the slightest.
4) Abyss, Jahbuhlun & Reso Vs Morgan, Anderson & Umaga ( * * )
Well many of us suspected that IWF management weren't exactly hot on Charles Anderson's in-ring expertise and this six-man was set up to ease him into action on his official in-ring TV debut (having of course wrestled numerous times on the house show circuit). Jay Reso might well wonder what he'd done to draw this assignment too. This was a decent, but distinctly lacking in heat, encounter which at least zipped along at a fair pace. In the end, Reso pinned Umaga, but Morgan, Anderson and the rest of the Anderson Family made it their business after the decision to attack Abyss & Jahbuhlun...again. A promising looking feud is quickly becoming too one-dimensional.
5) Paul Wardle Vs John Cena ( * 1/2 )
All you really need to know about this one is that rather amazingly Paul Wardle is still over as a babyface and he ended up even more over, despite the fact that John Cena pinned him and won the European Title (and yes, that might be one of the lowest points in the European Title's history). The reason? Because Callum Best stuck his nose into business again, in the lead up to the Wardle/Best Boxing Day encounter. You can question the point of Cena with the belt and you can question the usefulness of Best's "celebrity" status as a tie-in, but if Wardle can keep the fans on his side, the sky might be the limit.
6) Matt & Lizzy Vs Brian & Alexis ( * * 1/4 )
Not many expected much from this, but this was a relatively entertaining battle which was a hell of a lot of fun. Matt Sydal and Lizzy Valentine make a great couple/double act and Brian Kendrick and Alexis Laree seemed to be having the time of their life as well. The crowd were surprisingly hot on this one as well, and they absolutely loved it when Alexis pinned Lizzy to wrap up the match.
7) CM Punk Vs Randy Orton ( * * * 1/2 )
CM Punk's time at the very top of the tree will come again, but this was a very respectful way of killing time (let's face it, this was little more than a high-profile opponent for Punk to keep busy with for a month) as the two men put forward great performances and told a great story too. Of course no-one ever really doubted that Punk would win but both men made it look like Orton may sneak it. A Pepsi Plunge put pay to that.
8) America's Most Wanted Vs Mystery Opponents ( * * * 1/4 )
The longer the card went without this match the more we thought that the often disappointing Mystery Opponent stipulation would for once pay dividends. Conversely when we realised it was going to be in the penultimate position there were worries that it might not be so good after all. We needn't have worried. IWF Commissioner Dean Roberts promised the surprise would be worth the wait and it was, as Matt & Jeff Hardy made their way to the ring. The crowd reaction was warm and both men looked thankful for the applause. The two teams shook hands and then proceeded to have quite the good little match. It never really quite hit top-gear but it was an enjoyable old-school style tag match. The Hardy's couldn't quite manage to make the perfect comeback as Jeff Hardy fell victim to the pinfall from Chris Harris. The two teams shook hands at the end of the match as well, to a respectful applause.
9) Triple H Vs Matthew Mercy ( * * * 1/2)
The alert amongst you may have noticed that whilst the IWF dropped subtle hints that this would be the final meeting of these two in their epic feud they stopped well short of explicitly enforcing that feeling. And we found out why in this main event. Firstly it has to be said that the first 15 minutes or so of this 20 minute match were really rather good (as you might expect) but the schmazz ending did it's level best to destroy all that good work. A ref bump, a second referee counting a pinfall on Mercy which the first referee said didn't count. HHH getting a pinfall back on Mercy which the second referee refused to acknowledge...not even Commissioner Dean Roberts coming out could talk sense into anybody as the referee's battled, Mercy & HHH continues their brawl and everybody was completely non-plussed. The show ended with Mercy & HHH still fighting as Dean held the World Title in his hands whilst shaking his head in despair.
One of the better IWF shows of the year could have been THE best if it hadn't been for the bizarre and completely uneccessary final five minutes or so. Still we can only assumed that needs must in that case. It was a great night for the likes of Elijah Burke, CM Punk, The Hardy Boys and even John Cena! In the ultimate standings, most people will have more than enjoyed this energetic event, but will despair at the lack of a clean finish in the main event.
We started off with the ultimate grudge match, with the promise that this was the "winner takes all" match of the feud. Not that there was anything to "win" other than the pride of vanquishing their hated opponent. The two went at it with a fury that suggested they were welcome of the chance to do this without resorting to the usual Hornswoggle/Lil Louis nonsense which has been funny, but has also totally overshadowed the two men's efforts in the ring in recent months. The two put it right here with a brutal stunner, featuring plenty of claret from both men. The crowd loved it as well and they loved the ending as Jazz Hands Gee got the win via pinfall.
2) Mistico Vs Hennigan Vs Castagnoli Vs Scorpio ( * * 3/4 )
As talented as those four men are, they had a tough act to follow and given less than ten minutes to build the tempo they couldn't quite manage it. Having all four men in there at once hurt the flow of the match ( I don't know about you but the pinfall attempt - break up routine that these kind of matches always contain got boring about 10 years ago) but there were some choice moments and the home stretch was very exciting. After numerous close falls, Mistico finally got the pinfall on Castagnoli to wrap up the match and retain the UK Title.
3) Chris Jericho Vs Elijah Burke ( * * * * )
If Jericho's return to the IWF had been a slightly disappointing prior to tonight, from an in-ring perspective at least, tonight was the night he put it right alongside the increasingly impressive Elijah Burke. The "former friends and tag team partners" routine can always work well given the right two people and this was one of those occasions. The two were in sync with each other from start to finish and there was very little wasted motion in the entire match. Which meant that eventual winner Elijah Burke looked like a true superstar throughout and he got the clean win with the Elijah Express. The fans gave both men a good ovation at the end and Jericho proved that if you lose the right way, it needn't hurt you in the slightest.
4) Abyss, Jahbuhlun & Reso Vs Morgan, Anderson & Umaga ( * * )
Well many of us suspected that IWF management weren't exactly hot on Charles Anderson's in-ring expertise and this six-man was set up to ease him into action on his official in-ring TV debut (having of course wrestled numerous times on the house show circuit). Jay Reso might well wonder what he'd done to draw this assignment too. This was a decent, but distinctly lacking in heat, encounter which at least zipped along at a fair pace. In the end, Reso pinned Umaga, but Morgan, Anderson and the rest of the Anderson Family made it their business after the decision to attack Abyss & Jahbuhlun...again. A promising looking feud is quickly becoming too one-dimensional.
5) Paul Wardle Vs John Cena ( * 1/2 )
All you really need to know about this one is that rather amazingly Paul Wardle is still over as a babyface and he ended up even more over, despite the fact that John Cena pinned him and won the European Title (and yes, that might be one of the lowest points in the European Title's history). The reason? Because Callum Best stuck his nose into business again, in the lead up to the Wardle/Best Boxing Day encounter. You can question the point of Cena with the belt and you can question the usefulness of Best's "celebrity" status as a tie-in, but if Wardle can keep the fans on his side, the sky might be the limit.
6) Matt & Lizzy Vs Brian & Alexis ( * * 1/4 )
Not many expected much from this, but this was a relatively entertaining battle which was a hell of a lot of fun. Matt Sydal and Lizzy Valentine make a great couple/double act and Brian Kendrick and Alexis Laree seemed to be having the time of their life as well. The crowd were surprisingly hot on this one as well, and they absolutely loved it when Alexis pinned Lizzy to wrap up the match.
7) CM Punk Vs Randy Orton ( * * * 1/2 )
CM Punk's time at the very top of the tree will come again, but this was a very respectful way of killing time (let's face it, this was little more than a high-profile opponent for Punk to keep busy with for a month) as the two men put forward great performances and told a great story too. Of course no-one ever really doubted that Punk would win but both men made it look like Orton may sneak it. A Pepsi Plunge put pay to that.
8) America's Most Wanted Vs Mystery Opponents ( * * * 1/4 )
The longer the card went without this match the more we thought that the often disappointing Mystery Opponent stipulation would for once pay dividends. Conversely when we realised it was going to be in the penultimate position there were worries that it might not be so good after all. We needn't have worried. IWF Commissioner Dean Roberts promised the surprise would be worth the wait and it was, as Matt & Jeff Hardy made their way to the ring. The crowd reaction was warm and both men looked thankful for the applause. The two teams shook hands and then proceeded to have quite the good little match. It never really quite hit top-gear but it was an enjoyable old-school style tag match. The Hardy's couldn't quite manage to make the perfect comeback as Jeff Hardy fell victim to the pinfall from Chris Harris. The two teams shook hands at the end of the match as well, to a respectful applause.
9) Triple H Vs Matthew Mercy ( * * * 1/2)
The alert amongst you may have noticed that whilst the IWF dropped subtle hints that this would be the final meeting of these two in their epic feud they stopped well short of explicitly enforcing that feeling. And we found out why in this main event. Firstly it has to be said that the first 15 minutes or so of this 20 minute match were really rather good (as you might expect) but the schmazz ending did it's level best to destroy all that good work. A ref bump, a second referee counting a pinfall on Mercy which the first referee said didn't count. HHH getting a pinfall back on Mercy which the second referee refused to acknowledge...not even Commissioner Dean Roberts coming out could talk sense into anybody as the referee's battled, Mercy & HHH continues their brawl and everybody was completely non-plussed. The show ended with Mercy & HHH still fighting as Dean held the World Title in his hands whilst shaking his head in despair.
One of the better IWF shows of the year could have been THE best if it hadn't been for the bizarre and completely uneccessary final five minutes or so. Still we can only assumed that needs must in that case. It was a great night for the likes of Elijah Burke, CM Punk, The Hardy Boys and even John Cena! In the ultimate standings, most people will have more than enjoyed this energetic event, but will despair at the lack of a clean finish in the main event.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Prime Time
IWF PRIME TIME - MELTDOWN
Saturday 1st December 2007
Bolton Arena
Matthew Mercy, CM Punk & Jazz Hands Gee
Vs
Triple H, Randy Orton & Finlay
LAST MAN STANDING MATCH:
Matt Morgan Vs Jahbuhlun
Lil' Louis Vs Hornswoggle
WORLD WOMEN'S TITLE:
Alexis Laree Vs Lizzy Valentine
Quentin Kous Vs Harry Smith
----------------------------------------------------
1)Morgan Vs Jahbuhlun (Last Man Standing, * * * 1/4) - What a thrilling way to kick off the final Prime Time of 2007. Both men put forward a sterling effort, which was only spoiled by the relative brevity of the match and the, anticipated, extra-curricular activity from Abyss and The Anderson family. And as you would expect, those run-in's directly influenced the finish, although the Anderson Family's intentions backfired as an errant chair shot from Acid knocked Morgan cold, enabling Jahbuhlun to get the win.
2)Lil' Louis V Hornswoggle (DUD) - From the sublime to the ridiculous. Only those completely bereft of a sense of humour wouldn't have laughed at some of this, but it was still an awful spectacle. Lil' Louis won after his own version of the Jazz Hands Knee.
3)Laree Vs Valentine (* * 3/4) - The two managed to pick the crowd up after the previous debacle and had quite the little tussle. Matt Sydal attempted to get his woman the victory, but Brian Kendrick evened up the odds enabling Laree to get the pinfall victory that retained her title.
4)Kous Vs Harry Smith (*) - Thanks to the terrible injury that Tarquin Kous suffered in the last Prime Time it looked as if Quentin Kous wouldn't have much of a future in the IWF. But seemingly he does as he got the victory here as a result of the interference of the previously unheard of third Kous, Eustace.
5)Mercy, Punk & Gee Vs HHH, Orton & Finlay (* * * 3/4) - Well at least the event was bookended by two superb encounters. This was a full-on battle which had the crowd at fever pitch throughout. And as it's December, and Christmas is a-coming, we got the happy ending as Punk pinned Finlay to wrap it all up.
Saturday 1st December 2007
Bolton Arena
Matthew Mercy, CM Punk & Jazz Hands Gee
Vs
Triple H, Randy Orton & Finlay
LAST MAN STANDING MATCH:
Matt Morgan Vs Jahbuhlun
Lil' Louis Vs Hornswoggle
WORLD WOMEN'S TITLE:
Alexis Laree Vs Lizzy Valentine
Quentin Kous Vs Harry Smith
----------------------------------------------------
1)Morgan Vs Jahbuhlun (Last Man Standing, * * * 1/4) - What a thrilling way to kick off the final Prime Time of 2007. Both men put forward a sterling effort, which was only spoiled by the relative brevity of the match and the, anticipated, extra-curricular activity from Abyss and The Anderson family. And as you would expect, those run-in's directly influenced the finish, although the Anderson Family's intentions backfired as an errant chair shot from Acid knocked Morgan cold, enabling Jahbuhlun to get the win.
2)Lil' Louis V Hornswoggle (DUD) - From the sublime to the ridiculous. Only those completely bereft of a sense of humour wouldn't have laughed at some of this, but it was still an awful spectacle. Lil' Louis won after his own version of the Jazz Hands Knee.
3)Laree Vs Valentine (* * 3/4) - The two managed to pick the crowd up after the previous debacle and had quite the little tussle. Matt Sydal attempted to get his woman the victory, but Brian Kendrick evened up the odds enabling Laree to get the pinfall victory that retained her title.
4)Kous Vs Harry Smith (*) - Thanks to the terrible injury that Tarquin Kous suffered in the last Prime Time it looked as if Quentin Kous wouldn't have much of a future in the IWF. But seemingly he does as he got the victory here as a result of the interference of the previously unheard of third Kous, Eustace.
5)Mercy, Punk & Gee Vs HHH, Orton & Finlay (* * * 3/4) - Well at least the event was bookended by two superb encounters. This was a full-on battle which had the crowd at fever pitch throughout. And as it's December, and Christmas is a-coming, we got the happy ending as Punk pinned Finlay to wrap it all up.
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