Survival Ground Preview

SURVIVAL GROUND
Sunday 16th March 2008
Geneva Arena, Geneva SWITZERLAND

For the first time ever, the International Wrestling Federation hits Switzerland for Survival Ground, the last PPV stop on the Road to MuscleMania. Featuring three traditional 5-on-5 Super Series Matches (including a Women's elimination encounter) and other great exciting action this event could have a huge bearing on the IWF superstars as they head to MuscleMania XVII!

CM Punk, Paul Wardle, Mistico & America's Most Wanted
Vs
Elijah Burke, Triple H, Matt Sydal, Shelton Benjamin & Rhino
The opposite sides of the MuscleMania Triple Crown main event captain their respective teams into battle. Punk has enlisted the help of his good friend Paul "The Phenomenon" Wardle, the United Kingdom champion Mistico and the World Tag Team Champions America's Most Wanted. Elijah Burke has signed up Triple H, World Cruiserweight Champion Matt Sydal and European Tag Team Champions Shelton Benjamin & Rhino. With seven champions in the match this is sure to be a high octane battle with everyone looking to make a name for themselves and carry some much needed momentum into the MuscleMania home-straight.

Kurt Angle, John Hennigan, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho & Finlay
Vs
Matthew Mercy, Abyss, Jay Reso, Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy
Kurt Angle's return to the IWF ring's at Corporal Punishment was not just a one-off. Acting Commissioner Ricky Steamboat offered him the captaincy of a Super Series team opposite Matthew Mercy's choice of wrestlers. The two have assembled a great line up for what should be a very intriguing match. Angle has chosen three former world champions in the form of Randy Orton, Chris Jericho and the tough Irish bastard Finlay, all three who have had their previous issues with Mercy. His, as he termed it, "wild card" pick was John Hennigan who has impressed the Olympic Gold Medalist with his displays in recent weeks. Mercy has assembled a mixture of the tough and the sublime. European Champion Abyss is joined by former World Champion Jay Reso and the high-octane tag-team of Matt & Jeff Hardy. This is a match which throws up a myriad of exciting possibilities.

Alexis Laree, Christy Hemme, Riley Mason, Maria Kanellis & Trinity
Vs
Rebecca Knox, Melina, Lizzy Valentine, Shelley Martinex & Michelle Cena
Alexis Laree threw the challenge out to the woman who took the Women's Championship from her, Rebecca Knox for this Super Series style match and Knox was only too happy to agree to it. 10 women clash in this battle which is one not to be missed.

Mohammed Fakjir Vs Jazz Hands Gee
Two men with an intense hatred for each other clash head to head as the "Egyptian Playa" Mohammed Fakjir takes on Jazz Hands Gee in this grudge match. Fakjir is sure to have the ever-threatening presence of his Head of Security Justice Porter in his corner but Gee claims to have no fear of the Fakjir organisation and says he will prove his point at Survival Ground.

Crunch Vs "The Graduate" Phil Jackson
"The Best Of British Beef" Crunch has been piling up the victories since his Corporal Punishment debut but he faces perhaps his toughest challenge to date against fellow Brit Phil Jackson. Crunch claims he will rack up another win to add to his list but Jackson insists that he's too good and experienced to fall to a "braindead bully" like Crunch. The Geneva Arena is sure to be shaking for this powerful tussle.

Kous Kous Vs Harry Smith & Teddy Hart
Yes, you read that right. Quentin and Tarquin may be gone, but that didn't leave Eustace Kous as the only member of the Kous family ready to ply his wares in the IWF. As the IWF hits Switzerland, Eustace has said that his Swiss cousin Sheridan Kous will be his partner as they take on the Hart Foundation 2.0 duo of Harry Smith & Teddy Hart. Whilst the future seems bright for the "new and improved" Kous Kous, tempers and tension is being frayed within the Hart Foundation, with Smith & Hart coming close to blows on a number of occasions recently. Can they hold it together, or will Kous Kous' Third Coming get off to the best possible start?

Too Cold Scorpio Vs Flavio Love
Having seen his Bang Gang faction dissolve virtually overnight, Flavio Love has turned his attention to singles glory, but he will have a tough first challenge as he is pitted against the veteran Too Cold Scorpio. This is sure to be an entertaining clash.

SHOOT OUT REVIEW

1)Matt & Jeff Hardy Vs Mohammed Fakjir & Justice Porter (* * *)
The rise of Porter and Fakjir continues, and credit must go both to them and to their opponents. The Hardy's were surprise returnees to the IWF at the back end of 2007, but they've shown they are here to wrestle and make an impact. Fakjir's all-round act continues to improve and Porter, back from his suspension, is showing poise that we never thought he had in him. It was the "youngsters" that won the match as well as Fakjir pinned Matt Hardy to wrap up a heated and exciting opener.

2)Crunch Vs Bobby Roode (* 1/2)
The two men in this match had a tough act to follow after the opener; indeed the crowd were flat for this one and try as they might the two couldn't quite manage to snap the fans out of it. This match was all about Crunch (as much potential as Roode has he's certainly not a priority at the moment) and as such it was much like his match at Corporal Punishment. A decent enough chance to show what he's got but nothing earth-shattering. Crunch won; end of story.

3)Abyss Vs Charles Anderson (* 3/4)
The crowd were certainly up for Abyss, he's a real favourite with the live crowds, but they were as cool as ever towards Anderson. I think we can safely say that the Anderson Family experiment has been a failure. This was little more than an extended squash match, such was the level of offence that Anderson got in, but at least the fans were happy with Abyss' victory with his match winning Black Hole Slam.

4)Paul Wardle Vs Finlay (* * *)
The Wardle, ahem, Phenomenon, continues apace. He was super-over here and Finlay was, as you would expect, a superb heel; all of which made for a thrilling atmosphere. The two couldn't quite match up to that but they had a stellar tussle which was exciting whilst it lasted. Indeed if this ten minute match had gone another five minutes or so it might have been a minor-classic. As it was, Wardle pinned Finlay, much to the delight of the crowd.

5)America's Most Wanted Vs Sherlock Burchill & Dr Lewington (* *)
This truly highlighted the dearth of talent in terms of tag-teams that can challenge AMW. Burchill & Lewington aren't terrible, but their gimmick is NOT conduicive to challenging for the World Tag Team Titles. As you would expect, AMW walked this one and won when Chris Harris pinned Lewington.

6)Elijah Burke Vs Phil Jackson Vs Randy Orton Vs Jay Reso (Final Four Match, * * * *)
The crowd were really up for this one, and the trick of only having the one babyface (Reso) in the match meant that there were a lot of excited fans right behind him every step of the way. Eliminations were by pinfall, submission or over-the-top-rope elimination. Order of said elimination was as follows;
i) Phil Jackson (thrown over the top-rope by Jay Reso)
ii) Randy Orton (pinned by Jay Reso)
iii) Jay Reso (pinned by Elijah Burke)
So it was clear, Elijah Burke is headed for MuscleMania; a surprising choice in some eyes but he looked great here.

7)CM Punk Vs Shelton Benjamin (* * * 1/2)
Umaga's problems meant a whole lot of problems for the IWF in terms of CM Punk's challenger at the event and given the fact that the Final Four match and Three Stages of Hell match had arguably taken away the top six contenders, this was a decent back up plan. Punk continued his supreme recent form and Benjamin really took the opportunity to show what he could do. Of course no-one really expected Benjamin to win the title, but they still managed to pack in the drama. Punk won with the Pepsi Plunge in an impressive match...even more impressive when one considers the last minute nature of the match being put together.

8) Matthew Mercy Vs Triple H (Three Stages Of Hell, * * * * 1/2)
So a feud which started back in late August finally came to its final act. It's a credit to all concerned that they've kept the fire bubbling all the way along.
The first fall was a First Blood encounter, which Mercy took. HHH was bleeding buckets as well. The second fall was a Falls Count Anywhere, which really did go all over the building, and Triple H evened up the score. The final fall was a Steel Cage match which was the best portion of the match, and the best portion of the entire night. The crowd was at fever pitch as the two went back and forth but finally Mercy finished off Triple H with a Mercy-Bomb to take the match and the feud. The fans were ecstatic.

So that was Shoot Out for another year. The 2007 event is fondly remembered and the 2008 event certainly held up the excitement and entertainment levels. The Road To MuscleMania is proving to be an eventful one indeed.

CM Punk's Shoot Out Opponent Decided

Tonight on Warfare, IWF Acting Commissioner Ricky Steamboat came up with his own unique way of coming up with an opponent for CM Punk at Shoot Out. He told the IWF superstars that any one not already with a match on the Shoot Out Card would take part in a Battle Royale, with the winning getting the "once in a lifetime opportunity" to fight for the Triple Crown at Shoot Out.

The match itself included former World Champions Kane, Jazz Hands Gee and Chris Jericho, current championship holders Mistico and Matt Sydal and other great IWF superstars from across the roster.

The winner however was one half of the current European Tag Team Champions Shelton Benjamin, who ousted current United Kingdom Champion Mistico out to grab his opportunity.

Later in the night, CM Punk had a non-title match with Rhino, which he won by disqualification after Benjamin interfered. In amongst the melee, Ricky Steamboat has confirmed that this Friday night on Impact, just two days before Shoot Out, Punk and a partner of his choice will take on Rhino & Benjamin in a special tag team challenge.

Umaga Suspended

The International Wrestling Federation today announced that Umaga has been suspended under the Wellness & Welfare programme.

As a result, Umaga will not be appearing at Shoot Out as advertised.

News on CM Punk's opponent at Shoot Out will be revealed on this week's Wednesday Night Warfare.

Prime Time

Prime Time - The Time Is Now
Sunday 3rd February 2008
Douglas Hall, Isle Of Man

FINAL FOUR TAG TEAM CHALLENGE:
Elijah Burke & Jay Reso Vs Phil Jackson & Randy Orton

Umaga Vs Colt Cabana

EUROPEAN TAG TEAM TITLES:
Rhino & Shelton Benjamin Vs Harry Smith & Teddy Hart

Jeff Hardy Vs Mohammed Fakjir

WORLD WOMENS TITLE:
Alexis Laree Vs Rebecca Knox

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1) Rhino & Benjamin Vs Smith & Hart ( * * ) - Smith & Hart came out of nowhere to grab this title shot, which said a lot about their chances of grabbing the gold in this one. This was a relatively tidy match but one without any real drama. No, not even the sense of tension between Hart & Smith meant much to the fans. The Champions retained and that was about that.
2) Hardy Vs Fakjir ( * * * 1/4 ) - Some people were surprised that the Hardy's came back to the IWF, both from the point of view of some of the crap they've had to put up with over the years and the fact that surely the IWF couldn't have any real plans for them. But they do, and its clear to see why with the superb performance that Jeff put on here. It really was a sight to behold to see him carry Fakjir to a great match. He even got the win after Matt Hardy negated the interfernce of Justice Porter.
3) Laree Vs Knox ( * * * ) - Well it is one of only three women's matches the IWF wants to show us these days, but the two have a certain chemistry. This was a title change night as Knox won the match following the interference of Melina.
4) Umaga Vs Colt Cabana ( * * 1/4 ) - Cabana resurfaces on a show people watch SHOCKER! Ok, so we're over-egging that slightly but Cabana got this match because Umaga wanted to beat up one of CM Punk's "friends" (which may be true in real life but in IWF world, Punk stole Cabana's girlfriend). Umaga brutalised poor Colt, before Punk ran in (albeit after Umaga had won) and made the save. Cabana, the poor soul, was "out cold" though.
5) Burke & Reso Vs Orton & Jackson ( * * * * ) - Well the main event certainly ended the show on a particularly high note which also bodes well for the fact that these four men will be clashing at Shoot Out for the right to challenge for the Unified Triple Crown at MuscleMania! On this occasion it was Randy Orton who got the pinfall, pinning Jay Reso, so it is he who has the momentum heading for Shoot Out.