First up was the Cruiserweight International Challenge. The results of the IWF.com vote were as follows;
Rick Shaw Vs The Great Sasuke ( * * * ) - This was an entertaining way to kick off the show and although Sasuke in reality got less than half the total vote, he did seem a favoured choice from the fans in the arena. The action certainly was good, although it was drastically clear that Sasuke has lost a little of his edge since his heyday. Still there was enough hot moves on display to mean that this was a well received show opener, including a Sasuke Special (cartwheel plancha) for which the crowd popped huge! In the end though it was Shaw who went over, finishing off his opponent with the Shaw Thing for the 1-2-3. Shaw and Sasuke shook hands afterwards and all was well with the world....well at least until Eric Young ran to the ring, obviously upset that he hadn't got the vote, and obliterated both of them. Which can only presumably mean that he's sticking around. A great little opener all round.The Great Sasuke 45%
Eric Young 29.65%
Super Crazy 25.35%
After this match we were then treated to the six divas in the PIck Your Fantasy Tag Team Match walking onto the rampway for no other reason but to find out what the IWF fans had chosen for their outfits! The results of the IWF.com poll were as follows;
So Sexy Secretary's it was and the girls went off backstage in order to get changed. We were then informed that next up was Charles Haas Vs Lance Storm in their special grudge match and Eric informed us that the IWF fans had voted as follows;Sexy Secretary 42.55%
Nurses 29.65%
Schoolgirls 27.8%
Lance Storm Vs Charles Haas (Submission Match, * * * 1/2 ) So a submission match it was (funny that UK fans weren't all that bothered about a Canada Vs US Flag match huh?) which seemed to suit both men. Indeed whilst the two made little bones about their new-found hatred for each other, this was a straight down the middle technical delight....which naturally didn't go down all that well with the crowd. Which kind of made for a strange atmosphere. The match itself was very good, and indeed did eventually drag the crowd into it towards the end, but for the most part few people actually cared. Which was a damn shame (and also rather worrying for the two men concerned) as both men put forward supreme performances. In the end Storm took the dukes with his Canadian Maple Leaf finisher, but where either men goes from here is open to question.Submission Match 69.35%
Ladder Match 27.85%
Flag Match 2.8%
Then we saw who would get to go on a date with the dapper looking Big Gee; the votes were as follows;
Torrie Wilson 39.95%
Stacy Keibler 30.75%
Jackie Gayda 29.3%
So much to her delight it was Torrie, and we were told we would see footage from the date on Warfare.
After that it was time to get to the Pick Your Fantasy Match...
Melina, Alexis & Lisa Marie Vs Annalise, Christy & Carina ( * 1/4 ) - Seriously, come on. Tight skirts and high heels were never going to be conducive to a great match were they? The women tried their best (with both Christy and Carina showing commendable fire for their in-ring PPV debuts) but really they were hampered right from the start. Still, in the end, Annalise got the pinfall for her team which, we were informed out of nowhere of, entitles her to a shot at Alexis Laree's Women's Title on Warfare...presumably without the dress-up!
And so it came time to see who was going to be the man chosen to face World Champion Randy Orton for the World Title in the main event of the show. All three men were stood backstage awaiting the verdict from the fans...the verdict which came out as follows;
Chris Kanyon immediately stormed off with a face like thunder but Kurt had the graciousness to offer Dean Roberts the best of luck. Dean was then interviewed by tonight's backstage interviewer of choice Sam "Beauty & The Geek" Wyness. He thanked the fans for giving him this opportunity and said he would do everything within his power not to let them down.Dean Roberts 49.15%
Kurt Angle 30.95%
Chris Kanyon 19.9%
America's Most Wanted Vs Chris Kanyon & Kurt Angle ( * * * 1/4 ) - Of course with Dean in the main event it meant that Angle & Kanyon got the consoloation prize of a shot at the World Tag Team Champions America's Most Wanted. Kanyon didn't seem at all interested in the prospect of this match but he and Angle had some words in the middle of the ring whilst waiting for AMW to appear and they shook hands which seemed to indicate that the two would give it their best. And give it their best they did. Whilst never really reaching the heights that this may have done under better circumstances (insiders state that the wrestlers only found out about this match the moment that the fans did) this still showed that these four men are great workers. As you would expect, the superior experience of being a team held AMW in good stead and they started off the match with a bang. The challengers rallied though and soon began to control things themselves. The interesting storyline of the match seemed to be Kanyon's internal fight over whether he was going to desert Angle, but in the end he "did the right thing" and actually led his team to victory as after Angle had taken care of Chris Harris with the Angle Lock, Kanyon hit the Kanyon Kutter on James Storm to wrap up the 1-2-3 and win Kanyon & Angle the world tag team championships! A great match, but the result was a bit of a shocker. It remains to be seen where all four men go from here.
So next up was the battle of the Monsters as Kane and Abyss squared off against each other. The IWF.com vote was as follows;
Abyss Vs Kane (Tables Match, * * * 1/2) - Was this the greatest techincal match you will ever see...? Of course not, but is was a very strong and brutal anything goes Table match. Both men set up some insane looking stunts and the idea behind the match was that the winner was the first man to put his opponent through a table...which gave the loophole that if you put yourself through a table (ie, your opponent moved before you connected) then the match continued. And yes, we got that scenario a couple of times, once when Kane's leg drop hit nothing but bare table and another time when Abyss' big elbow hit nothing but wood. In the end though it was Abyss who prevailed as he hit the Black Hole Slam on Kane through a table to wrap up a hard fought, and often thrilling, battle.Tables Match 46.55%
Inferno Match 43.35%
Chain Match 10.1%
So next up it was time to see which THREE opponents would be facing Shelton Benjamin in the Four Corners match for the United Kingdom Title. Eric Bischoff informed the fans that the IWF.com vote had gone as follows;
Shelton Benjamin Vs CM Punk Vs Chris Jericho Vs Booker T (* * * 1/4) - Well whilst it wasn't a shock really to see Jericho and Booker getting spots (no matter how little the IWF does with those two they always make an entertaning part of the show with it), it was perhaps a huge surprise that CM Punk not only made the top 3, but got the most votes out of the lot of them. Considering that once again this four man match was as much of a surprise to the wrestlers as to anyone else this was another quality match-up. Jericho & Booker were a hoot and Benjamin and Punk showed a chemsitry as well. And for all of those who questioned whether or not the whole "interactive" idea would mean anything, well you got your answer in this one as CM Punk actually took the pinfall win over Benjamin which made him the new United Kingdom Champion!CM Punk 19.25%
Chris Jericho 18.85%
Booker T 14.5%
Chris Benoit 9.85%
Johnny Nitro 8%
Mark Jindrak 6.85%
Sean O'Haire 6.25%
Rob Van Dam 5%
Rhino 4.5%
Joey Mercury 3.25%
Colt Cabana 2.55%
Edge 1.15%
So Elimination Chamber time, which was hastily lowered into position as we saw more clips of how the Gee's date was getting on...But before all that, Eric Bischoff annoucned the results of the Elimination Chamber poll. And remember, only the winner and the losers of this poll would get a fixed draw (as 6th and 1st in accordingly - which is an idea that isn't as illogical as you may have first thought if you think about it)...the rest would be injected into the match at random. Anyway, the IWF.com poll vote was as follows;
Elimination Chamber Match (* * * *) - So we knew that Matt Morgan was first into the Elimination Chamber, but who was the unlucky person to be drawn second...? None other than the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels. So here is the way that the match went...Jay Reso 27.65%
Shawn Michaels 25.95%
Triple H 19.85%
Phil Jackson 10.05%
Paul Wardle 8.5%
Matt Morgan 8.0%
Entrant 1; Matt Morgan
Entrant 2; Shawn Michaels
Entrant 3; Paul Wardle
Entrant 4; Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson eliminated (pinned by Paul Wardle)
Entrant 5; Triple H
Entrant 6; Jay Reso
Matt Morgan eliminated (pinned by Shawn Michaels)
Shawn Michaels eliminated (pinned by Triple H)
Triple H eliminated (pinned by Jay Reso)
Paul Wardle eliminated (pinned by Jay Reso)
WINNER OF THE MATCH: JAY RESO
The match itself was very good indeed and played out to some intense reactions from the crowd. As far as they were concerned the right man won too and Reso got a rousing reception from the crowd. The one "downside" of the match was the quick burial of Phil Jackson, who may be paying for one to many indiscresions. Still, Jackson aside, all the men involved looked good and should all benefit in one way or the other.
After all that what could possibly be next...? Well it would be none other than the debut of the beast Barabus Lashley. The hype for his arrival has been pretty good, even if the choice of opponents wasn't exactly awe-inspiring. Still, the IWF.com voters made this of it...
Barabus Lashley Vs Brian Kendrick (Sq...but a great one) - Did the IWF fans vote for Kendrick because they were solidly behind his chances of pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the year, or did they pick him because of the liklihood of Barabus killing him? Who knows... But at least Kendrick did his best to put Lashley over as a killing machine. Lashley absolutey smashed the poor lad before finishing him off with "The Dominator". Whatever your thoughts on the reasonings, there is no doubt that this was one impressive debut.Brian Kendrick 78.25%
Ray Gordy 13.85%
Matt Hardy 7.9%
Randy Orton Vs Dean Roberts ( * * * 3/4 ) So, finally we got to the main event of the evening, and the atmosphere was quite something. Say what you want about the International Wrestling Federation "leading" the fans to this match but this really was storytelling at its finest. The young, ruthless and fighting champion against the ageing lion who was possibly on his last title chance. Orton was superb and Dean played his role to perfection...and the shocking ending was off the scale! Dean looked in control but as he went for the Scolarship, Orton tried to counter it but in the melee the referee went down. Roberts hit The Scholarship but there was no-one to count the pin. As Orton slowly staggered to his feet, Dean decided to hit the move again but no sooner had he done so than a hooded figure hopped over the guard rail and absolutely smashed into Dean, really knocking seven bells out of him and opening up a huge gash on Dean's face with a series of brutal Steel Chair shots. Then, in a moment that will be with this viewer forever more, the man slowly removed the hood to reveal....MATTHEW MERCY!!!!! The crowd went ape as Mercy made his way back through the crowd and Orton slowly got to his feet, just as the referee was stirring and got the pinfall victory.
Thoughts on how the show would go were mixed prior to the event, but on the whole this proved to be an entertaning and unique event with a lot of great stuff going on. Still whatever else happened it's the closing moments that will go into folklore. Matthew Mercy's return was as brutal as it was unexpected and ended a great show on a high note. Who knows where it will go from here.
