MUSCLEMANIA XVI
Sunday 29th April 2007
MEN ARENA - MANCHESTER
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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
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
