CORPORAL PUNISHMENT RESULTS

America’s Most Wanted Vs Alias Storm & Haas Vs Second City Saints ( * * * ) – This was a fast paced and exciting opener, which could have been even better if the bookers had given it a bit longer to breathe AND hadn’t saddled it with an ending that left the fans cheesed off. Yes, Alias Storm & Haas won, and won the tag team titles back just ONE month after relinquishing them to AMW…but they did it when Charles Haas pinned the Second City Saints’ Colt Cabana. Deflated isn’t the word…

Chris Kanyon Vs Abyss ( * * * * ) So it was finally to be the end of this wonderful feud, and in the end I suppose it was of little surprise that Kanyon was to be the one with his hand raised in ultimate victory. Still, this was a fantastic match and performance from both men, and the whole thing has been nothing but good from start to finish,

Melina Vs Lisa Marie Veron ( * ¾ ) – Short, not entirely sweet, and Melina retained. That’s about all you need to know.

Matt Morgan Vs The Big Gee ( * * ½ ) – Ok so it was plodding in places, but the fans seemed to enjoy it and both men put forward supreme efforts and had a credible big man match. And one which Morgan won with the Moragsam. Title retained, but who would be getting the opportunity to face him, or whomever the champion might be by then at MuscleMania?


ROBO Rumble Match ( * * * * ) - So the 2006 Rumble kicked off with…SHELTON BENJAMIN making his way to the ring. Shelts hasn’t done all that much recently in the IWF but he’s a guy who is more over than he really has any right to be, and the crowd were interested to see him up first. They were even more interested however when they saw that joining him as the second entrant was none other than CHRIS JERICHO. Jericho ran into the ring, the bell rang and we kicked off the match proper. The two went at it with a great intensity and within 90 seconds, Benjamin had wormed his way out of a Walls Of Jericho attempt and Jericho only just survived a crunching T-Bone suplex.

Entrant three was PAUL WARDLE who looked his usual cocky self. He was content to let Jericho and Benjamin carry on fighting each other but the two soon realised what was happening and they both went after Wardle. They even managed to throw him over the top rope…but he managed to sneak back in under the bottom rope as Benjamin and Jericho continued to batter each other. Wardle realised what was going on and he played possum in the corner as the other two continued to knock seven bells out of each other. That cocky smile even returned to his face, but that disappeared when the countdown ran out and the 4th entrant was revealed as…PHIL JACKSON!!!
The crowd went wild as Jackson stormed the ring and took the fight straight to Wardle as Jericho and Benjamin continued their battle. The two separate battles continued until the 5th entrant, CHRIS BENOIT, made his way to the ting and immediately made his intentions clear by battering anything that moved. In fact the whole match became a five-man free for all, the highlight of which was Benjamin hitting an insane springboard drop-kick on Benoit. As the five battled on, the countdown began for the next entrant…

And the crowd went wild as TRIPLE H made his way in, pausing to spew out his water as usual. And immediately he made an impact by first of all tossing Chris Jericho out and then Shelton Benjamin. Funnily enough, the crowd loved it. He almost did the same to Chris Benoit, but the Rabid Wolverine managed to stave off the onslaught as JOHN CENA, yes he’s still alive, made a “welcome” return to PPV. The fans weren’t exactly ecstatic, and even less so when he made an immediate bee-line for Benoit.

This left Triple H observing the on-going battle between Jackson and Wardle, although he wasn’t observing it for long as he soon decided to try and teach the youngsters a lesson. This continued as MATT HARDY made his way into the ring, who wisely tangled with Cena and Benoit. However, at this point both Jackson and Wardle started to fight back and take the battle to HHH, much to the crowd’s delight.

ACID became the 9th man to enter the Rumble, but he was almost immediately turfed out by John Cena, who was in turn turfed out by Chris Benoit, much to the fan’s delight. BOOKER T was next up and after siding up to Benoit and telling him they should work together, as soon as Benoit’s back was turned he attacked him and gave the crowd a devilish grin as they booed.

By now Triple H was down on the floor, content to take a breather as Wardle and Jackson continued their punishing rivalry. PAUL LONDON made his way down to the ring, to little attention, and two minutes later he was joined by RAY GORDY, the reaction to whom made London’s look like Hulk Hogan had just shown up. It has to be said though that Gordy and London had some pretty swift exchanges, alongside Matt Hardy, and given that Wardle/Jackson and Booker/Benoit were still at war, Triple H really was taking a rest, pretending to be too hurt to fight.

That all looked like it might change when EDGE became the 13th entrant, but instead of targeting Tripper, he immediately went straight for Paul London and tossed him out before also eliminating Ray Gordy. Edge then saw that Booker T and Benoit were perilously close to the ropes and he sneaked up and eliminated both of them.

With Jackson & Wardle still fighting their almighty battle, Edge turned his attention to Matt Hardy. But Triple H saw this as his opportunity, first eliminating Wardle & Jackson as they brawled, and then hitting the same trick with Edge & Hardy! Triple H had a beaming smile as he surveyed the empty ring.
He was smiling even more when GREGORY HELMS became the 14th man to enter. Give Helms credit, he took the fight to HHH, but he was quickly dispatched giving Tripper more time to recuperate. He didn’t look all that worried when BATISTA was unveiled as the next entrant. He looked an awful lot more worried when Batista used his power to knock him over however, but Batista’s moment of glory was short-lived. A low-blow from HHH got Batista off-balance and one clothesline later Trips was once again surveying an empty ring.

But the next entrant wasn’t to HHH’s liking at all, and the reaction from the crowd as DEAN ROBERTS made his way out was electric. The two circled each other as the crowd went off the scale and the two only just locked up for the first time as the countdown for the next entrant began…but when that proved to be SHAWN MICHAELS the crowd became un-glued. The three went at it hammer and tongues, with none of the men seemingly gaining any great advantage. When CARLITO became the 18th entrant he was content to take nearly all of his two minutes to get to the ring and he’d only just stepped in the ring when BURCHILL made his way out, to a polite reception. The three way continued as Burchill and Carlito went at it. And as JOEY MERCURY took us to the half way point for entrants, he joined Burchill and Carlito in having as little as possible to do with the three main event superstars.

KANE became the next man in and he immediately went into the thick of things, breaking up the HHH/HBK/Dean trio and all hell broke loose. In the melee, Dean got rid of Burchill. RICK SHAW was next in and we immediately saw a bit of Champion Vs Champion action between him and Carlito. SEAN O HAIRE then added to the bulk in the ring, becoming the 23rd entrant. The ring was a sea of bodies, but no one was eliminated before RANDY ORTON made his entrance.

Orton made an immediate impact by eliminating old rival O’Haire and as just as the countdown began for the next entrant, Carlito won his mini-battle by tossing Cruiserweight Champion Rick Shaw over the top rope. JOHNNY NITRO was unveiled as the next man in and he immediately went to help his MNM partner Joey Mercury in tangling with Dean Roberts. That was broken up by Kane, and Dean then found himself helping Randy Orton to double team HBK. But no sooner had the two put HBK on the floor, Orton took advantage of a momentary lapse by Dean to toss him over the top rope.

JAMES GIBSON was next to enter the Rumble but as he did so, MNM pulled off a huge shocker by managing to eliminate The Big Red Machine Kane. Gibson didn’t last long either, being sent packing by a bit of HBK’s Sweet Chin Music! BRYAN DANIELSON became the number 27th entrant and the ring filled up again with Danielson joining Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Carlito and MNM in the ring. But then we got another HUGE name entering at number 28…former World Champion Kurt Angle, who got an absolutely booming reception. As soon as he got in the ring Carlito and MNM made a beeline for him and started a three-on-one. They nearly got him out but Angle managed to hold on. ROB VAN DAM then made his way into the ring to join the melee and once again no-one was eliminated by the time entrant number 30, JAY RESO, made his way in.

However things changed quickly as Angle finally managed to overpower Carlito and MNM, with a little help from Shawn Michaels, and Angle eliminated Johnny Nitro, followed shortly by HBK eliminated Joey Mercury. MONTY BROWN was next to come in, getting a small reaction from the crowd and the body count continued to mount as SIMON STARSHOT became entrant 32. He immediately tossed aside Bryan Danielson before joining Reso and RVD in a three-way fist fight. HHH, proving he was still very much in this match despite having been in the ring for over 50 minutes by this point, then eliminated Monty Brown. JOHN BRADSHAW LAYFIELD then became the next entrant, but he picked a fight with the wrong man as Shawn Michaels quickly tossed him back from whence he came.

BRIAN KENDRICK became entrant 34 just as a thrilling exchange between Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle was reaching a climax…and it was HBK who was sent over the top rope by the Olympic Gold medallist. CHAVO GUERRERO joined the fray and the next two minutes saw no-one eliminated as ASHTEN DRAKE made his way in. This meant that with only four entrants to come we had HHH, Orton, Angle, RVD, Reso, Starshot, Kendrick, Guerrero and Drake still in with a chance of winning the Rumble.

Business picked up once more though as entrant 37 made his way to the ring…yes XAVIER was in the house and he got a booming reaction from the crowd as well. Chavo Guerrero went flying out courtesy of Randy Orton and he was soon followed by Ashten Drake, courtesy of Kurt Angle. CHUCK PALUMBO was next in before RHYNO became the 39th and penultimate entrant. Palumbo was sent packing by Randy Orton and Carlito’s valiant effort (he’d been in the match for 40 minutes himself by this point) was finally ended by Triple H.
This left HHH, Orton, Angle, RVD, Reso, Starshot, Kendrick, Xavier and Rhyno in the match, with only one man left to enter….and the atmosphere went mental when number 40 turned out to be the returning BROCK LESNAR!!! He stormed the ring and immediately tossed Rob Van Dam over the top rope. And Rhyno fared no better when he attempted to attack Lesnar and he too was quickly dispatched. Lesnar then turned his attention to the brawling Triple H and Kurt Angle, but this was one act of bravado too far as HHH and Kurt teamed up to double-clothesline Lesnar out of the match.

However this took the last ounce of Triple H’s stamina (he’d passed the hour mark by now) and he was left easy prey for the elimination by Xavier. Brian Kendrick was next to go, courtesy of Randy Orton, and he was quickly followed by the gallant Simon Starshot, who was tossed out by Jay Reso. Xavier then went courtesy of Kurt Angle, leaving Randy Orton, Kurt Angle and Jay Reso as the final three men in.
The crowd were intrigued by the final three and they really were at fever pitch. The three really took it to the limit in the final stretch and when Reso was eliminated by Angle it was all down to Orton and Angle for the right to headline MuscleMania. The crowd were at fever pitch and they thought that Angle had won it when he tossed Orton over the top rope…in fact Angle himself thought he’d won it, but Orton managed to avoid touching the floor, sneaked back into the ring and eliminated Angle from behind to win the 2006 Robo Rumble.

ORDER OF ENTRANTS

1) Shelton Benjamin
2) Chris Jericho
3) Paul “The Phenomenon” Wardle
4) “The Graduate” Phil Jackson
5) Chris Benoit
6) Triple H
7) Ray Gordy
8) Matt Hardy
9) Acid
10) Booker T
11) Paul London
12) Ray Gordy
13) Edge
14) Gregory Helms
15) Batista
16) Dean Roberts
17) Shawn Michaels
18) Carlito
19) Paul Burchill
20) Joey Mercury
21) Kane
22) Rick Shaw
23) Sean O’ Haire
24) Randy Orton
25) Johnny Nitro
26) James Gibson
27) Bryan Danielson
28) Kurt Angle
29) Rob Van Dam
30) Jay Reso
31) Monty Brown
32) Simon Starshot
33) Mathuras
34) Brian Kendrick
35) Ashten Drake
36) Bill De Mott
37) Xavier
38) Chuck Palumbo
39) Rhyno
40) Brock Lesnar

ORDER OF ELIMINATION

1) Chris Jericho (Triple H)
2) Shelton Benjamin (Triple H)
3) Acid (John Cena)
4) John Cena (Chris Benoit)
5) Paul London (Edge)
6) Ray Gordy (Edge)
7 & 8) Booker T & Chris Benoit (Edge)
9 &10) Paul Wardle & Phil Jackson (Triple H)
11 & 12) Edge & Matt Hardy (Triple H)
13) Gregory Helms (Triple H)
14) Batista (Triple H)
15) Paul Burchill (Dean Roberts)
16) Sean O Haire (Randy Orton)
17) Rick Shaw (Carlito)
18) Dean Roberts (Randy Orton)
19) Kane (MNM)
20) James Gibson (Shawn Michaels)
21) Johnny Nitro (Kurt Angle)
22) Joey Mercury (Shawn Michaels)
23) Bryan Danielson (Simon Starshot)
24) Monty Brown (Triple H)
25) JBL (Shawn Michaels)
26) Shawn Michaels (Kurt Angle)
27) Chavo Guerrero ( Randy Orton)
28) Ashten Drake (Kurt Angle)
29) Chuck Palumbo (Randy Orton)
30) Carlito (Triple H)
31) Rob Van Dam (Brock Lesnar)
32) Rhyno (Brock Lesnar)
33) Brock Lesnar (Triple H & Kurt Angle)
34) Triple H (Xavier)
35) Brian Kendrick (Randy Orton)
36) Simon Starshot (Jay Reso)
37) Xavier (Kurt Angle)
38) Jay Reso (Kurt Angle)
39) Kurt Angle (Randy Orton)
WINNER = RANDY ORTON!

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT CARD

Card to follow.

Breaking Point Review

Alias Storm & Haas Vs America’s Most Wanted ( * * * ½ )
America’s Most Wanted snubbed the big-money offer from MMK’s new Total Wrestling Action Today promotion, to sign their deal with the IWF, and this is what it got them. This was a superb opener and proved that the IWF’s decision to push AMW to the top of the tag division right from the bat was warranted and the crowd went wild when Harris & Storm won the belts when Harris pinned Lance Storm. Job done.

Monty Brown Vs Chris Jericho ( * ¾ )
The crowd heat disappeared for this one. Brown is quite simply not in Jericho’s league and the fans knew it. Jericho took the win failry comfortably with the Walls Of Jericho. Until Brown gets a personality, he’ll remain at the bottom of the IWF ladder.

The Big Gee Vs “The Graduate” Phil Jackson ( * * )
This was a fairly entertaining David Vs Goliath match, but simply wasn’t given enough time to breathe. The fans dug it, but with a few extra minutes to play with this could have been special. As it was, Gee finished Jackson off with the Geesus Christ (yes, they are calling it that again).

Matt Hardy Vs Randy Orton ( * * ¾ )
Oh Hardy, where did it all go wrong? Ok, so he’s still got a high profile, but recently he’s been racking up more losses than wins and as you might have suspected it was another one in the loss column for Hardy here. Orton needed a win after a couple of high-profile losses, and he finished off Hardy with the RKO. 2006 could be a vital year for both men indeed.

Chris Kanyon & Dean Roberts Vs Abyss & Triple H ( * * * ¼)
Ok so basically this tag team match was set up to prolong the Kanyon/Abyss feud AND to tease a one-on-one meeting between Dean and HHH (which will come at some point during 2006 for sure). And on both counts this enteraining tag match fitted the bill. The crowd came unglued when Dean and Tripper first locked horns, which bodes well for that match (a rematch which has been a long-time coming), and the crowd were still hot for the Kanyon/Abyss rivalry too, which escalated a bit more when interference from Father James Mitchell enabled Abyss to get the pin over Kanyon with the Black Hole Slam

Jay Reso Vs “The Phenomenon” Paul Wardle ( * * * )
This is a feud which has quietly caught fire over the past few weeks and it was a very entertaining blow off to the mini-feud. It will come as little surprise to learn that Reso took the win, but Wardle held his own and was allowed to look competitive before falling to the Unprettier. Nice little match.

Xavier Vs Kurt Angle ( * * * * ¾ )
Wow. That’s all you really need to say about this one, as it was just a superb slice of 21st Century pro-grappling. The crowd were on the edge of their seats throughout this titanic battle and this was one of those that really could have gone either way. In the end it was Angle who won (after a third Angle Slam) but this was a match where no-one lost. Both were superb and it was a very late entry into the running for the best match of 2005. Simply outstanding.

Melina Vs Annalise Roberts Vs Christy Hemme Vs Nikita ( * * )
They couldn’t follow the previous match of course, but they tried their best. Mind you, they weren’t helped by the “first pinfall wins” rules, but there was a hot closing sequence which ended when Melina finished off Christy for the 1-2-3 and the retention of her Women’s Title.

Matt Morgan Vs Shawn Michaels ( * * * * )
Main event time, and if it couldn’t quite grab match of the night honours from Angle/Xav it came close and ended the night on a high note. HBK was superb here as he did everything within his power to put Morgan across in a positive light and Morgan continued to show his growing suitabilty for the top spot. HBK was valliant but in the end he couldn’t quite put Morgan away, although it did take a chair shot from Morgan’s “agent” Paul Heyman for Morgan to be able to hit the Morgasm for the 1-2-3. A very good main event indeed.

A good end to 2005, although some critics have bemoaned the fact that for the most part it was the old superstars who got the big wins. But this night may well be one to remember for the likes of Randy Orton, America’s Most Wanted, Abyss and Matt Morgan who all got victories which gave their careers a good boost. But really when all is said and done, Breaking Point will be remembered for the scincillating Angle/Xavier match which, quite frankly, worth the ppv money alone.

Breaking Point 2005 CARD

Breaking Point 2005
Saturday 24th December

UNIFIED WORLD TITLE:
Matt Morgan Vs Shawn Michaels

Chris Kanyon & Dean Roberts Vs Abyss & Triple H

Xavier Vs Kurt Angle

Matt Hardy Vs Randy Orton

WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES:
Alias Storm & Haas Vs America’s Most Wanted

WORLD WOMEN’S TITLE:
Melina Vs Annalise Roberts Vs Christy Hemme Vs Nikita

EUROPEAN TITLE:
Jay Reso Vs “The Phenomenon” Paul Wardle

The Big Gee Vs “The Graduate” Phil Jackson

Monty Brown Vs Chris Jericho

Nightmare Report…

Alias Storm & Haas Vs JBL & Edge ( * * )
Oh, Edge & JBL were such a dynamic team when the Man Of Steel invitational threw them together that they’ve rode a wave of positive excitement towards their big chance at the World Tag Team Titles. Ok, so they haven’t. They’ve actually been as dull as you might expect in the ring (no matter how entertaining JBL can be as a character), and as such, they were only ever here to take the fall for the champions, which came when Haas pinned Edge.
Sean O’Haire Vs Batista ( * )
Man you’ve been on the edge of your seat during the bitter and episodic break up between this former World Tag Team championship team haven’t you?…what’s that?…you haven’t? Ah well. This was as plodding as you might expect; both men are more than capable of having good matches with good wrestlers, but neither can have good matches with bad wrestlers, and so this was power-based “wrestling” all the way, with little in the way of interest until O’Haire unveiled his ever impressive Seanton Bomb to get the 1-2-3.
Carlito Vs Paul Birchill ( * * ¾ )
As this was held in Puerto Rico, Carlito was one of the most over wrestlers on the card. Thankfully the IWF booking squad went with the flow and reversed roles for these two, enabling Birchill to play quite the intense heel. (Mark our words, he’ll turn heel for real before too long). But Carlito used some of his cheating tactics to get the win, much to the delight of his home crowd.
MNM, Wardle & Gibson Vs Saints, Jackson & Reso ( * * ½ )
A bit of a mess, as 8 man tags are wont to be, but this was decent enough and threw in enough hot moves to get the crowd interested. Wardle again looked like he was on a mission to steal the show, but it wasn’t enough to get his team the win, as it was Reso who finished Joey Mercury off with the Unprettier for the 1-2-3.
Shawn Michaels Vs The Big Gee ( * * * ½ )
What a pleasant surprise this was. Michaels kept up his sterling form as of late and Gee looked more focussed and interested than he has in a while. The result was a classic old school “David Vs Goliath” battle that really worked well. In the end, Michaels wrapped it up with a small package in what was a very competitive and entertaining affair.
Randy Orton Vs Xavier ( * * * ¼ )
Well it certainly looks like after his stellar 2005, Orton is being tested as the year draws towards a close. Hot on the heels of his loss to Triple H at Neon Blue, he went down here in an entertaining battle with Xavier, which Xav wrapped up with the Xav-attack. Still, Orton’s time will come, and this result should hopefully help to put Xav back on track too.
Matt Hardy Vs Triple H ( * * * )
A decent enough battle, albeit one that really didn’t do Matt Hardy’s quest to be a genuine top-liner any good. He just didn’t show the fire one would have expected him to do, and it came as little surprise in the end to see HHH go over via the Pedigree. Still, Hardy will get more chances, and a loss to HHH is nothing to be ashamed of.
Matt Morgan Vs Chris Kanyon ( * * * ¼ )
Can Morgan cut it as a champion? Well on this showing the suggestion is that he could. Whilst Kanyon carried the match (much like Angle did at Neon Blue), Morgan again more than held his own, and his psychotic heel personae is very effective indeed. Kanyon controlled the early going but Morgan gradually wore his opponent down. A flurry though by Kanyon looked like it might swing things his way, but the untimely re-appearance of Abyss tore the match away from Kanyon, as his return to IWF TV was enough to distract Kanyon for long enough for Morgan to hit the Morgasm for the 1-2-3, and his first PPV title defence was wrapped up successfully.

An average under-card was propped up by an entertaining final quartet of matches which, if not outstanding, where more than enough to keep the viewer entertained. As the stop-over between Neon Blue and Breaking Point, it did its job adequately enough.

NIGHTMARE 2005 - CARD

Nightmare 2005
Sunday 20th November 2005

Unified Triple Crown:
Matt Morgan Vs Chris Kanyon

Randy Orton Vs Xavier

Matt Hardy Vs Triple H

Shawn Michaels Vs The Big Gee

World Tag Team Titles;
Alias Storm & Haas Vs JBL & Edge

Sean O’Haire Vs Batista

United Kingdom Title;
Carlito Vs Paul Birchill

MNM, Paul Wardle & James Gibson
Vs
Second City Saints, Phil Jackson & Jay Reso

NEON BLUE REVIEW

Second City Saints Vs MNM ( * * * )
What a refreshing way to kick off Neon Blue. This was 7 minutes of heaven (and as good a 7 minute tag match as you are likely to see) and all four men (and Annalise and Melina at ringside) put their best feet forward to contibute. In the end though, it was bound to come down to some female extra-curricular activities in terms of settling the match, and despite Annalise’s best efforts to stop Melina, Melina managed to throw a steel chair into the ring, which enabled Joey Mercury to waffle Colt Cabana and Johnny Nitro got the 1-2-3 which gained his team the European Tag Titles.

James Gibson Vs Rick Shaw ( * * * ¼ )
A slight disappointment, although like the opener this was kept a relatively brief affair. Shaw lost his title at Man Of Steel without being pinned and this was his big chance to regain the title, but in the end Gibson prevailed in a hot closing sequence to get the pinfall and retain his title.

6 Man Ladder Match ( * * * * ¼ )
Car-wreck wrestling this may have been, but there is no doubt that the stunts on display here were breath-taking in the extreme. All six men put their body on the line in this one, but particularily impressive where Paul Wardle (who flung himself about like he was determined to steal the show in this one) and Phil Jackson, who stepped upto the plate with an awesome display. In the end though, it was Jay Reso who managed to sneak up the ladder and claim the gold, much to the delight of the audience and grab the European title for the second time.

Dean Roberts Vs Shawn Michaels (Iron Man, * * * * )
Both men looked very serious at the onset of this one, and both delivered cracking psychologically heavy performances in this cracker of a match.
ORDER OF DECISIONS:
1) Shawn Micheals pins Dean Roberts following a Top-Rope cross-body (14:32, HBK 1 – 0 Dean)
2) Dean pins Shawn following A Scholarship (22:10, HBK 1 – 1 Dean)
3) Dean pins Shawn who is still KO’ed from the Scholarship (23:10, HBK 1 – 2 Dean)
4) Shawn pins Dean following a roll-up (28:14, HBK 2 – 2 Dean)
OVER-TIME
5) Shawn pins Dean after Sweet Chin Music (35:11, HBK 3 – 2 Dean)
Both men got a standing ovation after the effort and shook hands to an even louder reaction. This was seriously good story-telling from both men

Chris Kanyon Vs Abyss (Road To Hell, * * * *)
More car-wreck wrestling, but again, what a spectacle. These two men fought all over the arena in what was basically a Falls Count Anywhere Anything Goes Match but eventually they got back in the ring and Kanyon managed to pin Abyss after a THIRD Kanyon-Kutter, which suggests that whilst Kanyon may have won this battle, the war might yet be far from over.

Triple H Vs Randy Orton ( * * * ½ )
Ok, so this was two heels fighting each other, but the IWF had done a good job of buildilng a storyline out of it and as such this was a well-received match. It was also the night that Orton’s “luck” ran out as he was finished off after a brutal battle by a HHH Pedigree. That said, Tripper did his part to keep Orton strong so this was a good match for all concerned.

Kurt Angle Vs Matt Morgan ( * * * ¾ )
So it was main event time, and this has had some wicked build up ever since the closing moments of Man Of Steel, This was a blood bath and initial fears that Morgan wasn’t a main-event wrestler were calmed by the fact that this was a corking match. Sure, Angle carried him, but Morgan played his part well and the lashings of claret added to the atmosphere. In the end Angle was spouting what looked like a ton of blood and was struggling to even see, which left him prey to the Morgasm, and much to the shock of the crowd, Morgan got the pinfall victory to earn himself his first ever Unified Triple Crown. As Morgan celebrated his way back to the locker-room area, a bloodied and battered Angle got up to a HUGE reaction from the crowd but Morgan just ran in once again and smashed him with another Morgasm. He mockingly stood over Angle’s bloody carcass as the show went off the air..

Wow, what else is there to say? This was one of the finest nights of IWF action ever, and had a truly stunning climax. Believe it folks, the IWF is back to its best.

Neon Blue 2005 Card

Neon Blue
Sunday 23rd October

UNIFIED TRIPLE CROWN:
Kurt Angle Vs Matt Morgan

30 MINUTE IRON MAN MATCH;
Dean Roberts Vs Shawn Michaels

ROAD TO HELL MATCH;
Chris Kanyon Vs Abyss

Triple H Vs Randy Orton

WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE:
James Gibson Vs Rick Shaw

EUROPEAN TITLE: SIX WAY LADDER MATCH
Matt Hardy
Vs
Jay Reso
VS
Eddy Guerrero
Vs
Phil Jackson
Vs
Carlito
Vs
Paul “The Phenomenon” Wardle

UNITED KINGDOM TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH:
Second City Saints Vs MNM

With Annalise Roberts & Melina at ringside.

Man Of Steel Report

Rob Van Dam & Paul Wardle Vs Chris Jericho & Randy Orton ( * * ¾ )
Ok, so last year it was the “Super Series” invitational, but don’t quibble over semantics. This was just what you would want from an opener; energetic, fast paced and smooth flowing. It’s a testament to Wardle that he didn’t look out of place in the experienced company he was sharing the ring with. Still, he couldn’t fashion a win for his team as in the end Randy Orton finished RVD off with the RKO for him and Jericho to advance.

Lance Storm & Johnny Nitro Vs Sean O Haire & Jay Reso ( * ¾ )
This was decent stuff, highlighted by mutual distrust between partners, which was eventually overcome, for the winners anyway, when O’Haire finished Lance Storm off with a Seanton Bomb.

JBL & Edge Vs Chris Kanyon & Charles Haas ( * * )
Edge looked positively ecstatic at having JBL as his partner, but he was less pleased to see one of his opponents was to be Kanyon. And his dread was fully warranted, as in the end it was Kanyon who finished Edge off with the Kanyon-Kutter to make his team advance.

Batista & Paul Birchill Vs Carlito & Matt Morgan ( * ½ )
Well Carlito wasn’t happy at all with being lumped with these three giants, but he was happy in the end as he turned out to be teamed with the best of the three giants. Carlito did very little at all but watch his partner Morgan destroy Batista and, the debuting Birchill, eventually finishing off Batista with the Morgasm.

Matt Hardy & CM Punk Vs Kane & Phil Jackson ( * * * )
This was a cracking little encounter, which saw all four men put their best foot forward and the crowd were royally entertained. In the end, Punk finished off Jackson with the Pepsi Plunge for his team to advance.

Abyss & Xavier Vs The Big Gee & Shelton Benjamin ( * ¾ )
This was a decent, albeit brief, encounter, which was only really memorable for The Big Gee leaving his partner to the wolves, so to speak, and walking off, which left Shelton easy prey for Abyss’ Black Hole Slam.

Monty Brown & Ray Gordy Vs Joey Mercury & Dean Roberts ( * * ¼ )
Quite what Dean was doing in this company is anyone’s guess, but this was actually a competent match. Mercury seemed over-awed at teaming with the Icon, Gordy looked his usual sturdy, but uncharismatic self, and Brown, in his IWF debut, looked sharp and like a potential star. In the end though, Dean won out, as you would expect him to do, and he finished off Gordy with a Scholarship. Incensed, Brown hit Gordy with what we assume will become his finishing move The Pounce.

Simon Starshot & Triple H Vs Colt Cabana & Shawn Michaels ( * ¾ )
The final Qualifying match started with Dean Roberts, returning to the dressing room after his match, kicking the crap out of Shawn Michaels, leaving Colt Cabana on his own. Which obviously did no favours for Colt at all, and he was quickly finished off with a Pedigree.

Rick Shaw Vs Bryan Danielson Vs James Gibson Vs Brian Kendrick ( * * ¾ )
This could have been a classic if it hadn’t been so rushed (and if it hadn’t been fought under first pinfall wins). And as you might have feared, the fact that Shaw could lose the Cruiserweight title without being pinned became of the utmost importance as Gibson finished Danielson off to take the pinfall and to lift the Cruiserweight title.

Man Of Steel Battle Bowl Final ( * * * )
PARTICIPANTS: Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Sean O Haire, Jay Reso, Chris Kanyon, Charles Haas, Carlito, Matt Morgan, Matt Hardy, CM Punk, Abyss, Xavier, Joey Mercury, Dean Roberts, Simon Starshot, Triple H
ORDER OF ELIMINATION:
I) Dean Roberts (attacked by Shawn Michaels, who ran out at the onset of the match and tossed Dean over the top-rope).
II) Simon Starshot (Jay Reso),
III) Sean O Haire (Abyss),
IV) Charles Haas (Matt Hardy),
V) Joey Mercury (Xavier),
VI) Chris Jericho (Triple H),
VII) CM Punk (Triple H),
VIII) Jay Reso (Matt Morgan),
IX) Xavier (Matt Morgan),
X) Abyss (Chris Kanyon),
XI) Chris Kanyon (Triple H & Abyss – Abyss reached back in the ring to grab Kanyon enabling HHH to throw him out),
XII) Carlito (Matt Morgan),
XIII) Matt Hardy (Randy Orton)
XIV) Randy Orton (Triple H),
XV) Triple H (Matt Morgan).WINNER = MATT MORGAN.
Morgan celebrated as Triple H looked on stunned. Rumour before hand was that the winner of the match would get the Unified Title shot at Neon Blue…if so, who would it be against?

Kurt Angle Vs The Undertaker ( * * * ¼ )
A decent main event to end a decent card. There has been some good build up to this one, and the fans were looking forward to it. They were positively willing Angle to win, and although at times it looked as if he was on the verge of losing the Unified Triple Crown, he rallied and in the end finished off the Undertaker with the Angle slam. As Angle celebrated however, Matt Morgan ran out and absolutely kicked the crap out of Angle, bloodying him in the process. Which means two things…Morgan is now officially heel…and it’s going to be Morgan/Angle at Neon Blue!!!

Man Of Steel 2005 Card

Man Of Steel 2005
Sunday 11th September

UNIFIED WORLD TITLE:
Kurt Angle Vs The Undertaker

MAN OF STEEL INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Participants;
Chris Kanyon, Dean Roberts, Shawn Michaels, The Big Gee, Kane, Xavier, Randy Orton, Matt Hardy, Phil Jackson, Carlito, Abyss, JBL, Triple H, Sean O Haire, Batista, Lance Storm, Charles Haas, Matt Morgan, Joey Mercury, Johnny Nitro, CM Punk, Colt Cabana, Jay Reso , Shelton Benjamin, Paul Wardle, Rob Van Dam, Chris Jericho, Edge, Simon Starshot, Paul Birchill, Monty Brown, Ray Gordy

WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE:
Rick Shaw Vs Bryan Danielson Vs James Gibson Vs Brian Kendrick

SUPER SERIES REPORT

Matt Morgan Vs Edge ( * * ¼ )
The show kicked off with this intriguing battle. Despite the fact we’ve been saying this for a long time now, Morgan is bubbling under nicely and seemingly has a future in the IWF. Edge, on the other hand, may have had all the chances at glory he is going to get. Which all meant that whilst this was a respectable opener, it had zero drama as not one fan really expected Edge to walk away with the victory, and indeed it proved so. Morgan took the pinfall.

Batista & Sean O Haire Vs Alias Storm & Haas ( * ¾ )
It seemed as if the fans were also expecting a rather predictable outcome to this one; after all O’Haire and Batista have crushed everyone in their path since winning the titles at MM, but Storm and Haas have obviously spent their time wisely since then as they took advantage of Batista’s dodgy knees to not only get themselves into the match, but to win it as well! Sadly the clash of styles once again did little for the match, but it wasn’t too bad.

Jay Reso Vs Chuck Palumbo ( * * )
Why? Why was this match on PPV? Who knows, but Reso took an easy win, which he was always going to get, and Palumbo ensured he got a few more pounds on this month’s pay cheque.

Annalise Roberts & Second City Saints Vs MNM ( * * ¾ )
This feud has been bubbling nicely since Melina defeated Annalise for the Womens title last month, courtesy of MNM’s interference. This was an entertaining match, which could have been even better if it had been allotted a bit more time. In the end MNM won when Joey Matthews pinned Colt Cabana after Johnny Nitro had smashed CC with the Womens Title belt.

Kurt Angle Vs The Undertaker Vs The Big Gee Vs Kane ( * * * )
The thought of this match didn’t exactly inspire thoughts of something wonderful before hand, but it was a stellar, hard-hitting bout which the crowd got well into. Fought under first pinfall wins rules, this did become a bit of a mess at times, but on the whole was a well constructed, tight and exciting battle. And it was a battle that Angle won when he pinned Kane, although it is worth pointing out that Kane was knocked down an Undertaker tombstone.

Rick Shaw Vs Acid ( * * ¼ )
The calm between the two “main events” this was nothing more than card-filler, which was a shame really because the match was progressing quite nicely until from out of nowhere Rick hit the Shaw-thing to get the pinfall and retain his World Cruiserweight title.

Team Dean Vs Team HBK (Super Series Elimination, * * * * ½ )
The story behind this was that the team Captains Dean & Shawn were allowed to hand-pick their four partners for this match, which led to some entertaining segments and promos on Warfare and Impact recently. It is also worth noting that Dean’s recent stint in hospital meant he didn’t do an awful lot in this match, which in some ways helped to add to the drama and atmosphere. Order of elimination was as follows; I) Matt Hardy (pinned by Randy Orton), II) JBL (pinned by HHH), III)Carlito (pinned by Xavier), IV & V) Chris Kanyon and Abyss were subject to a Double Disqualification, VI) Xavier (pinned by Randy Orton), VII) Triple H (pinned by Randy Orton); VIII) Randy Orton (pinned by Shawn Michaels). IX) Shawn Michaels (pinned by Dean Roberts, but only after Randy Orton returned to the ring and smacked HBK with the ring bell). WINNER, AND SOLE SURVIVOR – Dean Roberts.

The under card was a bit hit and miss on this occasion but the two main events saved the day. The triple crown title match was a lot smoother than some critics feared it would be, but the Super Series match was off the scale and was beautifully booked and was certainly one to remember.

Super Series 2005 Card

Super Series 2005
Sunday 14th August

WORLD TRIPLE CROWN TITLE:
Kurt Angle Vs Kane Vs The Undertaker Vs The Big Gee

- - -

TRADITIONAL SUPER SERIES ENCOUNTER:

TEAM DEAN
Dean Roberts, Chris Kanyon, Randy Orton, Carlito & JBL

Vs

TEAM HBK
Shawn Michaels, Abyss, Xavier, Matt Hardy & Triple H

- - -

WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES;
Sean O'Haire & Batista Vs Alias Storm & Haas

Matt Morgan Vs Edge

WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE:
Rick Shaw Vs Acid

Annalise Roberts & The Second City Saints
Vs
Melina & MNM

Jay Reso Vs "The Famous" Chuck Palumbo

Xtreme Overload Card

“The Graduate” Phil Jackson Vs Carlito Caribbean Cool ( * * * )
Xtreme Overload kicked off with this battle for the UK title, which certainly had the crowd interested from the start. Jackson may well be the most popular “mid-carder” on the roster, and Carlito has been catching on fire recently. This was a quality opener which had just the right amount of big moves to get the crowd going, even if it didn’t quite have the ending that the fans wanted. Carlito grabbed a handful of tights, got the pinfall and lifted the UK title. Jackson was furious, but there was nothing he could do.
Randy Orton Vs Rob Van Dam ( * * ½ )
So this month it was RVD who was chosen to be Orton’s victim. You only have to hope that Orton’s victory here continues his upwards climb because it is clear that the IWF is in dire need of fresh blood at main event standard (Orton may have been in Heat Wave’s main event but he’s not quite a full-time headline act just yet). As you might have guessed Orton wrapped this up with an RKO.
Sean O’Haire & Batista Vs Eddy Guerrero & Chavo Guerrero ( * * )
One day they might find opponents the same size as the mammoth tag team champions, but for now, The Guerrero’s had to do. As you might expect a bit of their old Lie, Cheat and Steal ethos kept them in the hunt for the belts in this one, but it was never going to be quite enough. Eddy went for a Frog Splash but was hurled off the turnbuckle by Batista and then O’Haire hit his stunning Seanton-Bomb to get the 1-2-3 and retain the belts for his team.
Chris Kanyon Vs Abyss ( * * * ¼ )
Management obviously see big things in Abyss’ future, evidenced by him targeting Chris Kanyon on his very first night on Warfare. He certainly looked the part here; he’s not the lumbering big guy you might thing…Abyss can certainly move around in there. This was a very entertaining high-impact collision which certainly did suggest that management may be onto something with Abyss. And in a complete shocker he got the win here, although he did get help from his manager James Mitchell who threw him a chain which Abyss wrapped around his arm and then knocked Kanyon cold out with a beautiful punch. This feud is certainly far from over, but what a promising start it was for Abyss.
Annalise Roberts Vs Melina ( * * ¾ )
New girl in town Melina hasn’t made many friends in her short time here in the IWF, but she certainly looked the part in the ring as she took apart Annalise in the early going. However Annalise used all her experience to get back into contention and it looked as if it could go either way…at least until two men hopped over the guard rail. Whilst one of them distracted the referee, the other nipped into the ring and smashed Annalise with a DDT, allowing Melina to get the pinfall victory and lift the World Women’s title. In a post match interview, the men introduced themselves as Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro and said that along with Melina, they were to be known as MNM!
Kane & The Big Gee Vs The Undertaker & Xavier ( * * * )
The partner lottery match saw all four men’s names go into a draw to decide what teams would meet, which was all due to the massive four man brawl these men had on Impact recently. Or you could just say it was a novel way of getting a meaningful match out of it. Whatever, the results was actually pretty damn good. No-one was really getting along with anyone, but Kane & Gee seemed more willing to work together for the greater good, and in the end that’s what helped them to get the job done. Xavier had enough of teaming with ‘Taker and attempted to attack his own partner. Sadly ‘Taker didn’t go down and Xav felt the Tombstone from his own partner before Gee hit the Geesus Christ on Xavier to seal the win for his team.
Dean Roberts Vs Shawn Michaels ( * * * ½ )
These two have tore at each other verbally on TV leading up to this match, in some of the best promo segments in some while, and the two delivered in the ring as well. A masterclass in psychology, although Dean’s timing was out on a few moves, the two had the fans on the edge of their seats before they’d even really done any big moves, and once those big moves came out, the fans went wild. It was real back and forth stuff which looked like either man would grab it, but in the end it was HBK who took the spoils when he wrapped Dean in a small package for the 1-2-3. Dean was far from pleased with the result and seemed to suggest that this wasn’t over yet as he left the ring.
Kurt Angle Vs Triple H ( * * * * )
A MuscleMania rematch, although thankfully for once it didn’t headline Into The Darkness! A three month gap since their last meeting had heightened the tension for this one and many thought going in that this was to be the night when HHH reclaimed the World Title. But alas it was not to be. Although HHH hit a pedigree he was already wiped out himself and by the time he went for the pin, Angle just about had the wherewithal to kick out. As HHH looked on in disbelief he went to grab Angle but Angle reversed this into an Angle Lock and HHH tapped out in the centre of the ring, AGAIN! The crowd went wild as Angle celebrated.

A great show with a lot to recommend about it. It seems like the IWF are finally getting serious about getting new acts over, and couple this with some fantastic displays from the old guard and you had one of the best PPV’s of the year so far.

Xtreme Overload 2005 Card

Xtreme Overload 2005 Card
Sunday 17th July 2005

WORLD UNIFIED TRIPLE CROWN:
Kurt Angle Vs Triple H

THE ICON Vs THE SHOWSTOPPER
Dean Roberts Vs Shawn Michaels

WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES:
Sean O’Haire & Batista Vs Eddy Guerrero & Chavo Guerrero

WORLD WOMENS TITLE:
Annalise Roberts Vs Melina

Chris Kanyon Vs Abyss

PARTNER LOTTERY MATCH;
Kane & The Big Gee Vs The Undertaker & Xavier

Randy Orton Vs Rob Van Dam

UNITED KINGDOM TITLE:
“The Graduate” Phil Jackson Vs Carlito Caribbean Cool

Heat Wave Review

Carlito Caribbean Cool Vs Booker T ( * ¾ )
Carlito has become quite an entertaining character in the couple of months since his debut and he’s now made it onto PPV. This wasn’t a great match but it did what it set out to do. It gave Carlito’s career a boost and gave him a decent win over a credible performer. One day he may look back on this match as the start of something very exciting indeed.
Xavier Vs Shawn Michaels ( * * * ½ )
So semi-final time in the Double Trouble tournament, a handy way of boosting star power on PPV after last months ITD debacle, and it actually threw up a couple of intriguing battles. This was super smooth stuff and the crowd really got into it and the performers responded with some wonderful back and forth exchanges. The end segment of the match may well have been the highlight of the night as the two exchanged some high-impact moves before HBK caught Xav in a roll-up for the 1-2-3.
Chris Kanyon Vs Triple H ( * * * ¼ )
The second match was an intriguing one too, again pitting former World Champions against each other. There is a certain chemistry between these two in the ring and it was evidenced here again. There was no wasted motion in this match whatsoever and it really did look like it could go either way, but in the end HHH wrapped it up with a pedigree for the 1-2-3.
Acid Vs Matt Morgan ( Sq ) – Acid’s latest character, as the Cruiserweight determined to punch above his weight, has been quite funny over the past month or so. He’s sneaked past the likes of Rancour, Bill DeMott and, good god, Kamala, but seemed strangely reluctant on the Impact prior to the PPV to take on the returning Matt Morgan. Still he had no choice but to face him here and he got what was coming to him. That is a bloody and brutal squash beating, albeit one where Acid actually came out with some momentum as he quite simply refused to be beaten and sustained quite a few of Morgan’s brutal high impact moves before finally succumbing to the pinfall.
Jay Reso Vs Matt Hardy (No Holds Barred, * * * * )
These two have really cranked it up over the past month and it seemed like the only sensible thing to do was to let them hang it all out in a No Holds Barred match. There was of course lashings of brutality but this match was about much more than that. It was two wrestlers who were so evenly matched that they had to go to the depths of hell to pull out something to get the win. And in the end it was Hardy who had that little bit extras as he hit a stunning leg-drop from the top turnbuckle into the crowd where Reso was lain out. He dragged him back in the ring and got the 1-2-3 that reunited him with his European title. Afterwards the crowd showed their appreciation for both men.
Rick Shaw Vs “Heart-Throb” Gregory Helms ( * * )
These two couldn’t follow what preceded them and whilst this was nevertheless a tidy match, it was one that blatantly screamed CARD FILLER. Shaw took the win following the “Shaw-Thing”.
Rob Van Dam Vs Edge ( * * )
See, RVD IS still alive and is still under contract to the IWF. And when all other options are exhausted for these two guys, just pit them against each other in a match nobody cares about. Look, it was perfectly acceptable, but totally forgettable. For the record, RVD won, which is better than losing.
Triple H Vs Shawn Michaels ( * * * ¾ )
Time for the Double Trouble final now, and a match with a long history behind it in terms of the two participants which certainly heightened the excitement and what a great match it was too. The two really turned it on and it was only the screw job finish that dragged the mark down slightly…but WHAT a screw-job finish it was. After two long months away, Dean Roberts made his return to the IWF and for some reason, soon to be revealed on Warfare no doubt, targeted Michaels whilst the ref and HHH were down and hit him with a Scholarship onto a Steel Chair. The pin was a formality for HHH (who was seemingly unaware of Dean’s interference) and he won the Double Trouble tournament to become the number 1 contender to the Triple Crown and to secure himself a title shot at Xtreme Overload…but who would he face?
Kurt Angle Vs Randy Orton ( * * * ¼ )
Well, Randy certainly has come up in the world, and here he was, challenging for the world title in the main event of a PPV. Some were even saying he could win it!!! Which of course he didn’t. But he did put up a valiant effort and certainly showed he could swim with the sharks at this level. Angle finished him off with the Angle Slam, but certainly seemed to appreciate just what a hard fought battle it had been.
Now this was more like it. For the most part this was a hotly anticipated show with more than it’s share of good matches. Some nice surprises and some career advancement for some of the players was good news too. Hopefully this signals an IWF back on track.

Heat Wave 2005 Card

HEAT WAVE
SUNDAY 19th JUNE 2005

UNIFIED WORLD TRIPLE CROWN;
Kurt Angle Vs Randy Orton

DOUBLE TROUBLE TOURNAMENT TO DECIDE NUMBER ONE CONTENDER TO TRIPLE CROWN TITLE;
Xavier Vs Shawn Michaels
Chris Kanyon Vs Triple H

Winners of the match to meet in the final! ON THE SAME NIGHT!

EUROPEAN TITLE: No Holds Barred Match
Jay Reso Vs Matt Hardy

WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE:
Rick Shaw Vs “Heart-Throb” Gregory Helms

Rob Van Dam Vs Edge

Carlito Caribbean Cool Vs Booker T
Acid Vs Matt Morgan

Into The Darkness Review

John Cena Vs Eddy Guerrero ( * * ¾)
So Into The Darkness, which incidentally has got to have one of the worst line up’s in IWF ppv history, kicked off with another futile attempt to get John Cena over. The fans love Eddy…they hate Cena. But sadly, they hate Cena in a bad way, rather than in the “heel” sense. So every time he was on the offensive in this match he got roundly booed and conversely every time Guerrero so much as laid a finger on his opponent, the crowd loved it. Eddy won, and Cena better hope that MMK gets that new promotion he keeps being linked with up and running because he may well soon be in need of the work.
Sean O’Haire & Batista Vs Phil Jackson & Rick Shaw ( * * ½ )
On paper this looked a bit of an idiotic mis-match, but in reality it was a relatively entertaining David Vs Goliath style match, albeit one where the outcome was fairly predictable. Yes, that’s right, Batista and O’Haire retained the titles when O’Haire pinned Shaw.
Phil Jackson Vs Shelton Benjamin ( * * ¾ )
Shelton has been quietly making a name for himself over the past few months, which led to this UK title shot against The Graduate. This was a decent enough battle, but although Shelton acquitted himself well, few people ever thought he really was going to win, and so it proved as Jackson finished him off with the Graduation. Shelt’s is definitely one to watch though.
Matt Hardy Vs Jay Reso ( * * * ¾ )
Finally, after being one of the most popular “mid-card” attractions on the roster, Jay Reso got his chance to shine once again on the big PPV stage. And he made the most of it by not only participating in a great match, but by actually winning it to lift the European Title. He had to hit Hardy with a Steel Chair whilst the ref was down to get the job done, but get the job done he did. And he seemed genuinely pleased about his moment of glory.
Randy Orton Vs Chris Jericho ( * * * ½ )
Orton has really hit his stride recently, and this continued in this match. Whilst he still has some way to go to achieve genuine main-event superstar status, he is making all the right moves and, perhaps more importantly, keeps racking up the wins. And this was no exception as Jericho became the latest IWF superstar to fall to the RKO.
The Big Gee Vs Xavier ( * * * )
Mercy has toddled off to Hollywood again (maybe for good this time) and Dean Roberts is taking a well-earned rest, so it was up to Xav and Gee to battle it out in the aftermath of the demise of The Show. Well I suppose they could have added Luke Todd-Wood to this, but surely his 15 minutes is up right about now. This wasn’t really the grudge match that some people might have expected, but it was sturdy stuff and did keep the crowds royally entertained. It was also one of the few matches that kept the crowd guessing in terms of a winner, although in the end it was Xavier who took it . The two looked like shaking hands afterwards, but Gee walked off before that could happen.
Chris Kanyon Vs John Bradshaw Layfield ( * ¾ )
Ok, so JBL has transformed into a hugely entertaining character over the last few months, but there is no way on earth that he is qualified to be fighting Chris Kanyon in the penultimate match of a ppv. He’s just not up to the task in the ring. And the fans knew it. He was out of his depth here, and Kanyon had little trouble finishing him off with the Kanyon Kutter.
Kurt Angle Vs Kane (* * * *)
If ever a show needed to end on a high point, this might have been it, and thankfully these two delivered a cracking effort. Angle dragged Kane to his best singles match in aeons, and both men did a superb job of telling the story of the match. Could Angle derail the monster Kane…? Well of course he could, and he finished him off with an Angle Slam to retain his world title.
Ok so Mercy’s gone, Goldberg wouldn’t come back and the likes of Undertaker, Dean Roberts, Triple H and Shawn Michaels all have minor injury problems keeping them out of the ring in the build up to this match, but this was still one of the least inspiring PPV line-up’s that the IWF has put out. When it was all said and done, the action was actually quite good overall, but lets hope they have something a bit special up their sleeves for Heat Wave…

Into The Darkness Card

Into The Darkness 2005
Sunday 22nd May

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT UNIIFIED TRIPLE CROWN;
Kurt Angle Vs Kane

The Big Gee Vs Xavier

Chris Kanyon Vs John Bradshaw Layfield

WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES:
Sean O’Haire & Batista Vs Phil Jackson & Rick Shaw

EUROPEAN TITLE:
Matt Hardy Vs Jay Reso

Randy Orton Vs Chris Jericho

John Cena Vs Eddy Guerrero

UNITED KINGDOM TITLE: Phil Jackson Vs Shelton Benjamin

MuscleMania XIV Review

Edge Vs Matt Hardy (Cage, * * * ¾)
What a way to kick of the 14th instalment of MuscleMania with this hard-hitting and EXTREMELY heated Steel Cage match over the European title. The crowd were well into this (and credit where credit is due, the build up has been cracking) and they were urging their boy Hardy on all the way. In the end Hardy took the win after a leg-drop from the top of the cage and the crowd popped like a hyperactive bowl of Rice Krispies as Hardy raised the European title high above his head.
The Second City Saints Vs Chris Benoit & Booker T ( * * ¾)
How on earth could the final of the UK Tag Team Title tournament possibly follow that? Obviously the answer is that they couldn’t. But whilst the crowd were a bit subdued, this was a decent enough match which eventually drew the crowd in towards the finish. The Saints had beaten the teams of Jeff Jarrett & Bill DeMott and Paul London & Brian Kendrick to get to the final, whilst B&B had beaten Hayashi & Tajiri and Eddy Guerrero & Chris Jericho to get here. There were false finishes galore at the climax but in the end it was CM Punk who pinned Booker T, with the Pepsi Plunge, to take the victory and the titles for his team.
The Big Gee Vs The Undertaker (Falls Count Anywhere, * * * ¼)
On early, yes, but on such a stacked show someone had to be. This was a brutal and bloody war, which did indeed travel the whole of the arena and whilst at times it was a little difficult to follow it certainly was an unforgettable encounter. Both men bled profusely and took some huge bumps. In the end though, as hard as Gee fought, he couldn’t overcome the man in black, and ‘Taker wrapped it up with a stunning Last Ride through a table for the 1-2-3.
Alias Storm & Haas Vs Sean O Haire & Batista ( * * )
Again, how where these four to follow that? The slow early going didn’t help either, as the Alias crew cut O’Haire off from his partner and went to work on crippling him. Of course that couldn’t last forever and the crowd were itching for the hot tag, and when it came Batista didn’t disappoint as he knocked seven bells out of Storm & Haas, before hitting Haas with the Batista-Bomb before then allowing O’Haire to hit the Seanton-Bomb for the 1-2-3 that crowned new World Tag Team Champions.
Kane Vs Xavier ( * * * )
This “feud ender” has been brewing for ages…perhaps too long. But whilst we’ve waited perhaps a bit too long for the pay-off, there was still a sense of anticipation as to what would happen in this one, and both men rose to the challenge pretty well. It looked as if Xavier would wrap up the victory, but in the end Kane hit back with Three tombstones to end the match and the feud with a pinfall victory to his name.
Phil Jackson & Rick Shaw Vs KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji ( * * * ½ )
The sliming down of this year’s MM (usually there are 14 matches at the “Biggest Card Of The Year”) may have denied Jackson & Shaw the chance to defend their titles, but it gave them the chance to pit their wits against two of Pro Wrestling Noah’s brightest stars (in a deal which may, or may not, lead to the likes of Kenta Kobashi and Mitsuharu Misawa one day appearing in the IWF). This was crisp, fast paced action with the only drawback being its relative brevity (clocking in at less than 8 minutes). But the fans loved it, and they loved it when Jackson pinned KENTA to finish it off. The fans gave all four a huge ovation at the end.
Dean Roberts Vs Randy Orton (* * * ¼)
If you believe the rumours, Orton was picked as Dean’s opponent simply because everyone higher up the card was otherwise engaged. But credit where credit is due. These two have taken a pretty lousy set up and turned it into a worthwhile feud. Orton in particular has been a revelation and the fact that the two have been content to let the fans choose who they want to cheer or boo has added to the feud. Dean fans seemed to be in the majority here, but the sizeable Orton support made for a wicked atmosphere. And it was Orton who took it, following an RKO. A great match which might just yet put Orton back on the road to becoming a genuine star.
Alexis Laree Vs Annalise Roberts ( * * * )
We’d had the husband and now it was the wife’s turn. This was a cracking little match given the time constraint placed on it (again, this match only got about six and a half minutes) and every big move hit its mark (which isn’t always the case in Women’s matches). In the end Annalise finally got back what many feel was/is rightfully hers and pinned Alexis following a spot-on superkick.
Matthew Mercy Vs Bill Goldberg (* * * ¼)
Goldberg, in for one night, against Mercy, the man who, for many, epitomises the ethos of the IWF. Was it any surprise that Mercy was the clear fan favourite? In fact Goldberg was booed out of the building so vociferously that its already being rumoured that he’s no intention of ever re-appearing in the IWF! So it will come as absolutely no-shock to hear that Mercy won the match with his Mercy-Bomb, but it has to be said this was a sterling effort from the two “part-timers”.
Chris Kanyon Vs Shawn Michaels ( * * * ¾)
It may have been on in the semi-final position, but don’t be fooled, this was a nothing of a match from a promotional point of view. But fear not, it was still an absolute cracker that saw both men at peak form. There was also a slightly surprising ending as HBK went over clean via some Sweet Chin Music, but both men shook hands at the end to a rousing ovation.
Triple H Vs Kurt Angle ( * * * * ) So it was time for the main event and it was clear that the fans were very much hoping that this would be the night that Triple H’s long title reign would come to an end. And come to an end it did, and in fantastically exciting style too. This was a real lengthy and psychologically heavy battle which Angle eventually won by, get this, making HHH tap out to the Ankle Lock. You don’t get many of them to the pound do you? A wonderful end to another great night of IWF action.

MuscleMania XIV Card

MUSCLEMANIA XIV
Sunday 24th April

UNIFIED WORLD TITLE:
Triple H Vs Kurt Angle

---

Matthew Mercy Vs Bill Goldberg

Chris Kanyon Vs Shawn Michaels

FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE:
The Big Gee Vs The Undertaker

Kane Vs Xavier

Dean Roberts Vs Randy Orton

---

WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES:
Alias Storm & Haas Vs Sean O Haire & Batista

EUROPEAN TITLE: STEEL CAGE
Edge Vs Matt Hardy

WORLD WOMENS TITLE:
Alexis Laree Vs Annalise Roberts

Phil Jackson & Rick Shaw Vs KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji

UNITED KINGDOM TAG TITLES: TOURNAMENT FINALThe Second City Saints Vs Chris Benoit & Booker T

LA TAKEDOWN REPORT

Raven Vs Rhino ( * * ¼)
Well if this doesn’t prove how little IWF Management regards these two performers then nothing will. After the pro-longed break-up of their team, you would have expected a long and winding feud, possibly culminating in a high-profile MuscleMania match. Well how wrong you would have been. Opening match of a PPV, and ONE high profile match later, the feud is over. Mind you, at least Rhino should be glad he won…who knows where Raven goes from here.
Jeff Jarrett Vs Chris Jericho (* * *)
Well, well, well. Another perfectly decent, but utterly pointless match involving Jeff Jarrett. Jericho carried him to an entertaining, albeit slightly brief, match, but Jarrett once again got zero reaction from an IWF crowd. As you might expect, Jericho got the win, via submission when Jarrett tapped out to the Walls Of Jericho.
Sean O Haire & Batista Vs Yzaebek & Mathuras (Sq)
A total squash match, but WHAT a squash match. O’Haire and Batista may well be limited in the ring, but this made them look awesome! Seriously, Zoltar’s men didn’t stand a chance here, and Batista’s match winning power-bomb on Mathuras looked positively evil.
Rick Shaw Vs Paul London (* * * ¾)
Another superb battle over the Cruiserweight title. Shaw is really stepping up to the plate now the pressure is on and London was his usual smooth, and under appreciated, self. Shaw took another impressive win following the Shaw-Stopper.
The Big Gee Vs The Undertaker (* * ½)
Well at least their star power meant that Gee and Taker could follow that last match. This was your basic big man match but was infused with great energy from both men, who seemingly thought like they had something to prove. Or maybe they wanted to ensure that there would be enough interest in the re-match as this one ended in a DDQ, which certainly suggests one match for MuscleMania.
Edge Vs John Cena (* *)
Quite how John Cena deserved a European title shot here is unclear, and it seemed like the fans agreed on that score. But then again, the fans hate Edge too, so there was a strange atmosphere around this one, which only picked up when Matt Hardy (who recently lost the Euro title to Edge on Warfare) made his inevitable appearance and kicked the crap out of both men. However Edge had the presence of mind to crawl across to Cena and make the pinfall cover…which probably inked an Edge/Hardy feud ender in for MuscleMania.
Triple H, Dean Roberts & Xavier Vs Kurt Angle, Kane & Randy Orton (* * * ½)A great ending to a decent show. All six men here put forward good efforts, with Orton seemingly on a mission to prove that he deserved his main even spot. With these six men splitting into three singles matches at MuscleMania this was always likely to be high on emotion and it was a cracking effort which really heightened the expectation for MuscleMania. In the end it was Triple H who got a pinfall on Kurt Angle (once again after a sledgehammer shot) and as the PPV went off the air, we were reminded that it’s only a month to MuscleMania!

LA Takedown Card

International Wrestling Federation Presents…
In association with SUBWAY

LA TAKEDOWN
Sunday 20th March 2005
Staples Centres, Los Angeles California

TWO OUT OF THREE FALLS:
Triple H, Dean Roberts & Xavier
Vs
Kurt Angle, Kane & Randy Orton

The Big Gee Vs The Undertaker

Jeff Jarrett Vs Chris Jericho

World Cruiserweight Title;
Rick Shaw Vs Paul London

European Title;
Edge Vs John Cena

Raven Vs Rhino
Sean O’Haire & Batista Vs Yzaebek & Mathuras

Shoot Out Report 2005

Rick Shaw Vs Bryan Danielson (Submission Match, * * * *)
What a way to kick off Shoot Out, with this well-hyped, much anticipated Submission match. Those who doubted Shaw’s ability to excel as a Champion are surely eating their words now. He matched the more experienced Danielson move-for-move and had the crowd firmly behind him in his quest to retain the title. And the pop he got he forced Danielson to submit to a Sharp-shooter was special indeed. Cracking match, lets just hope Shaw can keep it up.
Sean O Haire Vs Ashten Drake ( * ½ )
From the sublime to…well, the not very good. This wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but it still wasn’t very good, with the two struggling to overcome a clash of sizes. It came as no surprise when O’Haire finished Drake off in fairly rapid order.
Dean Roberts & Xavier Vs Chris Jericho & Eddy Guerrero ( * * * ¼ )
Back on track with this classic “old school” style tag-team match. Roberts and Xavier especially were a hoot as the old-time heels and the crowd were really baying for their blood. And they got it too, when an errant chair shot from Xavier knocked Dean out and Eddy G climbed the top rope to hit the Frog Splash and get the mildly shocking pinfall victory.
Chris Kanyon Vs Chris Benoit ( * * * )
This was a god match, but had little point to it. Everyone knew Kanyon would win, and win he did. If only the IWF had given this more of a push, we could have had something more memorable.
John Cena Vs Randy Orton ( * * )
On the other hand, this feud has been given a push and a half over the past few months, although at least all hope of dragging this out to MuscleMania has been quashed as this was billed as THE encounter which would settle the matter once and for all. And for once, the advertisement was right. Orton got the win after an RKO and it does indeed seem like this feud is now over. Thank god.
Kurt Angle Vs Shawn Michaels ( * * * * ½ )
Now this was more like it. What an absolute classic this was. Both men were on supreme form and HBK, in particular, showed better form than he has done for some time. This was truly world class and although it was Angle who took the pinfall victory (as he really had to on the road to MuscleMania) there was no loser here really. This was just fantastic.
Raven & Rhino Vs Alias Storm & Haas ( * * )
Champions Vs Champions, but with only the World Tag Titles on the line. Well if you thought that advertised the result in advance, you’d be wrong. But it did take the almighty break up of Raven and Rhino to give Storm & Haas the victory, and both sets of belts, as Rhino finally gave into the temptation to GORE! GORE! GORE! Raven into oblivion enabling Storm to get the pin.
Triple H Vs The Undertaker ( * * ¾ )
Look, this feud failed to ignite the PWF 12 months ago and, surprise, surprise, it’s failed to ignite the IWF this time round. Still this was a competent enough match and at least delivered a (semi) clean win for Triple H as he whacked the Undertaker with his trusty sledgehammer and the delivered a Pedigree to get the win and to retain his Unified Triple Crown.

Shoot Out Card

International Wrestling Federation presents
In association with HMV

SHOOT OUT

Sunday 27th February 2005
Whitley Bay Ice Rink

UNIFIED TRIPLE CROWN TITLE:
Triple H Vs The Undertaker

Kurt Angle Vs Shawn Michaels

Chris Kanyon Vs Chris Benoit

Dean Roberts & Xavier Vs Chris Jericho & Eddy Guerrero

WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES:
Raven & Rhino Vs Alias Storm & Haas

WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE: Submission Match
Rick Shaw Vs Bryan Danielson

John Cena Vs Randy Orton

Sean O Haire Vs Ashten Drake

Breaking Point 2004 Review…

20 Man Cruiserweight Gauntlet ( * * * * ½ )
What a way to kick off this super card. This was awesome action all the way as all 20 men strutted their stuff as only the world’s best Cruiserweights can. World Cruiserweight Champion “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson was at ringside to offer some colour commentary (his recent injury having in reality set up this big number one contenders match for the title) and quite insightful it was too. Order of Elimination was as follows… I) Dynamite (Rick Shaw), II) Funaki (Brian Kendrick), III) Gregory Helms (Kenta), IV) Jamie Knoble (AJ Styles), V) Billy Kidman (Simon Starshot), VI) Acid (Susuma Yokosuka), VII) Chavo Guerrero (Tajiri), VIII) El Ultimo Dragon (Rick Shaw), IX) Simon Starshot (Brian Kendrick), X) Naomichi Marufuji (Kenta), XI) Elix Skipper (Paul London), XII) Susuma Yokosuka (Chris Daniels), XIII) Kaz Hayashi (Rick Shaw), XIV) Paul London (Brian Kendrick), XV) Tajiri (Kenta), XVI) AJ Styles (Chris Daniels), XVII) Chris Daniels (Rick Shaw), XVIII) Brian Kendrick (Kenta), XIX) Kenta (Rick Shaw) WINNER – RICK SHAW!
After the match Bryan Danielson got into the ring and argued with Shaw, and the two are set to clash at January’s Corporal Punishment PPV.
Rancour Vs Matt Morgan (DUD)
From the sublime to the ridiculous. About all we can say about this one is that it was short (under two minutes) and at least Morgan vanquished the final member of Zoltar’s crew that he hadn’t already smashed, the truly abysmal Rancour. Ever wondered why Nathan “Rancour” Jones has never had a televised singles match before? Well you found out here. Short as it was, Jones still managed to mess up the two moves he had to do, and it was with great delight that we witnessed Morgan finish him off with the Morgasm. After the decision he smashed Zoltar with a Morgasm too.
Kurt Angle Vs The Big Gee ( * * ½ )
Could Angle work a miracle with the Gee here? Not quite was the answer, but this was still a solid, workmanlike match with a few moments of great excitement thrown in. Indeed considering the hugely contrasting size and style of these two this was a good affair indeed. Gee controlled the early going, which in real terms could only mean one thing…he was going to be the one doing the j-o-b.
And so it turned out, although it took a role-up with a handful of tights for Angle to get the victory. Yes that’s right…the beloved face used one of the most passé tricks in the book to cheat his way to victory over the dastardly heel. Go figure.
Chris Jericho Vs Booker T ( * * * )
IWF Vs PWF in this one, and this was a good, fast paced match which was well received by the crowd in attendance. Neither man really gained much of an advantage throughout this one as this was very much a back and forth battle all the way. Booker hasn’t looked this focussed for years, and Jericho had his “game” firmly on track tonight and so this was a treat indeed.
In the end it was Booker who prevailed as he sneaked out of the Lion-Tamer and hit a Book-End for the 1-2-3.
Kane Vs Xavier ( * * ¾ )
This battle of the former tag team partners has been brewing since Neon Blue and whilst the reaction from the crowd certainly suggested that this was an eagerly awaited match the action itself was a tad disappointing. That’s not to say that the two men didn’t give it their all, because they did, and there was some pretty brutal stuff on, a-hem, show, but the main problem was the finish. Or more specifically the lack of a proper finish. Because wouldn’t you know it…the referee simply couldn’t control these “former friends turned enemies” and so after all that he called for the bell and announced a double disqualification. Not that that stopped the two men, who had to be dragged apart by a group of road agents. Obviously then these two will meet again somewhere down the line, but that’s no excuse for the cheapness prevalent in the finish of this one here.
Eddy Guerrero Vs Chris Benoit ( * * * ½ )
Sure they’ve fought many times before, but it is always a pleasure to see two great technicians such as Eddy and Chris go at it again. This was as smooth as they come, although the opening half lacked a bit of the spark that one might have expected from a “IWF Vs PWF grudge” match such as this.
Still this would not have been out of place on an NJPW card at the Tokyo Dome, such was its’ technical proficiency, and it was another match that was warmly received. The closing moments of the match were some of the most exciting of the card. Benoit seemingly had the match sown up when he locked on the Crossface, but Eddy managed to escape by reaching the ropes. Benoit locked it on again but this time Eddy reversed it into one of his own. Benoit broke free, but Eddy slammed him and then hit the Frog Star splash for the very popular pinfall victory.
Dean Roberts Vs The Undertaker ( * * * ¼ )
Believe it or not, Dean accepted the Undertaker’s challenge for this “final” match because his ego forced him to act tough in front of Girls Aloud. Which is a ridiculous premise for a match I grant you, but at least it did give ‘Taker a final chance to break Dean’s winning streak (stretching back six years) over himself.
There was little finesse and subtlety about this match…this was pier-six brawling all the way, but there is an art to this kind of stuff too, which is what these two proved. The brutality slowly escalated as the match went on, and ‘Taker slowly began to wear Roberts down. Roberts fought back, and everyone thought he’d won it when he pulled a Scholarship out of nowhere, but it wasn’t to be. ‘Taker gained control once more and hit two tombstones (naturally Dean kicked out of one…) and finally got the pinfall victory over Dean that he’d been waiting years for.
Matt Hardy Vs Randy Orton Vs Edge Vs John Cena ( * * )
All these four men were thrown together into this four way title match for one simple reason…the card was already too big for two separate singles matches to be added from the Hardy/Edge and Orton/Cena feuds. Which may have been a blessing in disguise (come on, did you really want to see another Orton/Cena match…? Thought not). As you might expect, time constraints also meant that this was fought under first pinfall wins rules, which totally ruined any flow of the match. Yes this was the usual big move…pinfall attempt…broken pinfall match you always get under this format. In the end, Hardy retained his title by pinning John Cena. That is really about all you need to know.
Triple H Vs Rob Van Dam ( * * ¾ )
Rob Van Dam had won a one-night tournament on Warfare (incorporating RVD alongside John Cena, Edge, Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Eddy Guerrero and Booker T) to become the number one contender to HHH’s Unified World Title. Which is pretty impressive…so why did this match feel like a glorified card filler? Well that answer is easy enough. No-one, and we mean no-one, had any belief that this was going to be RVD’s night to unseat the champ. In fact everyone was damn sure that he wouldn’t.
So what could have been a good little match ended up being a competent but totally predictable affair which played out in front of a decidedly dis-interested crowd. And sure enough, HHH finished off his opponent with the Pedigree. Thank you and goodnight.
Matthew Mercy Vs Chris Kanyon ( * * * ¼ )
So it was time for the main event. This was the match that the crowd had really come to see, and for the most part they were not disappointed. Whilst not quite matching their famous MuscleMania effort, this was still a very exciting and thrilling match which saw great performances from both men.
It was refreshing to see this match with the tables turned (as in Heel Mercy Vs Face Kanyon) and it seemed as if the two wrestlers were having a whale of a time too. The only let-down was the finish really, as it took interference from The Show’s Director Of Operations Luke Todd-Wood to distract Kanyon and leave him open for Double M’s match winning Mercy Bomb. The crowd hated it, and they hated it even more as Mercy’s “Show” compadres Dean, Xav and Gee joined him and LTW to celebrate as the show went off the air.

All in all, Breaking Point was a good show, but not a great one. There was some good, some bad and some indifferent, but overall it just about broke into thumbs up territory. Still this wasn't the climate changing supershow that the IWF needs at this point in time. As usual the show was a good one, but did little to spark the new and exciting ideas that the IWF will have to start implementing in order to boost more interest in the product.

BREAKING POINT CARD

International Wrestling Federation Presents...In association with ARGOS...

BREAKING POINT 2004

Monday 27th December 2004

Millenium Dome, London

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TRIPLE CROWN TITLE;

Triple H Vs Rob Van Dam

Matthew Mercy Vs Chris Kanyon

Dean Roberts Vs The Undertaker

EUROPEAN TITLE;

Matt Hardy Vs Randy Orton Vs John Cena Vs Edge

Kurt Angle Vs The Big Gee

Chris Jericho Vs Booker T

Eddy Guerrero Vs Chris Benoit

20 Man Cruiserweight Gauntlet;

Particpants: AJ Styles. "The Fallen Angel" Chris Daniels, Kaz Hayashi, Tajiri, Simon Starshot, Brian Kendrick, Jamie Knoble, Rick Shaw, Elix Skipper, Acid, Chavo Guerrero, Gregory Helms, Funaki, Dynamite, Paul London, Billy Kidman, Kenta (Noah), Naomichi Marufuji (Noah), Susuma Yokosuka (Dragon Gate), El Ultimo Dragon

"The Blueprint" Matt Morgan Vs Rancour

NIGHTMARE REPORT

Chris Benoit & Booker T Vs Chris Jericho & Eddy Guerrero ( * * * * )
The opening match was everything that one might expect from these four, and makes you wonder why exactly Benoit & Booker were ever jettisoned from the IWF roster earlier in the year. Mind you, in a funny way it’s worked out for the best all round. Benoit & Booker always were class acts, and the “PWF Invasion” style angle which saw their return does mean that there is actually a reason behind their matches these days.
This was non-stop action from start to finish and it was lapped up by the Wisconsin crowd. Jericho and Guerrero started off like the proverbial house on fire, and they really took the fight to the invaders. Some sneaky double teaming from Benoit and Booker though brought them straight back into the hunt and from there they cut the ring in half and isolated Guerrero. The crowd were willing Eddy on, but the dastardly PWF-ers always seemed one step ahead. Things looked bleak for Eddy but from out of nowhere he stunned Booker with an Enziguri kick and then the race was onto see who could get the tag first. Booker reached Benoit, but Eddy reached Jericho just in the nick of time and a pier six brawl kicked in. In the melee, Booker grabbed hold of a steel chair and smashed Jericho with it. As Booker then brawled with Eddy, Benoit climbed the top rope, hit the flying headbut on Jericho and got the 1-2-3 to give his team the victory. Fantastic opener.
Edge Vs Randy Orton ( * * ¾ )
Was management sending these two out to follow that last match someone’s idea of a joke? It certainly would have seemed that way as the two kicked off their match in front of a very disinterested crowd. Still, credit where credit is due, the two battled well and did manage to win the crowd over, especially towards the closing moments of the match.
The two were evenly matched throughout and this was a competitive match which saw moments of good work from both men. If they’d gone to a clean finish, the crowd might have popped huge…but they weren’t afforded that opportunity. To the surprise of many, John Cena decided to come out to ringside, and in the end, after much teasing, he took advantage of a ref bump to nip into the ring and hit an F-U on Orton. Edge looked bemused, but it did get him the win. Decent match, but neither man showed much of the pizazz that a genuine main eventer here in the IWF needs.
Rhino & Raven Vs Jeff Jarrett & Bill DeMott ( * * ½ )
These two teams were part of the Four Way Dance for the titles at Neon Blue, and it has to be said that it’s fair to suggest that not too many people were anxiously anticipating a re-match of sorts between these two teams. In fairness though, the build up has been good and effective, and this was a decent match, albeit one with “card-filler” written all over it.
Allocated a mere seven minutes, there wasn’t much time for this match to grow, but there was some pretty entertaining brawling on show, and all four men put forward good and focussed performances. It looked like there would be a changing of the guard when DeMott hit the “No Laughing Matter” moonsault on Raven, but Rhino popped out of nowhere with a Gore, and Raven draped his arm over DeMott’s limp body for the title retaining pinfall victory. Decent, if instantly forgettable, match.
Shawn Michaels Vs Chris Kanyon ( * * * ¾ )
Two men with a lot to prove? Maybe. HBK maybe as good as ever on the big occasion, but it’s a while since he has been in the position of such a high profile one-on-one match. 2004 was supposed to be Kanyon’s year, but “his” title is around Triple H’s waist and there appears to be no immediate prospects of him getting it back. So if these two did feel like they had points to prove, after this grand match we can probably consider most of the points proved!
This was, quite simply, outstanding, and with an extra 5 or so minutes (to add to the 15 they got) this could have been off the chart. Both men were crisp and on form and the action swung back and forth throughout this one. What was even better is that the two went to a clean finish. Michaels was lining up some Sweet Chin Music but when he went for it Kanyon ducked, hit back with a Kanyon Cutter and the pinfall was a formality. The crowd went wild throughout this match and gave both men nice ovations at the end. A great match, which hopefully puts both men back up where they should be.
Matt Morgan Vs Zoltar’s Crew (Gauntlet, * * )
So the big question was could “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan beat all four of Zoltar’s henchmen one after the other? Well the answer was quite simple…YES, he could. First up for a smashing was Yzeabek, who was swiftly dispatched with a Power-Bomb. Mathuras didn’t last too much longer as he was sent packing with a brutal Reverse Plunging DDT. Acid put up a spirited fight, but the Cruiserweight was way out of his league here and he was creamed with a Guilotine Leg Drop (which drew a HUGE pop from the crowd). Finally it was Ashten Drake’s turn to face Morgan and he actually got some effective offense, managing to temporarily stun Morgan. But it was to no avail as Morgan hit back with a top rope splash (which got another HUGE reaction) and he vanquished the final member of Zoltar’s stable…
Or did he? It was at this point, as Morgan was celebrating, that Zoltar informed the world that the Rancour was here and Morgan had to beat him to truly beat the gauntlet. As Morgan was distracted, the Rancour hopped into the ring and attacked him from behind, sending him sprawling. There was then a big beating as all of Zoltar’s men attacked Morgan. The Rancour then hit him with a big boot and made the cover as Zoltar himself counted the pin. So whilst Morgan officialy won the match, it seems like we have a Morgan/Rancour one-on-one decider to look forward too. Oh my god.
Triple H Vs Matt Hardy ( * * * )
Could Hardy really lift the Triple Crown title? The survey said no, but both men put in the kind of performances that, at least for a while, suggested an upset could be on the cards. In fact the whole thing was built up well, with Hardy cashing in his Man Of Steel “number one contenders” stipulation, much to the obvious chargrin of Triple H.
Tripper controlled the majority of the match, and at times it did seem a little pedestrian, but the energy of the crowd was enough to keep this one bubbling, and Hardy really looked as if he was relishing the chance at the World Title on a big ppv event. Hardy even looked like he could walk away with the title when he hit Tripper with a Twist of Fate, but a distraction from Eric Bischoff meant that he didn’t quite get the three count. Hardy hit Eric with a lovely right, but he took his eye off the, a-hem, game for just a split second, and he turned around to get a boot in the gut, and then a Pedigree. HHH got the pinfall that retained his Triple Crown match. Great little match, which, even in defeat, will do Hardy a lot of good, so thumbs up all around.
The Big Gee, Dean Roberts & Xavier Vs Kane, The Undertaker & Kurt Angle ( * * * ¼ )
So once again Dean Roberts and The Undertaker are involved in the main event match…and once again that decision was just about justified. The crowd were well hot for this “Anything goes” match and there was great receptions for all six men. Finesse and technical ability was more or less thrown out of the window for this one, but this wasn’t just a crazy brawl. Ok, so it was a crazy, exhillarating and enjoyable brawl, but it also told a great story too.
We pretty much had three separate matches at the beginning as Dean/Taker, Xav/Kane and Gee/Angle all took early opportunities to try and settle on-going scores. And it was the good guys who were seemingly on top in the early going, and all three members of “The Show” bumped like mad men for their opponents .
Once all six men were battling in the same immediate locations however, the heels used their superior team work to really set to work to gain an advantage. The Show looked really into handing out a grade A beating and they really worked over their opponents. Still, you can never keep the Undertaker down for long and he led his lads into an almighty comeback which set up the end sequence of the match. All six men were involved in an almighty collision in the ring and when The Undertaker hit Dean Roberts with a tombstone it looked all over. Unbeknownst to the Taker though, Xavier had waffled Kane with the ring bell and made a pin attempt on him….which the referee counted, leading to The Show getting the big win. Xavier and Gee helped the battered Dean out of the ring and celebrated on the rampway as the show faded off the air.

After filling Neon Blue with too many matches, the IWF pared back down to a mere seven matches for Nightmare, and whilst some people may be disappointed that certain guys didn’t make it onto the card, it did mean that what was on was given ample time to breathe and as a result this was a entertaining card, and featured it’s share of hot matches. The opener was the pick of the bunch, but Michaels/Kanyon, Hardy/HHH and the six man tag were all great bouts too. A throughly enjoyable show which did all the necessary in terms of building up to Breaking Point, but at the same time presenting a card that was good on it’s own merits.

NIGHTMARE CARD

International Wrestling Federation presents

in association with Memorex

Nightmare 2004

Sunday 21st November 2004

Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI

TRIPLE CROWN WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE:

Champion Vs Champion;

Triple H Vs Matt Hardy

SIX MAN TAG TEAM GRUDGE MATCH:

The Undertaker, Kane & Kurt Angle

Vs

Dean Roberts, The Big Gee and Xavier

Chris Kanyon Vs Shawn Michaels

Chris Benoit & Booker T Vs Chris Jericho & Eddy Guerrero

Edge Vs Randy Orton

WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES:

Raven & Rhino

Vs

Jeff Jarrett & Bill DeMott

GAUNTLET MATCH:

"The Blueprint" Matt Morgan

Vs

Mathuras, Yzaebek, Acid & Ashten Drake

NEON BLUE RESULTS

Simon Starshot & Elix Skipper Vs The Second City Saints ( * * ¼ )
Opening match time, and this was an intriguing, if slightly anaemically promoted, tag team affair. It has to be said that Starshot And Skippers “SAS 2004” tomfoolery has been entertaining over the past couple of weeks though, and Punk and Cabana make a nice double act too. This was comedy time for the most part (which probably won’t have pleased the ultra-serious Punk) and as such was entertaining, without ever being exciting. There were a modicum of hot moves thrown in, including an impressive Pepsi Plunge from the top rope to finish of Skipper for the 1-2-3. Nice little match that warmed the crowd up a treat.
Kurt Angle Vs Tajiri ( * * * )
For some reason, the fans went crazy throughout this one . It seems like this micro-feud between Angle and Tajiri has really caught the imagination of a lot of people. Of course the end result was never really in doubt, but Angle did such a masterful job of making Tajiri look like his equal that the fans really were willing Tajiri to get a win. It looked as if Tajiri could pull off one of the all-time biggest upsets when he locked Angle in the tarantula and then hit him with a series of his trademark devastating kicks, but Angle survived these and hit an Angle Slam to get the 1-2-3. Another short match, but one that was exciting and very competitive and as such this was very respectable indeed.
Paul “The Phenomenon” Wardle Vs “The Graduate” Phil Jackson ( * * ¾ )
The perennial rivals over the UK title battled in a hugely anticipated match-up. Both men have shown, dare we say it, main event qualities in their recent feud and this was another one that the crowd was wild about. The two didn’t pull off a main event quality match, but for eight minutes they took us on a fairly dramatic ride, which the crowd oohed and ahhed along with all the way. After an evenly matched opening period, Wardle took control and really took the battle to Jackson. But with the crowd behind him all the way. Jackson fought back and eventually hit the Graduation Day to get the pinfall victory and reclaim the United Kingdom Championship.
Shawn Michaels Vs Edge ( * * )
Oh Edge, you so almost had it all. At the beginning of 2004 there were genuine feelings that this could have been Edge’s breakout year, but here we are in October, and he’s still stuck firmly in the mid-card. The fact that although he was supposed to be the “good guy” in this match but got more boo’s than cheers says it all. Edge was seemingly frustrated by the crowd’s reaction to him (mind you, he should be getting used to it by now) and this dragged the match down somewhat. Michaels looked his usual proficient self and it is clear that his short break has done him the world of good. He wrapped this one up with some Sweet Chin Music, much to the delight of most of the crowd. Edge meanwhile just looked pissed off with everything.
Alexis Laree & Annalise Anderson Vs Lisa Marie Veron & Trinity ( * * ¼ )
Well it seems like these are the only four women left in the International Wrestling Federation that can actually, you know, wrestle. And in the absence of any real storylines for the quartet, they were all bunged into this entertaining tag team affair which, like most of the under-card, was really too short for any lasting impressions to be made. All four women hit some of their big moves, but there was no real pacing in the match. Still the crowd did seem to enjoy this for the most part and there was some entertaining face/heel shenanigans on show. In the end Annalise hit the Merry-Go-Round on Lisa Marie, but it was Alexis who nipped in for the pin. Annalise didn’t look to happy about that, but the two of them shook hands and then celebrated their win.
Triple H Vs Chris Kanyon (Last Man Standing, * * * ¼ )
What? The world title “main event” and we’re not even half way through the evening? In retrospect we should have heeded the warnings that this should have given us. For a start, and let’s get this straight, this was a good match, UNTIL it came to the ending. Both men put a lot of effort in to this and both men suffered for their art, but a lot of this was negated by the stupid finish. Yes the whole Last Man Standing concept was rendered pointless by the fact that at the end, there was no last man standing, as both men failed to make the count after some ass shenanigans. The crowd were livid that such a high profile match on such a high profile card could end in such a low profile and cheap way. Triple H retained, but this did neither man many favours in the long run.
Chris Jericho Vs Eddy Guerrero ( * * * ¾ )
They may have only given these two men ten minutes, but the two of them packed in a whole shed load of excitement, which would have warranted an even higher rating if it hadn’t been for the non-finish. Mind you, even the non-finish had its fair share of excitement. From out of nowhere, IWF rejects Booker T and Chris Benoit ran from the crowd and attacked both men, causing the referee to declare a no-contest. The two gave Chris and Eddy a complete pasting and then quickly scampered away before IWF security could get to them. Seems like we can chalk up two more men for Eric Bischoff’s army! Jericho and Guerrero both had to be helped backstage after the brutal attack.
Xavier & Kane Vs The Big Gee & Matthew Mercy ( * * )
After Kane, Xavier and the Gee had made their entrances, the world waited with bated breath for Matthew Mercy’s first appearance in the IWF since MuscleMania. His music played, but there was no sign of Double M and the crowd were far from happy about it. Backstage clips of Commissioner Shane McMahon showed that he wasn’t happy about it either. It seemed as if a handicap match was due, but Xavier had other ideas. He took the house mic and said that he was a fair guy and that as Gee had not signed himself up for a handicap match he would graciously step aside and allow Gee and Kane to go at it one-on-one. And with that, Xavier joined George Minister and Paul Heyman at the commentary booth to talk us through a match that now had little meaning to the fans.
What the two big men did was passable, but the crowd were well pissed at not seeing Mercy and the silence was so deafening that even the commentators had to recognise it. It was solid action but try as they might, Gee and Kane just couldn’t get much of a reaction. It was only when Gee got hold of a steel chair and went postal on Kane’s ass that the fans really got into it. Gee went mental, and the referee had no option but to call for Gee’s disqualification. All this got the poor ref was a taste of the steel as well.
Gee continued his assault which naturally brought Xavier out from his commentary position but Xav couldn’t get in the ring as every time he came near, Gee was swinging the chair like a mad man. And this it happened. The familiar opening strains of The Dandy Warhols’ “Nietzsche” kicked in and to an absolutely spine-tingling reaction Matthew Mercy made his return to the IWF. The fans went wild as Mercy strode purposefully to the ring. Gee stood in the ring transfixed and Mercy got in and grabbed the chair from Gee and stared at him. Xavier hopped into the ring and Mercy looked about ready to hit both Gee & Xavier…except he didn’t. In “the chair shot that was heard around the world” Mercy turned to Kane, who was finally coming around, and smashed him smack bang in the face. The crowd started to boo but they booed all the more when Mercy, Gee and Xavier all started to kick the crap out of Kane, who was bloodied and indeed coughing up blood by this point. With every ounce of Kane’s energy now gone, the dastardly trio raised each other’s hands and saluted the crowd, and the crowd reigned down boo’s on them.
As Kane was being attended to by the medical staff, Shane McMahon came out to the rampway and seemed to realise that he’d been the victim of a “set-up all along” and he ordered security to throw Mercy, Gee and Xavier out of the building. After a struggle the trio were led away and out of the arena. A nothing match, but one hell of a segment. Mercy returned, but as a heel! Absolutely killer angle.
Rob Van Dam Vs Kaz Hayashi ( * * ½ )
Why was Kaz getting a singles match on ppv? Who knows, but it was a welcome sight to see him, especially considering how badly he was misused by the PWF in his time there. This was, and you are not going to believe me when I say this, another short affair, and although Kaz did get in some tasty morsels of offence, this bout existed mostly as a conduit for Rob Van Dam to show off some of his big moves. And that he did, much to the delight of the crowd. In the end he finished Hayashi off with a Five-Star Frog Splash for the popular victory. Good quick match, but it is a sobering thought to think that at the 2003 version of this event 12 months ago, RVD was lifting the world title.
Alias Storm & Haas Vs Bryan Danielson & Paul London ( * * * ¼ )
This is going to start sounding like a broken record now, but this was a good little match, which would have been even better if more time had been allocated to it. The big story was Danielson’s attempt to add European Tag Team gold to his Cruiserweight title. There really wasn’t an awful lot more to the build up to this one than that. Still this was an excellent bout for what it was and featured some hot and tasty moves which wowed the crowd. It looked over when London hit the Shooting Star Press on Storm, but Haas managed to nip in, hit London with the Haas-Attack and get the pinfall that kept his team as Euro tag team champions. Fantastic little match.
John Cena Vs Jay Reso ( * ¾ )
It’s time to be brutally honest here. John Cena cannot keep putting on performances like this if he expects to climb the ladder of opportunity in the IWF. The crowd lapped up his pre-match rap, but everything he did after the bell rang was met with complete apathy. Bless Reso for trying to drag a half decent match out of Cena (he half succeeded in the task) but there was little he could do in the face of overwhelming apathy. But it was Cena who got the win following the F-U. At least the fans popped for that, but Cena has to start rectifying his flaws sooner rather than later.
Ashten Drake & Mathuras Vs Raven & Rhino Vs Jeff Jarrett & Bill DeMott Vs Mark Jindrak & Mystery Partner ( * * )
The big suspense here (and some unkind people would say the only suspense) was the mystery partner of Mark Jindrak. And for once it was a reasonable scenario as “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan got the nod, much to the shock of all his opponents. He immediately started cleaning house and as Raven and Rhino collided with Jarrett & DeMott, Morgan and Jindrak really took the fight to Zoltar’s crew. So much so in fact that Zoltar had to call out Yzaebek, The Rancour and Acid to help quell the monster. It didn’t really work and Morgan hit Mathuras with a devastating power-bomb and Jindrak pinned him. By this time a raft of IWF officials had reached ringside to quell the melee, and this gave Jeff Jarrett the chance to smack Jindrak with a steel chair, and get the pinfall to eliminate Morgan and Jindrak.
Once the officials had cleared the melee, this meant we were left with Raven & Rhino against Jarrett & DeMott. A fairly exciting exchange then took place which ended off with Raven hitting the Evenflow DDT on DeMott, who was then subjected to the Gore from Rhino and the pinfall was a formality. This wasn’t a great match, but hey, it ended without the abysmal Drake & Mathuras being tag team champions and for that we should be grateful.
Randy Orton Vs Matt Hardy ( * * * ¼ )
These two have been waging war for months, but this was the first time (on TV at least) that Orton’s European title has been on the line. Could Hardy finally do the business with the title on the line? Well the sold out crowd were itching to find out. The heat for this one was huge, which is a testament both to the booking squad and the increased competence of both men as the storyline has progressed. Again the time constraints (yes. even this match suffered) meant that we didn’t quite get the quality of match that these two can produce (witness their stellar Man Of Steel final last month) but this was still a very rewarding and very dramatic match. Orton took control for most of it and it really seemed that he would take the victory when it arguably most mattered in the feud, but try as he might he could not finish Hardy off. Hardy’s comebacks were willed on by the partisan crowd, but Orton always seemed to have just enough about him to repel Hardy. However Hardy’s persistence paid off and he managed to hit a Twist Of Fate on Orton and, much to the delight of the crowd, it was enough to get the three count and to a HUGE reaction, Matt Hardy had won the European Championship.
Dean Roberts Vs The Undertaker ( * * * )
So now it was time for the final match of the evening. And what a prospect it was; The Undertaker in his first match in IWF territory in over four years, Dean Roberts’ first match in 15 months and their first one-on-one meeting for nearly six years! The crowd really were up for this one, and you really could sense the atmosphere as the bongs sounded to herald Taker’s appearance. There were chills in the air and the fans were already going wild. And when Dean Roberts came out the cheers turned to boos and we really did sense that this match was on.
The two went at it with a wild brawl right from the onset. This wasn’t technical wrestling, but it did show that brawling based grappling can be exciting and entertaining. The fans were with every step of this one; cheering wildly when Taker took the fight to Dean and booing just as loudly when Dean took control of portions of the bout. Some stiff offence from ‘Taker opened up a cut on Dean’s forehead, reminiscent of their classic 1998 cage battle, and it added a visual flair to the bout. As the bout wore on it looked more and more likely that the Undertaker would be the one winning, as Dean was visibly flailing, but it wasn’t to be. In sheer desperation, Dean hit a low blow on the Undertaker and in the ensuing melee the referee took a tumble. And it was then that the damndest thing happened.
Taker recovered enough to get Dean read for The Last Ride, but then from out of nowhere, Matthew Mercy, Xavier and The Big Gee reappeared from through the crowd and lynched the ‘Taker. They hid at ringside as Dean hit the Scholarship on the Undertaker and the referee awoke to see Dean making the pin and three seconds later, the referee rang for the bell and Dean Roberts had won.
The trio returned to the ring and shook hands with Dean, before all four of them continued the onslaught. The quartet then kicked Taker out of the ring before standing centre stage and lifting all their arms aloft as the crowd went absolutely berserk.

An interesting pay-per-view that had far too much crammed into three hours for comfort. That said, it was rarely less than entertaining and you really got the feeling that you were watching a special event. And the ending…WOW. Who knows where that is leading, but it is clear that the IWF is hotting up once again.