Heat Wave 2007

Heat Wave 2007
Sunday 17th June 2007
Doncaster Arena, Doncaster

IWF UNIFIED TRIPLE CROWN;
Vs
Matt Morgan Vs Finlay

With Special Guest Referee;

TITO ORTIZ

Ever since Matt Morgan walked away from MuscleMania the Unified World Champion, Finlay has been snapping away at his heels. At May's Super Schiznit Sunday II pay-per-view, Finlay won the Unified World Title in a First Blood match, despite Finlay bleeding. The two had a rematch on the 23rd May Warfare which Morgan won to retain the title, but again in distinctly controversial circumstances. Such was the situation, with referees being knocked out, the IWF referee's stated that they would not referee any more Morgan/Finlay matches, due to fears for their safety. New IWF Commissioner Dean Roberts came up with a contingency plan which would allow Morgan and Finlay to mix it up for one last time when he called in UFC Superstar Tito Ortiz to referee the match. A move which Dean insists has nothing to do with Tito's girlfriend Jenna Jameson. Ortiz has told both men that he will not back down and if the situation calls for it he will get physical. The scene is set for the culmination of one of the IWF's wildest rivalries.

GOLD RUSH CONTRACT MATCH;
Vs
CM Punk Vs "The Phenomenon" Paul Wardle

When CM Punk laid his hands on the Gold Rush briefcase at SSS II, he got a guaranteed shot at the World Champion, at any time of his choosing over the next 12 months. When, on the 23rd May episode of Warfare, he defeated Kane to add the European Title to the United Kingdom Championship that he already owned it seemed like there was no stopping Punk. But Paul Wardle had other ideas. He laid a series of brutal sneak attacks on Punk and said that he wanted the Gold Rush contract; Punk, acting against the advice of many, agreed that he would put the Gold Rush contract on the line in a match against Wardle, here at Heat Wave. Has Punk's rush of blood cost him the most lucrative contract of his life, or will Punk put Wardle down and continue his path to the championship opportunity?

Vs
Triple H Vs Randy Orton

The fans may have chosen these two to team up with each other at Super Schiznit Sunday, but neither man seemingly enjoyed the experience. Triple H took exception to Orton's proclamations that he was the reason the team won their match against Jay Reso and The Big Gee whilst Orton made it clear that he felt HHH's time had passed and that he himself was the future of the business. The war of words escalated, and the only way to settle it is the old-fashioned way...in the middle of the squared-circle. Fans may be struggling for someone to cheer in this match, but there is no doubt that it is going to be a real slobber-knocker.

WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE TOURNAMENT

Semi-Finals:
Vs
Elijah Burke & Chris Jericho Vs Harry Smith & TJ Wilson

Vs
America's Most Wanted Vs Xavier & Chris Benoit

PLUS THE FINAL:

With Phil Jackson suffering a serious injury at SSS II, he and partner Paul Wardle had to vacate the World Tag Team Titles; as a result IWF Commissioner Dean Roberts put the belts up for grabs in an 8-team tournament, with the quarter finals on Warfare & Impact and the semi-finals and final to be held at Heat Wave. Burke & Jericho defeated European Tag Champions Brian Kendrick & Lance Hoyt to qualify, whilst their opponents Harry Smith & TJ Wilson defeated their perennial rivals Flavio Love & Loco Delgado of the Bang Gang. To set up the other semi-final match up, former champions AMW defeated the Canadian Team of Bobby Roode and Eric Young whilst Xavier & Chris Benoit defeated the monstrous team of Umaga & Abyss. See both semi-finals and the final in one-night as new IWF World Tag Team Champions are crowned.

WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE;
Four Corners Mayhem

Eric Young Vs Milano Collection AT Vs Mistico Vs Matt Sydal

When the IWF announced in May that three new Cruiserweight superstars had inked deals with the company fans were thrilled, but surely they couldn't have expected all three men to get such a great opportunity so soon. All three men were eager to prove themselves so IWF Commissioner Dean Roberts gave them that ultimate opportunity to prove themselves...a shot at Eric Young's Cruiserweight title. It's first pinfall wins so it really is all on the line. Will Eric Young beat the odds or will one of the newcomers make an immediate splash and grab the gold?

Vs
Jay Reso Vs Rhino

Two former best friends meet in an emotional and potentially bruising encounter. These two have worked together all over the world, but Rhino has become increasingly concerned about Reso's behaviour towards him, accusing Reso of "using [me] like you've used everyone else". Reso has blamed Rhino's outburst on jealousy and that Rhino's career hasn't been half the success that his own has been. The two now meet in a match that will cement the break-up of their friendship for ever.

Vs
Edge Vs Samoa Joe

If Edge thought his professional life was going to get more difficult when Dean Roberts was voted in as the new IWF Commissioner by the fans he was absolutely spot on. Claiming that he was acting "in the spirt of athletic competition" Dean Roberts named the fearsome Samoa Joe as Edge's opponent for Heat Wave (although not before remarking he was going to choose Barabus Lashley but feared that Lashley's bald head might remind Edge too much of Annalise Anderson). Edge is livid, but has been warned that he will be in breach of contract if he doesn't wrestle the match. Joe has been his usual quietly confident self; not interested in any mind games, he just wants to kick some ass!

Vs
Mohammed Fakjir Vs Barabus Lashley

"The Egyptian Playa" Mohammed Fakjir has been causing quite a stir in the IWF since his arrival, but one man has been distinctly underwhelmed by his attitude. Barabus Lashley has called Fakjir a "classless" man, a jibe which earned him a beating from Fakjir's bodyguard Justice Porter, and has said that he is looking forward to knocking some respect into his opponent. Fakjir...well Fakjir doesn't sweat a thing and he seems certain that Lashley will be just another name on the list, but will his confidence prove to be mislaid?

IWF Prime Time RETURNS

The International Wrestling Federation is pleased to announce that they have struck a deal with Channel 5 in the UK for IWF Prime Time to return to our screens. The first monthly episode will be broadcast on Monday 11th June, at 10:30 pm and will be a 90 minute show.

Super Schiznit Sunday II Report

It’s that time of the year again, where the IWF fans are “put in charge” of the matchmaking. Ok, so it’s hardly carte blanche, but we like the idea and once again the IWF put up an intriguing set of things for us to vote on. So let’s get cracking…

Tag Team Title Match ( * * * ¼ )

The results to decide which set of tag belts were on the line were as follows;

World Tag Team Titles – 66.4 %
European Tag Team Titles – 33.6 %

Obviously the desire from the fans was to see Brian Kendrick & Lance Hoyt lift the World titles, rather than see Phil Jackson and Paul Wardle complete a clean sweep of things. Of course if one thinks about it did rather telegraph the outcome of this match as whilst you may have thought the World Champions had a chance of doubling up, you never really thought that the European champions had any chance of doing the same. Still this was a very enjoyable match which was perfect as an opening encounter. The fans were really into it and all four men responded with good performances.
And the rating of this match would probably have been a smidgen higher if it wasn’t for the misfortune that befell “The Graduate” Phil Jackson as we were about to go into the home straight. It’s unclear as to how it actually happened but as Jackson went to hit Kendrick with a boot, his planted foot gave way and, as we would learn later on, Jackson tore his quadriceps muscle and went down in a heap. He valiantly tried to carry on, but the guys went straight to the finish and Wardle pinned Kendrick to retain the titles for his team.
A good opener, which ended up badly for Jackson. It looks like he’ll be out for a minimum of six months which is a terrible blow as he was in the midst of one of his biggest pushes. It remains to be seen what will happen to the World Tag Belts in the meantime, but it’s clear that the new commissioner will have a busy first day in office.

Debut Attraction Match; ( * ¾ )

The results to decide Mohammed Fakjir’s debut opponent were as follows;

Dave Proud – 48.4 %
John Cena – 46.5 %
Paul London – 5.1 %

This time last year it was Barabus Lashley who got the special feature debut treatment; this year it was Mohammed Fakjir. What we can safely is that if Lashley’s twelve months are anything to go by, Fakjir will certainly get the chance to shine. Which is more than he really got here. Dave Proud won the vote and much like he did for Umaga at Shoot Out, he put Fakjir over here clean and took a bit of a bruising in the process (including taking some monster blows from Fakjir’s “bodyguard” Justice Porter.
Fakjir won with the “Playa Power” (a reverse STO) for a relatively easy and satisfactory night’s work. It’s difficult to tell what the future holds for Fakjir, but the crowd were into him and it goes to show just what actually building a wrestler’s debut can do.

Gold Rush Ladder Match ( * * * * )

The results of the voting for the 6th and final person in the match were as follows;

Shelton Benjamin – 32.5 %
Barabus Lashley – 26.85 %
Chris Harris – 18.25 %
Umaga – 15.5 %
Joey Mercury – 6.9%

This was one of the most intriguing aspects of the night, not so much for the fans getting to choose the 6th man, but more because of the unique stipulation attached to the bout. A six man ladder match is innovative enough, but instead of a title hanging above the ring, instead there was a “title opportunity”. In plain English, a contract enabling the winner of the match to have a World title shot of his choosing any time within the next 12 months. None of the six men in question (or even the five plus five) have ever been long-term title contenders (although Punk and Rhino have had title matches) which made the whole thing even more intriguing. This wasn’t the “big” names fighting over another chance at the top, this was the “young lions” chasing their big opportunity.
To the surprise of some, Shelton Benjamin won the fans vote for the final spot, not that he seemed particularly inclined to thank the crowd, and the six men made their way to the ring with what seemed like a mixture of fear and an adrenaline rush. Then when the bell rang they unleashed all they had with a fury.
Highlights included an absolutely insane Rhino “Gore” from the top-rope on CM Punk as he dangled from the rope holding the Gold Rush briefcase, Shelton Benjamin leaping off a ladder set up in the ring, onto Abyss who was on a table at ringside and Samoa Joe and Edge sending each other flying as both climbed ladders in an attempt to grab the contract.
In the end however it was CM Punk who managed to climb the ladder and grab onto the Gold Rush Briefcase, much to the delight of the sold-out crowd. Punk now has a guaranteed title shot of his choosing, to be taken at any time within the next 12 months. The world is indeed his oyster; and this was a fantastic spot-fest to boot.

Grudge Match ( * * * )

The results to choose the stipulation of the Annalise Anderson/Alexis Laree match were as follows;

Hair Vs Hair – 83.7 %
Bra & Panties Match – 9.15 %
Lumberjill Match – 7.15 %

The women had little chance of following the Gold Rush match, but thankfully the choice of stipulation, Hair Vs Hair, meant that the fans were into this one as well. And after a hard-fought back and forth match the IWF proved that when the said that one of these women would be shaved bald if this stipulation was picked. Alexis Laree got the win following the Laree-D-T (top-rope tornado DDT) and then the fun really began.
From out of nowhere some old familiar music blared out and the IWF fans were treated to an appearance by Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake! Yes, Ed Leslie himself. They wheeled a barber’s chair to ringside and proceeded to shave poor Annalise Anderson bald. Every last bit of her flowing locks was trimmed off, much to the delight of the sell-out crowd. Anderson was beside herself, Laree was ecstatic.
A good match, with the ending everyone wanted to see. Sometimes you don’t need any more than that.

Captains Match ( * * )

The results to pick the “captains” of the Bang Gang and Hart Foundation 2.0 for their one-on-one match were as follows;

BANG GANG
Mario Lama – 30.4 %
Flavio Love – 28.45 %
Loco Delgado – 24.1 %
Titi Buengo – 9.55 %
Mantorras Figueirdo – 7.5 %

HART FOUNDATION
Harry Smith – 26.4 %
Teddy Hart – 25.1 %
Nattie Neidhart – 20.7 %
Jack Evans – 14.1 %
TJ Wilson – 13.7 %

So in the fans infinite wisdom it came down to Mario Lama Vs Harry Smith. Lama was probably chosen by the fans because he’s a right big beast of a bastard (or maybe some fans were kidding around and wanted to choose the least proficient member of the Bang Gang); Smith probably got the nod because being the son of former World Champion Davey Boy Smith is a little more historic than being the nephew of Bret Hart or the daughter of Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart. (And what was up with the 20% of you who voted for Nattie, you cruel bastards).
Anyway the match itself was perfectly respectable although you knew about four weeks ago that it would be overbooked to the extent that the eight people who didn’t get the votes would all end up involved anyway. And so it turned out; the Bang Gang ran in first , the Hart Foundation evened up the odds and in amongst the melee Harry finished off Mario with his dad’s old favourite the running powerslam for a hugely popular victory.
It wasn’t brilliant, but it was a good start for the Hart Foundation. Even with the news that Mantorras Figueirdo suffered a lateral left meniscus tear in his knee, which will keep him out for up to three months, shouldn’t spoil the fact that the Bang Gang / Hart Foundation rivalry has only just begun. Of course the initial burst of family connection aided pops can’t carry them for ever, but they’ll surely get the chance to show what the can really do in the weeks and months to come.

Pick A Partner ( * * * ¾ )

The results to find Xavier’s tag team partner for the evening were as follows;

Chris Benoit – 71.35 %
Kane – 18.95 %
Rob Van Dam – 9.7 %

One of the more outright voting victories of the night (is it any wonder mind you given the fact Kane seems on his last legs and RVD hasn’t done a thing of note in months) as the fans voted for Chris Benoit, knowing full well that this was the best route to getting a great match. And that we got as well, despite Xavier still suffering from the effects of his arm injury, although pre-match he stated that the physiotherapy of Trish Stratus had almost certainly “saved his wrestling career.”
Burke & Jericho make quite the double act but it also has to be said that Benoit & Xavier made a strong team as well, meshing well and seemingly having a whale of a time. This was, in many respects, a good “old-school” tag match with a back and forth opening session turning into the heel team cutting Benoit off from his partner and going to work. Of course, the talent in the ring being what it was we also got some very hot sequences as well.
The end portion of the match may well have been the best of the entire card. Xavier got the hot-tag and proceeded to clean house, but it wasn’t to be. Jericho smacked Xavier into the path of Burke who hit him with the Elijah Express for the 1-2-3, and his second pinfall victory over Xavier in two attempts.
After the match Xavier was gingerly holding his arm as his buddy Benoit tended to him. Burke & Jericho meanwhile just celebrated and celebrated. A significant win for Burke in a very good match indeed.

Tag Team Tornado Match ( * * ¾ )

The results to pick the tag team encounter were as follows;

Triple H & Randy Orton Vs Jay Reso & The Big Gee – 41.05 %
Triple H & Jay Reso Vs Randy Orton & The Big Gee – 30.15 %
Randy Orton & Jay Reso Vs The Big Gee & Triple H – 28.8 %

This was the match on the card that most had that “thrown together to give some names something to do” feel about it. The fact that this was the closest overall vote of the night is nothing to do with great choices, more to do with the fact that none of the three choices really stood out.
It was a decent match, nothing more and the only really significant point of note to come out of it was the amount of damage apparently done to The Big Gee. To finish the match he took a Triple H pedigree and a Randy Orton RKO – which saw Orton get the pinfall – and then his partner for the evening Jay Reso was so incensed at what he saw as Gee’s pitiful performance that he hit Gee with an Unprettier after the decision. So Gee was stretchered out, and packed off to hospital, seemingly knocked out cold.
Pretty much a card-filler all the way, although I suppose it will be interesting to see where the Gee storyline goes now.

New IWF Commissioner

The results to choose the new IWF commissioner were as follows;

Dean Roberts – 50.9 %
Paul Heyman – 32.6 %
Wellington Wilkins Jnr. – 6.9 %
Shane Douglas – 5.4 %
PJW – 4.2 %

It was only ever a two-horse race (although we’d have liked to see IWF “legend” Wellington Wilkins Jnr. get the job ourselves) and it came as little surprise to see that Dean Roberts took the vote. The live crowd seemed to approve as Dean celebrated and Paul Heyman looked particularly cheesed off that he hadn’t won. They made a point as well of stating that as of 9am on Monday morning, Dean would officially be sworn in as IWF commissioner, a fact which would become pretty important once the main event reached it’s conclusion…

Unified World Title; ( * * * ¼ )

The results to pick the stipulation for Matt Morgan Vs Finlay were as follows;

First Blood Match – 52.3 %
Falls Count Anywhere Match – 36.9 %
Submission Match – 10.8 %

So it was the First Blood stipulation, a choice that pleased Finlay no end (“I was going to make him bleed anyway, so this just makes it easier”). The two, quite simply, waged a war on each other. This certainly wasn’t Toots Mondt territory. With the First Blood rules encompassing a no countout and no disqualifications rule book the two went at it with a fury, exchanging punches, kicks and foreign objects shots with gay abandon. Which was understandable really given that you had to make your opponent bleed to win the match.
The ending came in as a controversial one; referee Mickie Henson was smashed by a chair shot from Morgan (that was meant for Finlay) when the Irish Bastard pulled him in the way. This didn’t stop Morgan however as he unleashed a positively evil series of chair shots at Finlay’s head causing him to bleed. With the referee out though, there was no way to declare the winner. As Morgan tried to wake up the referee, Finlay’s little friend Hornswoggle came from out of the ring and distracted Morgan, allowing Finlay to smack the world champion with the Shillelagh repeatedly, opening up a great big gash on Morgan’s head. Finlay was then handed a towel by Hornswoggle and he wiped the blood off his face as best as he could. The referee stirred, saw a virtually clean Finaly and a bloodied and battered Morgan and signalled for the bell to ring. The decision? We had a NEW world champion in Finlay. Morgan was livid when he realised what was happening, but his protestations were for naught as Finlay was given the belt. The show ended with Finlay holding the title belt up, celebrating, as the commentators wondered what new IWF commissioner Dean Roberts was going to make of all this!

Whilst not an across the board knock-out this was a very enjoyable IWF pay-per-view which never sunk to terrible depths. Throw in a couple of outstanding matches (Gold Rush, Pick A Partner), some shocking results (did anyone see Finlay coming out of SSS as the new Champion?) and the every entertaning interactive basis of the show and you end up with an action packed show which should have been enjoyable to all those watching.

Diva's leave the IWF

Today the International Wrestling Federation can announce that Torrie Wilson and Jackie Gayda have been released by the company.

We wish them all the best for the future.

IWF Cruiserweight Signings

The IWF have always delivered the finest in Cruiserweight wrestling action and today they announced THREE new signings to add competition to that division.

MILANO COLLECTION A.T.;

A.T. has worldwide experience, having fought in America, Mexico and Japan to name just three places. He's egotistical, but his list of acheivments, including NWA and UWA titles and winning the 2006 Jeff Petersen Memorial cup, show that he can back that up in the ring.

MISTICO

Mistico has proven over the past 18 months to be the biggest draw of the modern Mexican era, headlining numerous sell-out events. His talents are there for all to see and it's a credit to the man that he's willing to step out of his comfort zone and head to the IWF.

MATT SYDAL

Matt Sydal has long had a reputation as one of the top independent wrestler's on the circuit today. So much so that we're assured he would have been offered an IWF contract even if her beautiful girlfriend Lizzy Valentine wasn't along for the ride as well. All joking aside, Sydal has an international reputation as one of the best and he's looking to prove that he is here in the IWF.

Charles Anderson is on his way...

Charles Anderson, one of the most mysterious, but charismatic, men you are every likely to meet, is on his way to the IWF.

It is unknown when he will make his debut but already there is a great buzz about the man, who has been seen backstage at IWF events already.

One IWF worker, who wished to remain anonymous, stated "there was definitely a presence about the man, but it seemed like an evil presence. There was certainly something unsettling about him."

Before he's even stepped foot in an IWF ring, Charles Anderson is a superstar causing a commotion.

IWF Announce Departures

The International Wrestling Federation have today announced that they have come to agreements with some IWF superstars to release them from their contracts.

Gregory Helms, Carlito, Peter Turner and Sly Terkay have all received their releases.

The IWF wishes them all the best for their futures.

IWF speak out on Florian Finch

After seeing a barrage of rumours surrounding former IWF superstar Florian Finch over the past few months, the International Wrestling Federation today broke their silence on the story to say that, yes, Finch has been in talks with the IWF but that, no, he hasn't signed a contract.

"Finch has met with the owners and members of the booking squad recently" said one source "and whilst we were initially confident that a deal could be struck, Finch has since no-showed subsequent meetings."

The IWF would not comment on suggestions in the dirt-sheets that Finch's fiance accompanied him to their last meeting, with no prior knowledge of the officials.

"Whlist I would never say never" continued our source, "at this time I would say it is extremely unlikely that Finch will return to the IWF at any time in the near-future."

New Diva Inks A Contract

The International Wrestling Federation can today announce that it has signed Roni Jonah to a contract.

Roni has plied her trade in British Columbia independents, where she has caught the eye of IWF talent scouts.

"It's a dream come true to sign with the IWF" said Jonah. "To get noticed at such an early stage of my career is unvbelievable. But I know that in reality the hard work starts now."

At this time Jonah is expected to be sent to one of the IWF development territories, probably PJW's Derby Wrestling Alliance, for training and seasoning.

IWF officials are confident though that she will make quite an impact on this business in the months and years to come.

IWF Announce Departures

Today the International Wrestling Federation announced that it had reached agreements with certain IWF superstars for contract releases.

Carina Gillespie, Oleg Prudius, Shinya Makaybe, Austin Aries and Shep Oakwood have all parted company with the IWF.

We wish them all the best in their future endeavours.

On a similar note, IWF officials also confirmed that Sting's IWF contract has now expired and that marks the end of Sting's tenure with the company.

Hart Foundation 2.0

As evidenced at the Hall Of Fame banquet and MuscleMania, the Hart family legacy lives on with these talented performers, who are all signed to new deals here in the IWF.

Here is an introduction;

HARRY SMITH

Son of the late "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith.

TEDDY HART

Nephew of Bret & Owen Hart.

JACK EVANS

Trained in Stu Hart's Dungeon

TJ WILSON

Adopted by Stu and Helen Hart at the age of 10.

NATTIE NEIDHART

Daughter of Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart

Super Schiznit Sunday II Card

SUPER SCHIZNIT SUNDAY II
Sunday 20th May 2007
Superdome, Coventry

The IWF event where YOU choose the matches and stipulations!

UNIFIED WORLD TITLE:
Vs
Matt Morgan Vs Finlay

A- Submission Match
B- First Blood Match
C- Falls Count Anywhere Match

If Matt Morgan got one of the biggest wins of his career by defeating Jay Reso to lift the Unified World Title, Finlay shocked the world at the same event by defeating Hollywood Superstar Matthew Mercy in an epic and brutal battle. So impressive was his victory that Eric Bishchoff, in one of his last acts as IWF Commissioner, made Finlay the number one contender for Morgan's title. Now the two meet one-on-one and you, the IWF fans get to choose the stipulation.

TAG TEAM TORNADO MATCH

Triple H, Randy Orton, The Big Gee & Jay Reso

YOU PICK THE MATCH.

A- Triple H & Randy Orton Vs The Big Gee & Jay Reso
B- Triple H & The Big Gee Vs Randy Orton & Jay Reso

C- Triple H & Jay Reso Vs The Big Gee & Randy Orton

Four of the top competitors in the IWF today meet in what is sure to be a classic Tag Team encounter and you get to choose who is paired together. The Big Gee and Randy Orton have had their recent battles, but Gee also has history with Triple H. There is also the matter of the recent Orton/Reso battle over the world title. Whatever the teams this is sure to be an hellacious tag team encounter.

CHOOSE THE IWF COMMISSIONER;



A- Paul Heyman
B- Shane Douglas
C- PJW
D- Dean Roberts
E- Wellington Wilkens Jnr

Eric Bischoff's run as IWF Commissioner came to an end at a recent Warfare episode as Finlay brutally attacked Eric and put him in hospital. The IWF board of directors, in an historic decision, have let the IWF fans choose his replacement. The choice is yours to directly influence the future direction of the entire company!


GOLD RUSH LADDER MATCH:

Partcipants:


Abyss

CM Punk

Edge

Rhino

Samoa Joe

YOU PICK THE FINAL COMPETITOR:

A- Barabus Lashley
B- Chris Harris
C- Shelton Benjamin
D- Joey Mercury
E- Umaga

In an IWF first, six men will meet in the Gold Rush Ladder match with one of the biggest prizes on the line. Whomever climbs the ladder and collects the Gold Rush briefcase will earn the right to a GUARANTEED Unified World Title shot of their OWN choosing, to be cashed in at any point over the next 12 months. That's right, the winner has the right to challenge for the world title at any time they wish at any point in time over the next year! The five men who won their Qualifying matches in recent weeks are in but you, the IWF fans, can give one of the qualifying losers their "Second Chance".


PICK THE PARTNER MATCH:

Vs
Elijah Burke & Chris Jericho Vs Xavier & ???

A- Kane
B- Rob Van Dam
C- Chris Benoit

The shocking return to the IWF of Chris Jericho at MuscleMania had an even more shocking conclusion when his alliance with Elijah Burke ended up putting Xavier's on the shelf as they attacked his already broken hand. Xavier returns to action at Super Schiznit Sunday and you get to decide his partner to take on Burke & Jericho. All three choices are firm friends of the Xav man but only one can get the nod for the match.


TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH:
World Tag Titles Vs European Tag Titles
YOU CHOOSE WHICH BELTS ARE ON THE LINE

Vs
Paul Wardle & Phil Jackson Vs Brian Kendrick & Lance Hoyt

A- World Tag Team Titles
B- European Tag Team Titles

The two IWF tag team champions battle head to head and you choose which of the belts go on the line. Wardle & Jackson, aided by the management skills of Jose Mourhino, shocked the world by defeating America's Most Wanted at MuscleMania XVI whilst Kendrick & Hoyt are long-standing Tag Team Champions. The potential is there to unify the tag team titles, but which set of belts will be on the line. One team will have everything to gain, one team will have everything to lose.


SPECIAL DEBUT ATTRACTION:


Mohammed Fakjir

Vs

A- John Cena
B- Paul London
C- Dave Proud

The "Egyptian Playa" Mohammed Fakjir made his first IWF appearance at MuscleMania XVI but it is at Super Schiznit Sunday that he makes his in-ring debut, and you get to choose his opponent.


GRUDGE MATCH:

Vs
Annalise Anderson Vs Alexis Laree

A- Bra & Panties Match
B- Hair vs. Hair Match
C- Lumberjill Match

In amongst the historic Dean Roberts & Edge match at MuscleMania XVI the world was shocked when Alexis Laree made her way to the ring and stopped Annalise Anderson interfereing in the match. Despite Annalise's lurid suggestions, Laree has stated that she was only doing "what was right" but the battleground has been drawn...and you can choose the stipulation. Will you choose a Bra & Panties match, a Lumberjill match (where the ring is surrounded by all the IWF Diva's) or even a Hair Vs Hair match!


CAPTAINS MATCH;

Bang Gang Vs Hart Foundation 2.0

A- Loco Delgado
B- Mantorras Figuierdo
C- Flavio Love
D- Mario Lama
E- Titi Buengo

Vs

A- Teddy Hart
B- Harry Smith
C- TJ Wilson
D- Jack Evans
E- Nattie Neidhart

The Hart Foundation 2.0 have arrived in the IWF but they've already raised the ire of The Bang Gang, resulting in this special Captains match. It will be a one-on-one match with one man from either side...or one woman as due to the Bang Gang's machinations Nattie Neidhart was added to the ballot. You can decide which competitors wage war on their factions behalf.

MuscleMania XVI Review

Well it was finally that time of year again. The time for the International Wrestling Federation’s biggest event, MuscleMania. The build up has been exciting (the IWF has really heated up since the change of booking squad back in December) and anticipation was running high.

The show kicked off with the “IWF’s favourite band in the whole world” Girls Aloud singing the National Anthem, God Save The Queen. Bloody lovely it was too.

Then it was onto the pre-game video package; as one might expect this was excellent stuff indeed. The really big names (Mercy, Dean, Tripper et. al.) spoke about MuscleMania defining their careers whilst the young up and coming studs (CM Punk, Elijah Burke, Barabus Lashley et. al.) spoke about this being their chance to make an impact in the spotlight. Perhaps unsurprisingly they didn’t have either Wardle or Jackson expressing their shock at actually being booked on the show, nor did they have the Cruiserweights asking why they weren’t on the card. But in all seriousness, this was goose-bump stuff.

Although really, is anyone any the wiser as to why Standing In The Way Of Control by Gossip was chosen as this year’s theme tune? Mind you it could have been worse. Beth Ditto could have turned up to sing it!
The atmosphere was white-hot as we went to the MEN arena and commentators for the evening George Minister and JBL (who lets face it is a hundred times better as a colour commentator than he ever was as a wrestler) welcomed us.

CM Punk Vs Abyss ( * * * )

So we kicked things off with this battle over the United Kingdom Title, the champion Punk accompanied by his main squeeze Maria (and now he’s back as a babyface, please disregard the fact that he stole her off his best mate Colt Cabana) whilst the rather less delightful Father James Mitchell accompanied the challenger Abyss. This being the opener the crowd was rocking and both men put their best foot forward and put on quite the entertaining little tussle.
Punk controlled the early going but Abyss’ superior power meant that he soon gained the upper hand. The two traded hot moves back and forth until some timely interference by Mitchell left his charge completely in control. Abyss seemed sure to get the win but, in a move right out of the 1980’s wrestling manual, Maria decided that she’d try and distract the monster. She distracted me, I’ll say that much. At first Abyss looked like he was going to try and kiss her, but then he grabbed her and set her up for a choke slam. However, Maria hit him with a low blow, and Punk got behind Abyss and rolled him up for the 1-2-3, and the pinfall victory that retained him his United Kingdom Title.
A great little opener which did exactly what every PPV opener should do; with a little more time, and a slightly less camp ending, this might have been even better, but on a night when stars can be made, both men should be happy with their performances. Punk surprised some by retaining the title, but it’s actually the loss for Abyss that might suggest he’s onto bigger things in the short-term (his post MM scene is a lot more potentially varied without carrying the UK title).

Backstage we could see Phil Jackson warming up, doing some stretches when he was approached by his, reluctant, tag team partner Paul Wardle. Wardle said he’d got a surprise and that he’d sought the help of a “manager” to give them some pointers for the evening…and at that point he introduced Chelsea manager Jose Mourhinho. Of course Jose got booed (we are in Manchester after all) but he spouted some words of wisdom and told Jackson & Wardle that they could win the tag team titles tonight. The trio then went off for a “team discussion”!


Kane Vs Umaga Vs Samoa Joe (Hardcore Rules, * * * )

Well, as the story goes, a ring couldn’t contain these guys over the past few months, let it all hang out in a Falls Count Anywhere Hardcore rules match. And it was brutal. The only thing that really hurt the match, in a funny sense, is that all three men are portrayed as monsters and at times the match was crying out for a bump machine to take some crazy dives (an “in his prime” Cactus Jack for example would have been in his element here).
You certainly can’t question the work ethic of any of the three men though. They went through some pain; hell, Umaga went through a plate-glass window! Of course there was little technical excellence on show (really Joe was wasted in this environment to some extent) but taken for what it was, this was an enjoyable brawl that at least had the sense to stay relatively short and throw in enough big bumps to keep everyone entertained.
In the end it was Kane who retained (the second match in a row where a champion, to some extents, surprisingly retained his belt) by finishing off Umaga with a Tombstone onto to some wooden pallets! An entertaining match, although not one that you can see being a defining moment in any of their careers. Still they made the most of the situation, and certainly didn’t bore anyone. So job well done.

At this point we were taken to an “executive box” in the MEN where backstage interviewer Leticia Cline was waiting to introduce us to the newest IWF signing, Mohammed Fakir. (He of the “My Egyptian Lover” vignettes that have aired over the past few weeks on Warfare and Impact). Fakir was blinged up to the nines as ever, and surrounded by his harem of lovely ladies AND his “personal bodyguard” Justice Porter. Fakir was quite jovial but when Cline attempted to speak to Porter, Fakir warned her that his bodyguard was a dangerous man who had done time for armed robbery. (Amazingly, this is true, and one can only imagine the IWF are mentioning it now to stave off any problems over this “revelation” in the future). Cline took the hint and left the Egyptian “playa” and his bodyguard to their own devices.

Backstage skit time, and we were with Girls Aloud member Cheryl. She walking about, looking lovely as they do, when Cheryl Cole bumped into Xavier. The two had a quick discussion about his upcoming match (Cheryl expressing a wish that Xavier “do” Burke) and then they shared a hug, which certainly put a smile on the young man’s face.

Xavier Vs Elijah Burke ( * * * * ¼ )

This has been brewing for a couple of months now and has both highlighted that Burke is seen a future headliner by the IWF management and that they are right to place a lot of faith in him. His cause has been in no way harmed by the fact that he’s been feuding with one of the best in the game, Xavier. The two have been dynamite on the microphone leading up to this one and the intrigue surrounding the masked man added another layer of anticipation to the match.
Even Xavier’s recent hand injury didn’t slow down the build-up as Xav worked through the pain, with a cast on his hand, although Burke made sure that Xavier didn’t wear a hard-cast for this match (even going so far as to petition IWF Commissioner Eric Bischoff to ensure “fair-play”).
The fans were very vocal at the start of this one, both in their support for Xavier and their hatred for Elijah. Burke started off all cocky but soon got the smile slapped off his face, quite literally as Xavier unleashed a flurry of blows at his opponent. Burke sidled to ringside for a time-out but Xavier followed him and continued the onslaught. As the action got back in the ring Burke took control and the rest of the match remained a back and forth effort with neither man taking too much control of the match for any long period.
Burke went to work on Xavier’s injured hand but Xavier rallied and although Burke managed to wriggle out of it, an attempted Xav-Attack seemed to suggest that the momentum was with Xavi. However in the melee the referee took a tumble and when Xavier actually hit the Xav-Attack there was no-one there to count the pinfall. And wouldn’t you know it, this was the cue for the mysterious masked man to make his way to ringside…except that he was wearing a referee’s shirt. He slid into the ring and started to make the pinfall count but stopped at two and stood up.
Xavier was nonplussed but before he could place his hands on the referee he was caught by Burke who hit him with the Elijah Express. As our masked man left the ring the original referee came to and saw Burke covering the prone Xavi and made the three count which made Elijah Burke the winner.
After this the masked man confronted Xavier, as Burke held him, and took of his mask to reveal…CHRIS JERICHO!!!! Xavier looked shocked but then Burke & Jericho attacked Xavier and looked for all the world as if they were trying to break his injured arm. Eventually backstage officials stormed the ring and stopped the melee. Xavier was helped to the back as Burke & Jericho celebrated.
A great great match, and one which cemented Burke’s status as one to watch. The return of Jericho was both a surprise and very deftly carried out. Burke and Jericho have the look of quite a double act and although we suspect Xavier might be on the sidelines for a short while, he’s a ready made dispute for his return. Thumbs up all around.

Sting Vs Rhino ( * * ¾ )

Well Sting’s six-month (or thereabouts) contract is up and there’s no sign of him signing a new deal. How much of a success his short-run has been is open to question; many think that given the fact he beat Matthew Mercy in his debut he’s not done an awful lot to suggest he deserved to get the nod there. So would this, seemingly his last night in the IWF, be the night when he would “do the right thing?” Well, as it turned out, yes and no. No, as in it wasn’t Sting’s shoulders that went down for the three count (erm, actually no-one’s did) but yes in as much as that Mr Borden did enough to make Rhino look like some kind of star.
It wasn’t a great match, and to be honest no-one really thinks that Sting is in the position to have great matches anymore, but it was a competitive one and did go some lengths towards trying to repair Rhino’s battered reputation.
It was the ending sequence that really did it. Both men were bleeding to buggery, yes, even Sting, and fans sensed the ending when Rhino seemed to be stalking his prey for the Gore. However Sting evaded it, Rhino hit the ring post and the Sting locked on the Scorpion Deathlock. Rhino wouldn’t quit though, despite Sting synching on the hold, and in the end it was only when Rhino passed out that the referee called for the bell for win by technical knockout. JBL shilled Rhino as if his life depended on it and the fans cheering for Sting’s victory was almost surpassed by the cheers that Rhino got when he finally made it back into the land of the living. Sting even stayed on to shake his hand and the two shared a manly hug as they walked off.
It may not have been the “putting over” that Rhino may have hoped for, but the match certainly went to some lengths to protect him. Sting, it seems, is gone so perhaps the result was the wrong one, but few would begrudge Sting a last moment of glory, just like few would begrudge Rhino getting some glory as a result of this match.

We then went backstage to see the lovely Sarah Harding of Girls Aloud. She was talking to none-other than the Big Gee’s girlfriend Riley Mason. They seemed to be getting along quite well when none other than the Gee himself walked around the corner and to be honest it looked as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. His cheeky grin said it all.

Matthew Mercy Vs Finlay ( * * * * )

In the years to come if you look up “stiff” in the interactive Wrestling Dictionary then they will show you a recording of this match. This may well have been the most brutal one-on-one encounter ever seen on IWF programming. It’s not that they went the “insane” route, its just that for nearly 20 minutes they knocked seven bells of crap out of each other with all manner of positively evil looking punches, kicks, suplexes and the like.
The fans lapped this up as well, proving that the booking of Finlay leading up to this match has been superb; be honest, would you have seen this as an “equal” match-up even as little as four months ago?
Neither man held anything back and both men’s chests were red-raw from the brutal exchange of chops and both men bled buckets of claret, which made for an awesome spectacle as well. This was Mercy’s most intense display in quite some time (probably since “retiring” Dean Roberts last June and in Finlay he had just the right opponent.
The end was positively shocking as well. Mercy went for a Mercy-Bomb but Finlay blocked it and reversed it into a Tombstone Piledriver. Mercy kicked out at 2 but he had no chance once Finlay hit the Celtic Cross. The fans couldn’t believe it as Finlay got the three-count, and neither could we. It was Mercy’s second CLEAN j-o-b in four months after all (his loss to Sting at Breaking Point was the other) but it was proof positive that a loss doesn’t have to trouble anyone.
Finlay of course came across as a genuine superstar in this match but Mercy laid to rest any doubts that he doesn’t have “it” anymore with a superb display. The standing ovation Mercy got showed that the fans saw that too.
This was quite simply a must-see match. Mercy will no doubt disappear for a good few months now to film his next film (a big budget remake of The Birds also starring Lindsay Lohan and Anne Hathaway) but when he does come back the momentum of this match will still carry him. As for Finlay, he’s on a roll and the sky could well be his limit here.

At this point it was time for the Hall Of Fame Class of 2007 to make their appearances, and wave to the crowd. They were all there; Kevin Nash, Mick Foley, Terry Funk, Lance Storm & J-Lo, whilst Owen Hart was represented by Martha Hart and The Public Enemy were represented by their family. There was no sign of a drunk Scott Hall, although there was a brief glimpse of Harry Smith, Teddy Hart, TJ Wilson and Nattie Neidhart, who were part of the induction of their family member Owen Hart the previous night at the Hall Of Fame ceremony. So yes, it is clear; they WILL be debuting soon here in the IWF.

America’s Most Wanted Vs Paul Wardle & Phil Jackson ( * * * )

Will the Wardle & Jackson feud ever end? Probably not if we’re being honest. But you have to admit the certain chemistry between the two and forcing them to team was a pretty clever trick in putting another spin on things (and is infinitely better than another dream tag team partner scenario would ever have been).
The build up has obviously centred around the mutual hatred that the challengers have for each other but there has been some subtle twists; Storm and Harris were initially very confident at facing the dysfunctional challengers, but as Wardle & Jackson have cooled, somewhat, over the past few weeks, there had been signs that AMW were slowly beginning to realise that they might have a threat on their hands. This feeling was intensified with the whole Jose Mourhinho thing (who, perhaps wisely given our location, watched from the locker rooms).
Wardle and Jackson started off like a house on fire but neither wanted to particularly tag in their partner in the early going, eager to outshine each other. Of course when AMW were in the ascendancy both were eager to tag out as quickly as they could. Thankfully as the match wore on the challengers actually wrestled like a proper team, and the results were reasonably impressive.
Still it looked as if AMW’s superior experience as a team would be enough to seal them the victory, but they reckoned without the resiliency of the challengers and in the end it was the challengers who got the win, as Wardle finished off James Storm with the Phenom-Press at roughly the same time as Jackson finished off Chris Harris with The Graduate. The fans actually popped huge for the finish and whilst the new champions didn’t exactly hug each other with delight, they did a very manly handshake and left up the rampway together, albeit very cautiously making sure that neither man went and tried anything funny.
Some may see it as a sad indictment of the tag team roster that there were no real tag-teams that could challenge AMW on the biggest show of the year, but what transpired was both a good match and one that leaves us with plenty of new avenues to travel down in the upcoming months. Now, all we need is some new full-time tag teams.

After that match the new champions were met backstage by their manager for the evening Jose Mourhinho who congratulated them and cracked open the champagne. It can be surreal at times being a wrestling fan.

Then it was time for more Girls Aloud action and this time it was Nadine walking around. She bumped into fellow Irish superstar Finlay who looked very leery indeed. It seemed as if things were taking an unpleasant turn but then a leprechaun appeared from out of nowhere and jumped up at Nadine. Finlay wasn’t best pleased, and it seemed as if he knew this little imp. He dragged him off as Nadine looked on in horror.

Triple H Vs Barabus Lashley ( * * ¾ )

Another intriguing match in prospect here. Triple H is a superstar, no question; Lashley, on the other hand, is distinctly mid-card but this was a night when potential stars were really being given a chance to shine. Lashley is green, for sure, but he has the look and, aside from those couple of weeks back in March when someone thought it would be a good idea to give him interview time, the IWF have been content to build him up slowly and play to his strengths.
Triple H played his part here as well. He did enough back-peddling to put over Lashley as a threat and carried him to a decent match in the process. It was obvious that HHH was carrying the match but Lashley did what he was supposed to, when he was supposed to do and didn’t mess anything up.
Of course there was never any real doubt that HHH would go over in the end and this hurt the crowd a tad, and in the end HHH went over with the Pedigree.
A decent match which did all it was supposed to. Triple H got a win on the big stage, which helps set him up for some big money programmes in the near future, Lashley got the experience of the big stage and another notch on his learning curve and all this was surrounded by a decent match.

Dean Roberts Vs Edge (Unsanctioned, * * * * )

It’s a mark of the respect that IWF fans have for “The Icon” that Dean Roberts’ return to the ring after losing a “retirement” match back at Heat Wave hasn’t been surrounded with the kind of feelings that would sometimes surround such an occurrence. In fairness to the Dean though, it was six months after his retirement before he even appeared on IFW television again and a further four months before stepping back into the ring for this “unsanctioned” match (the gist being that this was the loophole that allowed IWF Commissioner Eric Bischoff to stage the match).
The storyline has been a classic (as was the pre-match video package set to the tune of Good Charlotte’s Keep Your Hands Off My Girl); from Annalise filing for divorce from Dean on Boxing Day, to the Edge-Annalise affair becoming public knowledge, to the ultra-memorable contract signing at Shoot Out this has been thrilling stuff. As was evidenced by the fact that Edge (accompanied by Annalise Anderson of course) got more heat on his way to the ring than he ever has before. The fact that the roof nearly blew off the MEN arena when Dean made his entrance proved that we were witnessing something very special indeed.
The match started off at a fast pace with neither man showing much inclination to actual wrestle; this was an all out war with both men reigning in the blows to each other as the crowd ate it all up. As this was an unsanctioned match it was fought under No Disqualification/Falls Count Anywhere rules and as such the two treated that as an excuse to battle all over the place, up the rampway and into the crowd. As you would also expect in a match like this we were treated to some pretty special “big” bumps in the process as well.
Particular highlights were Dean Roberts dropping an elbow from the top of the rampway onto Edge, (the drop must have been 15 feet) and Edge Spearing Dean through the MuscleMania backdrop. Indeed both men suffered for their art here.
In the end things got back into the ring for the big finish, although not before Annalise had attempted to scramble Dean’s brains with a positively wicked series of chair shots. What was particularly surprising about this was that this brought out Alexis Laree (this probably will get explained at a later date so it looks as if Dean will be around in some capacity at least after MM) who took Annalise out and the two brawled backstage, never to be seen again. This left the two men in the ring and it looked all over for Dean when Edge hit ANOTHER spear, this time through a table, but Dean kicked out at the very last milli-second much to the delight of the crowd. The end really came when Edge went to the top rope but Dean recovered and caught him up there and hit a TOP-ROPE Scholarship for the 1-2-3. The crowd went absolutely mental, and there was a definite sense that as well as celebrating Dean’s victory they were also showing appreciation for Edge’s effort as well.
A fantastic match which both gave the fans what they wanted (a great display and a victory for Dean) and give the lesser man (Edge) a boost; even in a losing effort Edge looked better than he’s ever done in the IWF. Mission accomplished all-round.

Girls Aloud time backstage again, and this time it was the lovely Kimberley on walkabout duty. She had the misfortune to run into Randy Orton, who certainly lived down to his reputation by attempting to “chat-up” Miss Walsh. All he got for his troubles was a slap across the face.

Rebecca Knox Vs Christy Hemme ( * ¾ )

How the women were supposed to follow that we don’t know. Although in truth that was probably the point. The two actually showed great chemistry in the run up to this big match and whilst no-one is suggesting that this was a huge selling point on the card, the IWF bookers, and the women themselves, did a nice job of making this match mean something.
Granted the end result wasn’t exactly Mercy/Dean, but neither was it Skinner/Hogan. Knox showed that her years of travelling the globe have made her into a very versatile wrestler indeed, whilst Hemme showed that she’s more than just T’n’A (although, lets face it she IS hot) and can actually get in there and make a good impression.
The match was kept short but it was action packed, with the two women trading blows and some smart moves that left even JBL (momentarily) impressed. At the fans were 100% behind Hemme too, but she couldn’t quite get the job done as Knox blocked a “Red-Head” attempt to hit back with a “Knox-Out” (which sounds cheesy but is actually a pretty stiff looking sitout-suplex slam) which was so impressive that some of the fans couldn’t help but pop for it.
Knox celebrated an impressive victory and if the rumours of the new booking squad paying more attention to the women’s division really are true, this could be the start of something beautiful. Of course in the overall scheme of things, no-one will remember this match, but for it’s position on the card it was more than adequate.

The Big Gee Vs Randy Orton ( * * * ¼ )

Some might say this was surprisingly high up the card but the build up to this one has been another winner, and its clear that whilst Orton may have lost his world title he is still high up in the booker’s thoughts. Gee, well, Gee proved once again that few can carry soap-opera style storylines as well as he can (witness how accomplished he’s been during the whole scenario with his girlfriend Riley Mason being chased by Orton) and that he’s no slouch when it comes to high profile matches either.
Granted this wasn’t the most fast paced match of the evening, but it did carry an effective story and both men should be commended for that. And credit where credit is due, Riley Mason may be pretty useless most of the time, but she managed to convincingly portray the role of the woman who seemed both repulsed with Randy Orton and rather taken by his advances.
The match itself was a back and forth affair, with near falls aplenty that got the crowd popping like a bowl of Rice Krispies. Of course you just knew that Riley Mason would have to be involved in the ending, and boy was she involved. And to the surprise of very few, her low blow on her boyfriend The Big Gee was instrumental on allowing Orton to set up for the R-K-O and the pinfall victory. What was surprising was that after Mason and Orton had shared a particularly sloppy kiss Orton did the nasty on her, hitting her with an RKO for good measure. The dastardly swine. Gee, for his part, didn’t know what the hell to do once he’d recovered from the RKO and he just left the ring as paramedics hauled Mason onto a stretcher.
A good match, with an ending that was half expected and half completely out of the blue. Orton cemented his standing as the man the IWF love to hate, Gee showed that he still has a lot to offer and Mason played her role to perfection as well.

Time for the final Girls Aloud skit of the evening, and, yes, it was with Nicola. And it just had to be Dean Roberts didn’t it. Backstage reporter Leticia Cline was trying to ask Dean questions about Edge, Annalise and Alexis Laree but Dean seemed more concerned with his namesake Nicola, beckoning her over with the words “you’ve always been my favourite.” And even though Dean was bandaged up after his tough battle earlier in the evening, Nicola still agreed to accompany him to “the nearest bar.” But lets face it, even though it was the Dean at his smarmy best she had a better evening than some of her colleagues!

Jay Reso Vs Matt Morgan ( * * * )

So it was time for the main event. And it’s been easy to suggest over the past few months that this was never going to be the match that “everybody came to see” but you can at least admit that this has slowly built into a genuine “issue” that at least had the crowd looking forward to it.
Reso looked at ease on the “grandest stage of them all” whilst Morgan was here 12 months ago, defending his title as a heel. Now he was challenging as a face. And the fans were certainly behind him. Indeed the only thing that really hurt the match was that no-one ever really believed that Reso would stop Morgan’s challenge. In fact if one was being unkind you could say that Morgan is no Mercy and Reso is no Dean…but despite all that this was an enjoyable match and one that, TWA-T take note, was bereft of any screwiness or any extra curricular activity. In fact in some respects it was exactly how a “wrestling” show should end.
Morgan’s power gained him the early advantage and Reso was sent sprawling, but the champ’s superior technical skills saw him gain back some of the momentum. It wasn’t to last for all that long though as the booking squad made sense of the fact that the fans don’t want to see Morgan on the defensive for aeons and there were a couple of occasions where Morgan temporarily regained the control of the match before Reso dug deep to force his way back on top.
In the end though it wasn’t enough. Morgan kicked out of, not one but two, Unprettier’s, much to the delight of the crowd, and hit back with his own finishing move, The Morgasm, for the 1-2-3 and to lift the Unified World Heavyweight Crown.
A good, crowd-pleasing, match and one which whilst not coming close to stealing the show was enjoyed by all and gave everyone the result that they wanted.

So MuscleMania is in the bag for another year. And this must go down as one of the best “across the board” events of the lot. From start to finish the card was jam-packed with issues and matches that meant something to the fans and this meant that even when the action levels dipped slightly, the crowd were still into what they saw.
There were a number of “match of the night” candidates, although it was the UK trio of Matthew Mercy, Dean Roberts and Xavier whose matches were the absolute pick of the bunch and all three were vastly different styles of bouts to boot. What was particularly impressive as well was that Finlay, Edge and Elijah Burke all came out of those bouts with momentum too.
The title matches were all entertaining as well, with championship victories going down for Matt Morgan (Unified Title) and Paul Wardle & Phil Jackson (World Tag Team Titles) in well received matches.
Really though there wasn’t any particular “down” moments in the entire evening and it’s difficult to think of anyone who would have felt short-changed by the card as a whole. THE IWF have been promising that 2007 will be one of it’s best ever years…on this evidence they may well be right!