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