Phoenix Fury Legdrop

Huss-ha, thanks for the kind words, Zachary. I thought my match was a little short, considering I threw in two hot tag spots, but eh, woe is me. Show gets an 8 from me. Really good build to the PPV, as always, and I dug the whole "forced to get along" combustable element in the Matt & AJ/Minions tag match.

Thanks to Pizza Guy Jim for these... Ace Steel won a battle royal for a shot at Jerry Lynn's Heavyweight Title later in the night. Quack's team won the Chikara six-man (Jim forgot the names) Daizee Haze beat Allison Danger Brad Bradley & Ryan Boz d. Ian Rotten & Steve Stone (eight-man no ropes barbed wire match on the 13th in Highland with those four, plus Jim Fannin & Carmine Despirito on the heel side and Ian & Stone bringing in two mystery partners) Matt Sydal d. JC Bailey w/ interference from Nate Webb to win the IWA-MS Light Heavyweight Title (Nate vs. JC in a Texas Death match on the 13th) Chris Sabin d. Petey Williams Jerry Lynn d. Ace Steel to retain the IWA-MS Heavyweight Title Danny Daniels d. Chris Hero in the Loser Leaves IWA Cage Match after a fireball to the face (Mark Wolf was the key-bearer; Hero might have been really hurt by the fireball). Attendance was said to be highest yet. B-Boy's also coming back on the 13th. IWA Mid-South Best of 2003 DVD's are being released this Tuesday; first 250 copies come with a bonus Hero/Punk 93 minute match/feud recap DVD

IWA Mid-South: TPI, Winter Wars 2003 (I was only there live, and it's the best live show I've been to ever, but I've heard at least one person say it's Show of the Year), Spirit of '76 Wildside: (Haven't seen anything since their 200th episode taping in July, minus a few TV episodes late in 2003) Freedom Fight 2003 (just for the main, though the opener is awesome too)

If Gabe remains on high on him as he is now, look for Caprice Coleman to be something big in the next four-six months.

Sapp was cool, as always, but how about that comedian plant during the Michael Jackson protest segment?

Sly & Colvid vs. Scotty Static & ??????? Plus some angle-y goodness with St. Andrew & Gibraltar.

Punk: 55-Minute TLC Match vs. Hero at Last House of Hardcore show (Punk heels it up like never before, and then dies for our pleasure), the 93 minute Hero match, vs. Jimmy Rave from Ultra Styles Clash Night One, vs. Chris Daniels at TPI 2002, and other stuff that gets mentioned here. Hero: first two as above, vs. Homicide from KOTDM, vs. Ian Rotten from an IWA show in Dayton, OH in May 2002, any of his series with Danny Daniels, vs. Jimmy Rave (TPI 2002), vs. B-Boy (TPI 2003), vs. AJ Styles (Winter Wars 2003; best Styles singles match I've seen) Whitmer: vs. Ace Steel (TPI 2002), vs. London vs. Cabana vs. Homicide (ROH Revenge of the Prophecy), any IWA match vs. Hero Homicide: vs. Hero (KOTDM), vs. Cabana vs. Whitmer vs. London (RotP)...honestly can't remember too much stuff of 'Cide's that would belong on a list like this, but he is freaking great.

Good stuff, but slight correction: Jimmy Jacobs is imitating the John Nord "Berserker" gimmick, not Brody. Though, since Nord was ripping off Brody, so I guess you could say he was kind of ripping off Brody, though Jimmy himself has said he's ripping off Nord.

Nate vs. Michael Shane from WWK2K3 was the best I've seen Shane just about ever, and that's not a coincidence. Great story based around Shane working the knee, and the set-up for Shane's superkick was really, really great. Nate vs. Ian Rotten from the Hussman Cometh morphed seemlessly from a hilarious comedy match (hugging homosexuals, wedgies, dancing...nothing is barred) into a really good mat wrestling match, with Nate busting out plenty of his Nate2P. Haven't seen much of his stuff with JC Bailey, but they had a pretty good TLC match for the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Title against Sonjay Dutt (including a posedown won by referee Brian Gorie and a ho-down) at Breaking Balls. Oh, and even though the matches might not be your cup of tea, try and get his matches from Ultra Styles Clash Night One and KOTDM 2003, as the entrances are beyond awesome.

Gibraltar in action, WWF Superstars/WCW Worldwide style, maaaan. Scotty Static vs. ?????

We got our 30 guys, and I think we're sending out PM's soon to tell you if your guy's in.

Meltz said they're working with the 3LK.

Corky & The Juice Pigs?

PM me or Supes if you're in the Rumble. 15 from each brand enter.

Dunno how many writers Zack wants; Supes, me, Cal, & Zack are already on. Might have to check with Malibu. PM me or Supes if you're in the Rumble. 15 from each brand enter.

I know it's a bit early, but I was wondering if those who know they're assisting in writing the Rumble match itself would like to do an AIM chat or something sometime soon, so we know who's doing what, what stories are we pushing, order of entry, who's actually in the damn thing, etctra. Thomas

I know it's a bit early, but I was wondering if those who know they're assisting in writing the Rumble match itself would like to do an AIM chat or something sometime soon, so we know who's doing what, what stories are we pushing, order of entry, who's actually in the damn thing, etctra. Thomas

Gibraltar's official debut, vs. Scotty Static WCW World Television Championship: Sly Sommers © vs. "The Role Model" Jacob Lyne

To the three that gave me pats on the back, I thank you. 8 for me...I took up too much of the show, heh. (Oh, and in the World TV Title skit, every "Axel" is supposed to be "Colvid". Dunno who I made that mistake.)

The X-Box X-Division Top X Hour-Long Time Gauntlet Match, taking up the entire second hour, featuring: AJ Flaire © Sly Sommers St. Andrew Nathaniel Michael Scotty Static Mad Matt The Black Diamond "The Role Model" Jacob Lyne Leon Rodez Plus: St. Andrew announces Gibraltar's plans for January.

Zack wanted me to let you guys know that you don't have to worry about writing anything that long. The concept for the big X-Division match is gonna take up the entire second hour.

I got the dude for the match, but if anyone else would volunteer for something the night before on IZ to lead up to this match, I'd appreciate it. Thanks. PM me, if you want in.

I can't release many details, but there's plans for a big X Division Title match on HeldDOWN~! on New Year's, and we're taking the first IZ guy who wrestles X-Style who wants to be in on it. PM me or Nice Guy Adam if you want in. Thomas

The selling of the knee by Hero was tremendous. He kept selling the knee like Styles was chopping it off slowly. Styles really did a ton of the little things on the kneework right, and broke out a couple of new things to go after the knee. There wasn't a ton of the "Hero gets so pumped up that he forgets about his knee being hurt" stuff that gets argued over a lot online, especially during London's match with American Dragon. Personally, and this might be more of a "live vs. tape" perspective, but Hero/Styles was slightly better.

From Lafayette, Indiana, at the National Guard Armory.... I got in 45 minutes late due to shitty directions, but I gathered that Jimmy Jacobs won Match #3 of their series in the opener, with a camel clutch in a submission match, BJ Whitmer defeated Matt Sydal, and I think Mickey Knuckles beat Daizee Hayes, though the last two are total assumptions. Came in at the end of Cannon vs. Delirious, which Arik (w/ a new manager at ringside, didn't catch his name) won with the Total Anarchy, aka a second-rope Hero Sandwich/Catatonic. Alex Shelley regained his WXW German Title in Match #4 of their series, second match of the night for them, beating Jimmy Jacobs in a lumberjack match, after Michael Shane interfered with a superkick. Shelley's back and Jacobs's neck were the weakened parts of the bodies for the night, if I recall correctly. Danny Daniels d. "Metalhead" Steve Stone to retain the IWA-MS World Title. Real good stuff here, with Stone really getting put over as a big-time player in the IWA, getting a couple of visual falls on the champ before being put away with two piledrivers in a row. B-Boy d. Ian Rotten in a really good technical match. Not as much stiff stuff as you'd expect, but the mat work was amazing. B-Boy took out Ian's knee so Ian couldn't toss B-Boy around and use his power advantage well. Finish, I think, was a cross armbreaker, which makes sense since B-Boy did work over Ian's arm in between the legwork. Ian put over B-Boy big-time on the mic post-match. Brad Bradley & Ryan Boz d. JC Bailey and mystery partner Madman Pondo. Bradley & Boz destroyed the TOTAL FUCK out of Bailey in this match...bootscrapes, big boots, you name it, he got killed. Fannin was even taking requests for new ways to destroy Bailey on commentary. Funny bit where, after Pondo breaks legit National Guard Armory rules and uses his stop sign, Fannin grabs his cell phone and calls the cops to try and get the show shut down. Bailey's face didn't look too great post-match, especially after the double horse-collar face eraser from B'n'B. Jimmy Jacobs d. Alex Shelley to regain the WXW German Title under Texas Death rules in Match #5 of the series, now putting the series at 3-2: Shelley. Shelley attacked Jacobs during his entrance, and the first five minutes or so was Shelley destroying Jacobs on the floor. They used a shitload of chairs, and Jacobs took quite a beating with them, including a spot where his head was laid down on a chair, and a folder chair was on top of his head, and Shelley came off the top with a brutal double-stomp onto Jacobs's head. Becky Bayless jumped on Shelley's back late in the match to try and stop him from powerbombing Jimmy through a set of chairs, and Shelley gave her a Shellshock for her troubles. Finish was Jimmy giving Shelley the Contra Code through two set-up chairs, facing each other. Great match. (Note: the commentary during this match with Danny Daniels & Jim Fannin ripping on Jimmy for being gay and Becky for supposedly being promiscuous is HILARIOUS.) NWA-TNA X Champion Michael Shane d. "Spyder" Nate Webb. Webb did not disappoint with his entrance, even getting his own extreme close-up by the commentary table (and right in front of me and my buddy Nathan) to dance, and then Ian danced with Nate, even diping him to the crowd's pleasure. Shane refused to dance with Nate, which makes him a giant poophead. Nate did some flying early on, so Shane worked over Nate's knee during the body of the match. Cool finish with both guys blocking each other's kicks, leading to Shane flipping Nate in mid-air by the foot, and it looked like he stiffed Nate with the superkick on his way down. Killer-looking finish, and Shane looked better here than all his TNA stuff that I've seen, and a lot of his ROH stuff. In the main event, Chris Hero d. AJ Styles with a modified crossface, with a cravate inserted. I'd tie it with the Shelley/Jacobs Texas Death Match as MOTN, though this definately has a case for being better. AJ looked better here than a lot of his stuff in a while, playing subtle heel and working over Hero's knee like a hawk. Great finishing sequence, with Hero being able to scout the national star Styles enough to escape the Styles Clash at every twist and turn, and using a new version of his Hangman's Clutch finisher to deviate from what he usually does, which AJ could have scouted on tape, and score the victory. Post-match, AJ puts over Hero on the mic, but Michael Shane comes out, and Shane and Styles go back and forth on the mic. Shane teases battling Styles right then and there, but heads to higher ground until tomorrow night in Highland, where he faces AJ. Great freaking show, better than last month. The Shelley/Jacobs series (from what I saw, since I missed match #1), B-Boy/Ian, and Hero/Styles alone would be worth it, but there was nothing that was outright below "good". Excellent show, and I really hope you get it for yourselves on tape when SMV releases it. Next Lafayette show is the 31st of January; no matches announced tonight. Attendance was announced at around 70. Thomas