LucharesuFan619

Shit, yo - that's one pretty damn good card. Except for one thing - Where the fuck is your God and mine, SONJAY F'N DUTT? I'm glad to hear the news about Elix, too, b/c he's really awesome.

Is it? Sorry about that, then.

I just picked up the mag at Borders today. Awesome, awesome, awesomoe articles and especially photos (although admittedly a fair amount of the old pics are from PWI, which WWE made no point of trying to hide). I couldn't believe Brock was listed, though. That's ridiculous.

One of the best on paper CZW cards you've ever seen? Are you on something? The three-way tag match is not something that's on one of the best on paper CZW cards ever. But there were a lot more shows they've had that had better lineups than this. Uprising was sensational on paper. As was Deja Vu II. And Truth Or Consequences. The Ruckus/Sonjay match will no doubt be good, but it epitomizes illogical booking. You don't suddenly break up a team when they're just getting over. They just got a huge win over B-Boy & Acid in Italy and have only been teaming for a few months. And suddenly, Zandig rushes to break them up b/c he realizes COD is upon us. If he was smarter, he would've began the breakup a few months ago, b/c all the build the match has going into it is the breakup at NOI, the Fake You! TV promos, and their history. The four way looks amazing. No doubt that'll be a must see, and the three way looks great too. The main is pretty bad on paper, but it could deliver. Acid/Rave looks pretty good, although - like Ruckus/Sonjay - the ladder match will be good, but it's completely illogical. Anyway, I posted my fantasy booking of the show in the Fantasty Booking section. It can be read at http://forums.thesmartmarks.com/index.php?...ST&f=23&t=46695

- Non-Elimination #1 Contendership Match for the CZW Ironman Title: B-Boy vs. Chris Hero vs. Jimmy Rave WHY: Rave has probably been the CZW's most successful newcomer this year. First, he advanced to the second round of the "Best of the Best 2" Junior Heavyweight Tournament. Although he suffered two notable defeats this year (first to B-Boy in June and then to A.J. Styles a month later), he proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he could hang with the toughest that CZW had to offer by fighting all the way to the final round of September's "Redefined" Ironman title tournament, as he gave CZW homegrown talents Nick Gage and Trent Acid (the eventual winner) a run for their money. His streak continued at "Uprising" in October, when he defeated Tony Mamaluke in a heated contest. Hero made two appearances in CZW last year, but upon returning earlier this year, he was more determined than ever to make an impact. After upsetting Hi-V's colossal Nate Hatred, he dueled it out against Trent Acid in the Ironman title tournament and put on one of the best matches of the night, giving Acid all that he had...and then some. At the real N.O.I. II show, he won a four corners match over Homicide, Alex Shelley, and Jimmy Jacobs, but on my fantasy booking of that show, he and Rave battled to a show-stealing Draw. In that case, their rivalry is most certainly not over yet and they still have several issues to settle. So, I decided to take a match from the real N.O.I. II card in B-Boy vs. Rave and promote it for CZW's biggest show of the year, C.O.D., but also add in Hero, to sweeten the stakes. If I were booking this match (which I am in this circumstance), I'd promote it as being B-Boy taking on two of the guys who almost cost fellow Hi-V member Acid his Ironman title win, along with who he already wrestled once in CZW. Plus, I'd cite the Draw between Hero and Rave at N.O.I. 2 as signifying that the rivalry between those two is still brewing. I think that booking Hero in this match would also serve to establish Hero as a solid star on CZW's roster, if he chooses to return to the promotion in the future. Also, when booking this match, I'd remind fans of the show-stealing performance that B-Boy and Hero turned in vs. one another at the second night of the IWA-MS Ted Petty Invitational Tournament last month, pushing upon the fact that they still have a rivalry to be settled. MATCH: Highlights: - B-Boy attempts an Irish whip, but Rave reverses it and sends B-Boy into the ropes before bending forward for a back body drop. B-Boy stops short, though, and kicks the living hell out of Rave's chest before running back off of the ropes and attempting the Yakuza Kick. Rave ducks and delivers delivers an inverted atomic drop before running off of the ropes himself and attempts a roaring elbow, but B-Boy ducks that and runs off of the ropes again, only to receive a leaping heelkick. Rave's Irish whip is reversed, though, and he's tossed towards the ropes. Before he reaches them, though, Hero pops back up, grabs Rave as he's in mid-run, and uses the momentum that Rave has by already running and tosses him over the top ring rope and out to ringside, much like The Rock used to do sometimes. B-Boy then attacks Hero and tries to whip him into the ropes, but Hero reverses and sends B-Boy in. Hero tries a hiptoss, but B-Boy refuses to go anywhere and tries his own. Hero refuses to go anywhere, though, and this time he succeeds in hiptossing B-Boy, only over the top ring rope and out to ringside, where he takes out Rave, rather than just down onto the mat. Once Rave and B-Boy get back to their feet, Hero runs off of the ropes and leaps out of the ring, taking out his foes with the Hero Dive (Corkscrew Pescada)! The three men brawl on the outside for a minute or so before re-entering the ring. - B-Boy tries to whip Rave into the ropes, but Rave holds onto B-Boy's hand instead comes back at him with a lariat. B-Boy ducks and catches him in positon for a uranage, but Rave fights out and swings around behind him, in perfect position for an Angle Slam, which he attempts. B-Boy drops out, however, and lands behind him before ducking a lariat, whipping Rave into the ropes, and executing a Rydeen Bomb (Sky High)! - B-Boy executes a vertical suplex, but Rave uses the momentum to - instead of remaining upside-down - roll through the move and end up landing behind B-Boy and drilling him with a neckbreaker, all in motion. Next, though, Rave's Irish whip is reversed and B-Boy attempts a Swinging Sitout Spinebuster Slam (a.k.a. a Ballbreaker), but Rave counters into a swinging DDT-style motion, only landing with a Triple H-style kneebuster (DDT onto his knee), rather than a DDT, and then follows by knocking B-Boy down via a dropkick. - B-Boy reverses Rave's Irish whip and sends him into the ropes. Rave swings up onto B-Boy's back and attempts to take him down via a crucifix pin, but B-Boy stays on his feet and instead adjusts his hold on Rave into that of a fireman's carry before trying to turn that into a Michinoku Driver II. Rave, though, grabs B-Boy's head while in midair and ends up turning the move into a Stunner, as he lands in a sitting position, while ramming B-Boy face down onto his shoulder. - B-Boy whips Rave into the ropes and Rave escapes his tilt-a-whirl lift by immediately (and all in one motion) dropping off of B-Boy's shoulder, landing on his feet behind him, and executing a Fujiwara Armbar takedown before immediately transitioning into the "From Dusk Till Dawn" crossface! - Hero whips B-Boy into the ropes and attempting a hiptoss, but B-Boy refuses to be catapulted off of the mat. Instead, he - in a beautifully-executed sequence - pivots all the way around by his arm that is now interlocked with Hero's and eventually performs Swinging Neckbreaker! - B-Boy attempts an Irish whip, but Hero refuses to go anywhere and instead grabs a hold of B-Boy and executes a Cravate Plex (3/4 Chancery Suplex). - Hero attempts the Hero's Welcome (Last Rites), but he loses his grip on B-Boy, thereby letting him escape the hold. Berk then dodges under Hero's back elbow and runs off of the ropes. Hero tries a Yakuza Kick, but Berk ducks and runs off of the ropes again. Both men attempt crossbody blocks and therefore end up crashing into one another in midair, setting the stage for them to take a breather before fighting to be the first one to make it back to is feet. - Hero lifts Rave up onto his shoulders and attempts the Rubix Cube (Neck Cradle Shoulder Mount into Sitout Neck Cradle Michinoku Driver II), but Rave fights out of it and instead counters, rolling forward and taking Hero down into a victory roll for 2. Hero beats Rave back to his feet and damn near lariats him out of his boots. - B-Boy attempts a T.K.O. (Fireman's Carry Stunner), but Hero uses the momentum to executes a Fujiawa Armbar Takedown, at which point he immediately wrenches down on that hold! - Hero whips Rave from one corner to the opposite one and chases directly after him. Rave tries a Corner Slingshot Crossbody Block, but Hero catches him in position for a fallaway slam and swings that into the Hero Sandwhich II (Fallaway Slam Hold into Uranage Backbreaker)! - Rave whips B-Boy into the ropes and attempting a hiptoss, but B-Boy refuses to be catapulted off of the mat. Instead, he pivots around by his arm that is now interlocked with Rave's and then drops down to a sitting position on the mat, in the process bringing Rave's arm down on his shoulder via a stiff armbreaker. - Rave attempts an Irish whip, but B-Boy holds onto his arm, refusing to go anywhere, and and leaps toward him with a forearm. Rave ducks and when B-Boy - who lands on his feet - turns back around so that he's facing his foe, applies a 3/4 bulldog facelock (stunner hold) and charges into the center of the ring, attempting a running Ace Crusher. B-Boy, though, refuses to be taken down with the move and - instead - applies a cobra clutch, stopping Rave in mid-run. He attempts a Cobra Clutch-style Suplex, but Rave fights out with three back elbows to the head and then attempts a backdrop suplex. He gets B-Boy somewhat up into the air, but the So-Cal star shifts his weight effectively and ends up falling back downward the opposite way he was lifted and lands on one knee, using the other to ram Rave's face into! Rave starts leaning forward, as if he's about to fall down to the mat, so B-Boy unloads with some stiff kicks to the chest, hip, and legs of his opponent. Rave catches one of these kicks (B-Boy's left leg, specifically) against his hip and then wraps his own left hand over and around B-Boy's left arm. He then hooks B-Boy's left leg that he caught as if for a fisherman's suplex. Instead of a fisherman's suplex, though, he instead - all the while with his left hand holding on in the aforementioned fashion to B-Boy's left arm - lifts his foe up into the air and drops onto his back, in the process dropping B-Boy in a manner similar to a non-head drop DDT or a type of flapjack. All in all, it was a REALLY creative manuever. At this point, Hero has recovered and he attacks Rave. They perform an Irish whip sequence and execute some nice reversals (featuring moves/holds as front facelocks, crossface chickenwings, hammerlocks, armringers, armbars, etc.), ending with Rave executing the Gravity Killer (running Swinging DDT with incredible speed and velocity), for which Hero takes a nasty-looking head-first bump! The IWA-MS star rolls out of the ring as B-Boy attacks Rave. A series of reversals results in B-Boy catching Rave running off of the ropes with a Samoan Drop. B-Boy continues working Rave over, eventually fighting out of an attempted Tiger Suplex and delivering an Atomic Kneebuster. B-Boy then grabs Rave's leg (the same one that he assaulted via the atomic kneebuster) and starts pounding down on it with elbow smashes. Rave tries to combat his foe's offense with some forearms to the head, but B-Boy is relentless, and continues to beat on Rave's leg until he's forced to drop down to one knee. B-Boy interprets Rave as now being at his mercy (or lack thereof), so he signals for the Shining Wizard and runs off of the ropes to get the necessary momentum. This turns out to be a mistake, though, as Hero has recovered from Rave's offense by now and reaches under the bottom rope, tripping B-Boy. He then pulls him out to ringside and Russian Leg Sweeps him into apron before entering the ring and attacking Rave. He proceeds to whip Rave into the ropes and "The Original XTC" attempts to execute his signature Satellite Headscissors Takedown transitioned into the "From Dusk Till Dawn" Crossface Hold, but Hero refuses to be taken down to the mat and instead remains on his feet. He then lifts Rave up into an inverted fireman's carry and proceeds to catapult Rave over his head and catch him in the gut with a knee lift, in quite a creative move! He then attempts a Blue Thunder Bomb, but when Hero attempts to turn it into a powerbomb, Rave does a complete backflip rotation and lands on his feet. He tries to lift Hero up onto his back in an Air Raid Crash position, but Hero fights out of it and performs some knee lifts to the face before executing a pumphandle lift. Rave ends up on his shoulder, positioned as if for a Davey Boy Smith-style powerslam, but he uses his weight effectively and drops backwards, landing on his feet behind Hero. He pushes Hero into the ropes, straight towards B-Boy, who is just now about to re-enter the ring. Hero, though, knocks B-Boy off of the apron and back down to ringside. Hero bounces off of B-Boy and turns around into a running forearm smash from Rave, who then proceeds to attempt an Irish whip, which Hero reverses. Rave attempts a running lariat, but Hero ducks and catches Rave in a full nelson hold. He attempts a Dragon Suplex, but Rave drops down onto his BUTT (like M-Dogg 20 did earlier on the show) and - while on the mat - trips Hero and pulls him forward, causing him to fall face-first into the mat. Rave immediately looks to apply From Dusk Till Dawn, but Hero is relentless and puts up a significant fight, eventually fighting back up to his feet and escaping the standing crossface with an atomic drop. He then attempts the Hero's Welcome, but loses his grip on Rave midway through the move and Rave escapes the manuever. Hero realizes this and attacks his foe with a lariat, only for Rave to duck it and perform a Yakuza Kick. Since he only had a few feet to use to gain speed, the impact wasn't enough to knock Hero down to the mat. The former-IWA-MS champ stumbles around on his feet, Rave runs off of the ropes and charges at him. Hero lifts him up as if for a spinebuster, but Rave shifts his weight and causes Hero to drop him. As he's coming back down to the mat, Rave grabs Hero's head and drives his foe face-first into his (Rave's) knee (Rave lands on one knee, and he uses the other to nail this kneebuster)! This is enough to cause Hero to drop down to one knee, a sight which clearly perks Rave up, as he charges off of the ropes and hits THE SHINING WIZARD~! Hero instantly goes down to the mat and Rave rolls him up as tight as he possibly can. The ref counts the fall - 1...2...3...JUST before B-Boy re-enters the ring and dives onto the two, breaking up the pinfall (17:40)! "The New Age Punisher" is just a TAD too late, though, and Rave captures one of the biggest wins of his career, in one of the best matches of his career! After the bell rings, B-Boy again attacks Rave, and starts beating him down until Hero recovers and makes the save, taking out B-Boy with some stiff moves and tossing him out of the ring. At this point, Hero and Rave engage in an intense staredown before Hero outstretches his hand. Rave hesitates for a moment before shaking it, and Hero raises his arm in a great show of sportsmanship. The two men hug and all that "mushy-mushy" stuff before Hero heads backstage, leaving Rave in the ring to celebrate his victory. ANALYSIS: The undisputable Match of the Night. Just a fantastic blend of every style (besides ultraviolence) that has begun to be popularized in CZW, especially over the last two years. Along with some of the previous contests featuring Homicide, B-Boy, Rave, and Mamaluke, this is definitely a direct contender for CZW Match of the Year, an award that one could argue it's actually the winner of. Granted, it's not on the level of the original ROH three-way dance between American Dragon, Low Ki, and Christopher Daniels, but it showcased technical brilliance that's rarely seen in a CZW ring. Non-stop "strong style"-type action. ***3/4. - 5-on-5 War-Games Style 1,000,000 Thumbtacks Double-Ring Cage of Death Scaffold Match - Hi-V (Nate Hatred & The Messiah) & Lobo vs. John Zandig (CZW World Heavyweight Champion), Nick Gage, & The Wifebeater (w/ Big Mac Smack) WHY: Lobo - in reality - is actually allied with Zandig, Gage, and Wifebeater, but I'd rather see him as a heel than as a face, so in my fantast booking of N.O.I. 2, I had him return and turn heel by allying with Hi-V. Now, as for the other five participants - Hatred and Messiah both have been feuding with Zandig and Gage for the past year, while Wifebeater entered the equation somewhat more recently. For the last three years, Gage & Hatred together comprised the most single most feared duo in CZW's five-year history. They accomplished every thing one could possibly do in CZW - went to Japan, where they squared off against Big Japan's toughest competitors; won the CZW World Tag Team Titles; demolished virtually the entire CZW roster, past and present, at some time or another and in some form or another Even before Gage & Hatred were a team, Hatred battled both Wifebeater and Zandig a number of times. The two actually competed in a three-way match (Nick Mondo was the third participant) at Live Again earlier this year, with Hatred capturing the win in that bout. Then, when The H8 Club finally did form, one of their top opponents were Justice Pain & Wifebeater. Zandig also battled them several times, along with a variety of partners. The same goes for Gage and Lobo, who have bloodied each other plenty of times, as they - along with Zandig - are the only two wrestlers still with CZW that competed on its first show back in February 1999. Both are one of each other's most hated opponents ever. And while The H8 Club were destroying their opponents, one-by-one, Zandig and Lobo were engaging in arguably the most violent feud in CZW history. They tore each other to absolute shreds in some of the absolute bloodiest matches that CZW has ever hosted, including a C.O.D. Match in 2000. Then, in 2002, Lobo staked his claim for the ownership of CZW. In February of that year, he succeeded in acquring it. For the rest of 2002, they continued the bloodiest feud in CZW history. Their barbaric No-Rope Barbed-Wire Match in July at Deja Vu I was meant to be the final battle between them, but it went to a No Contest. So, at last year's C.O.D. show, they engaged in their second C.O.D. Match against one another, this time with Lobo defending his ownership of CZW against the former-owner. Zandig eventually bodyslammed Lobo off of the top of the cage and through a pile of tables, barbed-wire, light tubes, broken glass, and more, allowing him to grab a conract for CZW ownership that hanged from the top of the building, thereby winning the bout. Shortly after that match, Lobo received reconstructive knee surgery. While he has yet to step into the ring again for an official match, he has made several non-wrestling appearances in the last year, all of which have seen him be accepted overwhelmingly as a monster face by the fans, who consider him one of the toughest S.O.B.'s in CZW history. Shortly after last year's C.O.D. show, Gage & Hatred lost their CZW tag team titles to The Backseat Boyz, who were the first two to join The Messiah's hated Hi-V stable. Although they dominated CZW during their heyday, all good things must come to an end, as the saying goes. Both men started feuding with The Messiah. At Then & Now in May, Gage ended up costing Hatred his World Heavyweight Title shot vs. Messiah. The incident was played off as being unintentional, but it was clear that The H8 Club wasn't on the same page, as the show concluded with Hatred saying that the sole reason that Gage cost him the belt was because he knew he was about to win the title, something that he (Gage) couldn't do. Hatred proceeded to offer a challenge to Gage and Messiah for a three-way CZW title match at the next show, which prompted all three men to attack one another and brawl until security broke them up. The three-way match came at Truth Or Consequences in June and occurred within the confines of a Steel Cage. During the bout, Hatred and Messiah surprised everyone by allying and beating up Gage. After the bout, which saw Messiah retain his title by pinning Gage, Hatred stood side-by-side with Messiah and the rest of Hi-V (B-Boy and The Backseat Boyz), who came out to the ring, thereby making it obvious to anyone who hadn't gathered it yet that he had sold out to The H8 Club. The general storyline went something like him being split between wanting to destroy Gage once and for all and wanting to capture Messiah's CZW title, but he eventually weighed his options and decided that destroying Gage was his number one priority. With Hatred now aligned with Hi-V, his feud with Gage escalated to a new level, and what fans also witnessed was the development of a vicious rivalry between Messiah and John Zandig. These four superstars met in a tag team Barbed-Wire Ropes & Boards Match on June 28 at Extreme 8 and it was this contest that saved the overall show from going down as one of CZW's worst ever. The match was paced well and booked correctly, as Hatred focuses on Gage and Messiah on his new-found rival, Zandig. The finish saw several IWA-MS workers run in and decimate Zandig, even dragging him backstage and assaulting him there. Back in the ring, though, Gage was able to counter Messiah's offense and nail his signature Frog Splash for the pinfall win. The first one-on-one meeting between the two former-H8 Club members came on July 20 at Deja Vu 2 and it was Gaged who emerged victorious, leaving the show still in possession of his BJPW Deathmatch Title. Later on in the show, Messiah and The Backseat Boyz costed Zandig his Lumberjack Tapei Deathmatch vs. Ian Rotten and the show ended with a bunch of the CZW roster chasing Hi-V, Rotten, and a bunch of IWA-MS wrestlers out of the building and down the street outside of Viking Hall. The August 9 show, Aftermath, saw a Tables Match between the H8 Club foes and it was eventually Hatred who captures the victory, as he escapes an attempted Death Valley Driver and slammed Gage off of the Viking Hall stage and through two tables via a Tiger Driver, thereby not only evening up the score between the former-partners at one win apiece, but also capturing Gage's BJPW Deathmatch Title! Also at Aftermath, Zandig brought in IWA-MS' Brad Bradley to take the CZW World Heavyweight Title from Messiah, but after several minutes of action, Messiah decided the better of it and bailed out of the ring. At that same point, Messiah's Hi-V cohorts, The Backseat Boyz and B-Boy, ran out and attacked Zandig from behind. While they were beating down the CZW owner, Hi-V manager Dewey Donovan blindsided Bradley, allowing Messiah to re-enter the ring and pin the IWA-MS performer to retain his title. Then, after the show's main event, Zandig was attacked again, this time not only by Messiah, but also by several IWA-MS workers (not including Bradley). It took a bunch of CZW workers to charge the ring for Messiah and his new-found IWA-MS allies to be scared backstage. The damage had already been done, though, as Zandig was a bloody mess, as the show came to an end. The feud between Hi-V and Zandig continued at CZW Respect on August 23, when Hi-V interrupted a promo by Zandig and attacked him - along with Ian Rotten, JC Bailey, and Necro Butcher. IWA-MS' Corporal Robinson finally made the save and engaged in an impromptu CZW title match vs. Messiah, but was unsuccessful in his quest to nab the belt from Messiah, who eventually captured the win. Following this bout was a 200 Light Tubes Match between Gage and Hatred and each man ripped into the other from the very start, using the light tubes that were supplied as weapons to decimate their foe. Hatred eventually obtained the victory with help from Trent Acid, but Hi-V's post-match assault on Gage was cut short when Zandig, Ian, and a bunch of other workers charged the ring and scared off the heels, as the show came to an end, but not before Zandig stripped Hatred of the Deathmatch Title that he had just won and gave it back to Gage, due to Hatred winning it thanks to Acid's help. At Redefined on September 13, a grudge match between Messiah and Zandig was scheduled to occur, but never got underway, as Hi-V attacked Zandig and CZW employee WHACKS (yes, that's his name) backstage and dragged them to the ring. In the most disgusting and unprofessional angle in CZW history (one which would gain quite some controversy on the Internet), WHACKS - being threatened by Messiah if he disobeyed what he ordered him to do - inserted meat hooks into the back of Zandig and Hi-V then proceeded to suspend the CZW boss from the ceiling, all the while with the meat hooks carved into his flesh. Hi-V continued the torture, as they kicked at and spit on an unconscious Zandig even after all of the fans had left the building. Gage and Hatred's feud continued at Pain In The Rain 2, on October 4, when Hatred's interference helped Acid to retain his CZW Ironman Title, sort of like a repayment for Acid's assistance in Gage's 200 Lights Tubes Match victory over Gage two month earlier at Aftermath. Hatred and Acid continued assaulting Gage after the bout, which set up a Dog Collar Match between the two former-H8 Club partners at Uprising a week later. Messiah's interference allowed for Hatred to gain the victory over his foe, but after the bout, Hi-V's beatdown on Gage was cut short when Zandig and the returning Wifebeater ran down to the ring and made the save, scaring off Hi-V and setting up for a Double Dog Collar Match at Night of Infamy 2. Before N.O.I. 2 could come, however, CZW would first invade Italy, as it promoted its debut show, Shockwave, outside of the U.S. on October 25. Hi-V didn't fair all that well on that night, as first, Hatred, lost his Tables Match to Gage and then, Zandig captured the CZW World Heavyweight Title from Messiah, ending his nearly year-long reign. The teams in that bout were Messiah & Hatred and Wifebeater (making his in-ring return) & Gage, with Zandig as the special guest referee. So, hot off the heels of two major losses, Hi-V had to redeem themself at N.O.I. 2, when Messiah & Hatred combatted Wifebeater & Gage in a Dougle Dog Collar Match, with Zandig as the special guest referee. The match went as one would expect - both teams decimated one another with a variety of weapons. Towards the bout's latter stages, it looked as if Hi-V was going to sustain another loss, had it not been for Acid, Kashmere, and B-Boy running out and attacking Gage, Wifebeater, and even Zandig and Ian Knoxx and thereby causing a DQ win for the faces. The six-on-four beatdown finally ended when LOBO - making his return after not appearing in CZW for the last few months - ran out to the ring and cleared the ring of Hi-V. The show ended as Zandig announced the C.O.D. V main event as being a 5-on-5 1,000,000 Thumbtacks Double-Ring Cage of Death Scaffold Match. Hi-V was eventually booked against the team of Zandig, Wifebeater, Lobo (making his first in-ring wrestling appearance since last year's C.O.D. event), Gage, and Knoxx. Being the booker in this fantasy scenario, I would rather keep Knoxx, The Backseat Boyz, and B-Boy a bit lower on the card. So, in my above fantasy booking of N.O.I. 2, I had Lobo return as a heel, rather than a face, and align himiself with Hi-V, thereby setting up a six-man tag team C.O.D. Match pitting Messiah, Hatred, and Lobo vs. Zandig, Gage, and Wifebeater. I think this match makes much more sense than booking a 5-on-5 sure-to-be-clusterfuck of a match. For one thing, Zandig & Gage have teamed together several times before, not only in Japan's ZERO-ONE promotion a few months ago (they'll return there together next month [December]), but also in mid-1999 in CZW, they feuded with one another before briefly forming a team. MATCH: Messiah and Wifebeater start. Next in is LOBO, making his first in-ring appearance in CZW in a year. Gage follows. Then Hatred. And finally, Zandig, the CZW champion. NOTE: I had trouble inventing spots for this match, because it's really still pretty unclear exactly what the set will feature, which makes it difficult to derive possible spots. I did the best that I could, though, to make it obvious that - if I were booking the match - it would most certainlyl be absolutely INSANE, regardless of the set that it featured. ALSO: 90% of the match follows the "stall; setup; spot; stall; setup; spot; stall; setup; spot" formula, but a very small portion features some pretty decent mat wrestling, which - of course - is only performed by Messiah and Gage, along with Hatred, who actually surprises a lot of people by working out some well-done wrestling sequences with Gage. Besides this, though, it's all either spots or weapon attacks. All six men are blood-covered messes by the end of the match. The weapons used include: barbed-wire, thumb tacks, broken glass, light tubes Below are some of the spots that occur throughout the match, with the above two notes in mind: - Gage attempts the Chokebreaker, but Hatred fights out with back elbows to his foe's head and then lifts him up onto his shoulders. He signals for a DVD, but Gage drops out and lands behind him before immediately attempting a side suplex. Hatred, however, fights out of it with knee lifts to the face and hits a running bulldog. Hatred then grabs a light tube and shatters it across the back of Gage's head via a leg drop. - A few minutes later, Hatred attempts another bulldog onto a pile of broken glass, but Gage stops him in mid-run by wrenching down on a waistlock and slams Hatred down onto the cactus via a BELLY-TO-BACK LIFT into a SITDOWN URANAGE (a.k.a. a ProtoBomb)~! - Gage sets up for a Tornado DDT through a structure featuring a plate of glass bridged between two steel chairs. On top of the glass is a pile of thumb tacks and shreds of barbed-wire. Hatred fights off the manuever and climbs up onto the top buckle, attempting a Superplex through the creation, but Gage fights him off and Sunset Flip Powerbombs Hatred through it! - With Hatred laying against a bed of nails board that's positioned in the corner, Gage tries to Irish whip him into the opposite corner, but Hatred refuses to go anywhere and instead counters by Russian Leg Sweeping Gage back into the post and the board attached to it! Hatred then proceeds to lift Gage up onto his shoulder and signal for the Bio Thunder Driver (Fire Thundah, baby!), but Gage drops out and lands on his feet behind him. He pushes Hatred into the nearby turnbuckle and Hatred bounces off and stumbles backwards before turning around, right into a STIFF roaring elbow, sending him down to the mat! - Gage sets up a table in the corner and litters it with thumbtacks and broken glass. He lays Hatred on top of it and climbs up top, signaling for his signature Frog Splash. Hatred, though, recovers and crotches Gage on the top buckle before climbing up himself and executing a FUCKIN' SUPER BUTTERFLY SUPLEX THROUGH THE TABLE~! - Gage climbs up top, signaling for his Frog Splash, but Hatred recovers and crotches him. The Hi-V member then lifts Gage off of the buckle and onto his shoulder before attempting a British Bulldog-style running over-the-shoulder powerslam. Gage, however, drops out and land behind him with an inverted facelock applied before turning that into a stiff ELBOW DROP DRIVER (a.k.a. The Eye of the Hurricane/The Final Cut) onto some tacks! - Messiah climbs up to the top buckle and pulls out none other than a FLYING MOONSAULT SPLASH onto a barbed-wire wrapped Zandig! - Messiah tries a Tornado DDT, but Gage causes him to land on his feet, and then lifts him up onto his shoulders and slams him into the ringpost via a SICK Death Valley Driver! - Lobo sets up two chairs and lays a pane of glass across them, in the form of a bridge. He then stands Zandig on one side of the structure and grabs him while standing on the other side before executing a Swinging Neckbreaker, dropping him through the structure! A few minutes later, Lobo drops out of a Mother F'n Bomb (Press Slam Michinoku Driver II) attempt and slams Zandig through a table set up in one of the corners and laid against a ringpost with the Final Solution (DVD). - Zandig repeatedly drops Messiah onto a pile of broken glass with three consecutive Rolling Snap Suplexes. - Hatred and Messiah whip Gage into the ropes the ropes and double-flapjack him face-first onto a set-up steel chair that's littered in tacks. - Wifebeater counters Messiah's attempted crossbody block into a fallaway slam that drops the former-XPW star onto a pile of tacks. - Zandig drops Lobo onto a pile of tacks with a Spiral Bomb (Spinning Sitdown Powerbomb)! - Wifebeater plants Hatred onto the tack-covered mat with the Chokenstein (Lifting Double-Handed Sitout ChokeBomb)! - Gage attempts the Gage Driller (Pain Thriller), but Hatred drops out and lands on his feet behind him before pushing Gage into the nearby buckle and catching him on the rebound with a Release German Suplex, dropping him on a pile of barbed-wire! - Zandig hits Lobo with a friggin' BOTH STANDING SUPER FALCON ARROW from the top buckle of one of the rings and through a table littered in barbed-wire, tacks, glass, etc.! - Big Mac Smack obtains a weedwhacker from ringside and turns it on. He leans through the door of one of the cages and hands it to Wifebeater. The ex-US marine stalks Lobo and prepares to mutilate him with it, but Messiah attacks him from behind, and Wifebeater drops the weedwhacker. Messiah beats on Wifebeater, while Zandig attacks Lobo. Both pairs of duos brawl it out and the first one to get a hold of the weedwhacker (which is in the center of the ring; on the tape release, the commentators play up very well the fact that it's there right in the open, and that the guy that grabs it has a major advantage in the match) and he looks back and forth between Wifebeater and Zandig. He sees that Wifebeater is preoccupied with Messiah, who he's brawling with, so Lobo proceeds to FUCKIN' WEEDWHACK ZANDIG'S BACK~!, CUTTING IT TO SHREDS!!! It's academic at this point, and Lobo tosses Zandig out of the ring through the cage door, and when he hits the ringside concrete, the CZW champ becomes the first participant to be officially eliminated. Some EMTs hustle out and check on his back before helping him to the back, as the match continues. Order of Elimination: Zandig, Messiah, Wifebeater, Lobo, and finally Hatred (Gage obtains the win for his team) Gage and Hatred are the final two remaining. The finish comes when Gage hits some insane version of his Frog Splash off of a balcony, the top of one of the cages, or something like that, through a bunch of barbed-wire, thumbtacks, broken glass, etc.-covered table on which Hatred lays. Gage then tosses Hatred onto the concrete, causing him to be eliminated and winning the match for the face team after about 20 minutes of action. ANALYSIS: A solid main event. The reason I wouldn't have it be absolutely incredible is simply because I don't think that it'd be able to reach that level, with lackluster workers like Wifebeater, Lobo, and Zandig participating. Plus, given the promotion that CZW has given the 5-on-5 C.O.D. Match that will headline the real C.O.D. show, it'd be hard to quite live up to the hype. With this in mind, the match is most definitely a success, and it comes as close as it can to the hype CZW is giving the real C.O.D. match as it realistically can (Again, I think it'd be very hard to match, let alone surpass, the advertising that CZW is devoting to the show's main event.). As a chaotic deathmatch-style spotfest, it delivered and will go down (would, if it were to happen, and I were to book) as one of the most classic garbage matches in CZW history. Some absolutely INSANE bumps make it a must-see, just for the visuals that are otherwise hard-to-believe. A great way to end one of the most important nights in CZW history. I'm not giving this a rating, because it really would *entirely* depend on one's preference. Obviously, technical gurus would want to kill all six men involved, but death match fans would find this match to be a wet dream...and then some. Hehe... Match Qualities (from best to worst): B-Boy/Hero/Rave (CZW Match of the Year Candidate), Hi-V vs. Knoxx/Ruckus/Sonjay, Mafia/Mamaluke, Azrael/Shelley vs. Deranged/Jacobs, J-Pro/M-Dogg vs. Ca$h/GQ, Frazier/Joker/Z-Barr, Kastle/Sabian vs. D.R.S. vs. Jude/Young, Berk/Rebel, Matthews/Dahmer (barely beats Berk/Rebel as worst match of the night) (I didn't include the C.O.D. match, since it's pretty much impossible to compare to ANY of the other matches on the show, since it's style was *completely* unique; As I said in the analysis of it, though, it's a classic in terms of CZW death matches.)

OK, I was there live, and it really fuckin' annoys me. Why the hell do ALL FOUR REVIEWS that I've read of the show (HWL, Rob Naylor, You, and one other one I forget where) call Stryker's move a Super DVD? It wasn't a damn DVD. It was an Air Raid Crash. They're two completely different moves. Oyyyyy... But besides that ranting of mine...I enjoyed the review. Keep up the fantastic compositions.

Did they? I thought the only guys of note he fought there was Danny Daniels and B-Boy. My bad. Still should be a fun match.

I'm assuming you mean you saw the clip on the net, since it wasn't aired on TV, but although you sound genuine, I have trouble believing you, since I don't think WWE ever released the clip, and that's the ONLY way people would've gotten it, unless someone snuck a fancam in, used it, and uploaded the clip to the net, the odds of which are quite slim.

...And one damn motherfucking appreciated shill at that. Great stuff.

Jannetty lives in FL and still does indy shows there. Chetti worked for XPW up until it stopped running. He still flutters around local indies. Still works indy shows. Was on the Memphis show thatt he guy recently died on. I think Mo was also on the show, but I could be wrong.

I really enjoy the old style better. And I noticed a couple of distinct grammar mistakes in there, in various places...but my main qualm is the style. I like your older one better.

CREDIT: NWA-Wildside.com's Larry Goodman, the best pro wrestling live event recapper there is, period Jerelle Clark, the *explosive* lightweight who debuted - along with Sonjay Dutt - in a TNA tag team match several weeks ago, will return to TNA not this Wednesday, but the Wednesday of next week (12/17), when he works the Xplosion tapings. Three other Wildside talents in Todd Sexton, Lost Boy Gabriel (awesome lightweight), and "Kool" Seth DeLay (formerly Kid Kool) will work the Xplosion tapings on 1/21/04.

Probably because Kenzo fucking sucks the dead donkey wang. I'd like to see "MoFo" Steve Bradley brought in. He's a pretty good worker, has some natural heel charisma, and he's a pretty big guy (looks like a cartoonish body builder, similar to X's overall figure, but with braids). If only for a match or two, anyways. Bradley had some stupendous matches with Chris Daniels a few years back. I'd like to see them go at it one more time.

Both Acid and Kashmere are fantastic guys and neither are egomaniacs. The whole ego thing is part of their gimmick. Acid especially is one of the most genuinely nicest guys on the entire indy circuit.

Bring back Altar Boy Luke. Others I want to see in TNA: B-Boy, Nick Berk, Kaos/Joey Idol, Homicide, Slyk Wagner Brown, Slim J, Josh Prohibition, Sal Rinauro, and Vic Grimes.

The Observer is reporting that he has committed to appearing for two World League Wrestling (Harley Race's fed) shows in February.

OK. So, I have yet to see ANY IWS. I haven't even downloaded anything from their web site, although I'm gonna in the first time in about 5 minues. After reading the reviews here, I decided it's worth checking out. So, being that I have yet to see anything of their product and know little about their storylines, what tape do you recommend I start on?

Sorry for the double post. Mods, feel free to delete one of them.

Dreamer won the tag titles with I believe Johnny Gunn (?) early in ECW's existence, so he already had held a title.

By "The Headliner" (whoever that is) Vincent Kennedy McMahon is not popular with Internet wrestling fans. One might even go so far as to call him the fourth most criticized individual on the Web, behind only George W Bush, Bill Gates and, of course, Triple H. In fact Bill Goldberg probably falls in at around number five, so Net fans can hardly be pleased that he and The Game are still feuding over the World Title. And who is responsible for irking the online crowd in this way? That's right - Vince McMahon. You see my point. Whatever is deemed to be wrong with the professional wrestling industry, however, you can be sure Vinnie Mac will be awarded the blame. Be it the lack of competition, the low status of Lance Storm or the departure of Jeff Hardy, McMahon will always foot the bill in terms of online accusations. Is it any wonder that VKM has such disdain for the Internet, when Ask Jeeves suggests "Problems Of Xfl" as an additional search term to his name? Of course, Vince is the chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment, the largest and most dominant pro wrestling organization in the world, and as such he naturally enjoys (and shoulders) a certain amount of responsibility for the direction of not only his company, but the industry as a whole. He is without doubt the most influencial man in the wrestling business. Therefore, many changes in that business are and will be a result of decisions he has made. And Vince McMahon, like any other human being, makes mistakes. Yet for all of his perceived errors in judgment, Vince McMahon is most likely the reason that you became a wrestling fan. There are exceptions to every rule, but the odds are strongly in favor of WWF/E television being the first wrestling show you ever watched. You may have expanded your horizons since then, and may even have left WWE behind in favor of NWA:TNA or other, independent groups. But, the chances are, WWE will always be responsible for getting you hooked on the sport, and the man who made that happen is the subject of this column. One of the most frequent accusations thrown Vince's way is that he is "holding down" a certain wrestler. If a seemingly deserving athlete doesn't make it to the top in a given time period, it's because he's being held down. But on further consideration, how much sense does that theory really make? Vince McMahon is paying this performer's wages. He may be a rich man, but with all the cuts already being made in the company, can he really afford to keep somebody on his roster from whom he doesn't expect to earn results? Is there any logic at all in employing somebody, only to hold them back from achieving what they are capable of achieving? The financial formula is simple: The more true Superstars that are sold to the masses, the more money Vince makes. So to cry allegations of "holding down" appears to be the easy answer, but far from a sensible one. Elsewhere, McMahon is often lambasted for the death of regional wrestling. Now let's look at that one. Okay, perhaps the territories at the time suffered at the hands of this new competition in the marketplace. But recall what I said about WWE's part in attracting you to wrestling. If Vince McMahon had not gambled on expanding his company across North America, do you believe pro wrestling in general would have the fanbase that it has today? Would Ring of Honor, Combat Zone Wrestling or even the old ECW have garnered worldwide attention, if the world wasn't already familiar with WWE? Instead of suffering an untimely death, these regional promotions have seen their potential audience explode, thanks to the exposure that VKM created for his own product. But if we decide to ignore this fact and imagine that Vince has killed off any chance of competition for his beloved WWE, let's ask ourselves one question: Can we really blame him? Almost any businessman with a lick of ambition would do the same thing in McMahon's position. Who doesn't want to be the most successful in their chosen field? The difference between McMahon and his fellow dreamers, however, is that he had the balls to make it a reality. His national expansion of WWE wasn't, as many of his detractors believe, simply a matter of going back on his father's word not to compete, and laughing sadistically at the fruitless attempts of his new competitors. The truth is, Vince and his team of upstarts were threatened by failure every step of the way, dealing mainly in bluffs and critical risks, never truly knowing if they would succeed. Luckily for us, the wrestling fans of today, they did. And lucky for us also is the fact that some of the armchair bookers we hear so much from on the Web are still in their armchairs, and not behind a desk at Titan Towers. Let us not forget that majority rules - and this is something many Internet fans hate, because like it or not, Internet fans make up a definite minority in WWE's audience. Going back to Lance Storm, he may be the Internet's golden child, but the harsh fact remains that his ring style just doesn't interest a large enough portion of the fanbase to justify the kind of push most online columnists would try to give him. This is reflected in his live crowd reactions, and thus in his position on the card. Technically sound he may be, but WWE fans on the whole will not fully accept this style into their hearts until there is a degree of intensity involved. In my opinion, Chris Benoit has this, Lance Storm does not. But the online critics will sooner blame McMahon for the lesser Canadian's disappointing spot on the card, citing poor gimmicks or not enough mic time. Because naturally, it's always Vinnie Mac's fault. Just like it was Vinnie Mac's fault when Jeff Hardy became more concerned with "personal issues" than with being a WWE Superstar. And this is, of course, the same Vinnie Mac who recently had the barefaced gaul to put the World Title on a man whose name was being chanted in arenas up and down the country. Despicable. Vincent Kennedy McMahon is not popular with Internet wrestling fans. But although I know it's not going to happen, some day I would like to see newcomers log onto a wrestling discussion board without feeling they must immediately insult the man before they can truly fit in. Because if it weren't for that failed football promotor, neither they nor I would be discussing wrestling at all. The Headliner appreciates your feedback, so please email any comments to: [email protected] That was really well written and made some very true points. I think everyone who calls themself a wrestling fan should give it a read, sometime or another.

There is more to life outside our little wrestling world. Agreed. I was quite confused about where he got that info from. You know Hulk's real last name isn't Hogan, right? Just checking...Oh, and what's the point of dropping wrestlers' realk names? I can't stand that. It's not "cool," like those who do it seem to think it is. I'm glad to see so many were enthralled by the article, regardless of whether or not in a negative manner or a positive manner.

http://www.theddt.com/ The Kawada quote especially is funny.

I'm picking Raven. Taz made his own belt; yes, he helped built the ECW title, but he alsu spent time putting over the FTW belt, so I can't find it in me to rate him #1. Raven changed what a heel in wrestling is, and he did so to a large degree with the help of the ECW title. Shane Douglas comes in at a not close, but not too far either, second place. The promos he cut back in the day were good (until they got stale, like they've been for the last several years). I don't know who'd come after that - Sandman or Taz. You could really argue either one.

I don't think it happened... Michrobe, do you mean vs. Red/Eddie in ROH?

Courtesy of the ROH Board: Ring of Honor is proud to announce a joint show with Jersey All-Pro Wrestling. The show will take place on Friday, January 9th, 2004 in Woodbridge, NJ at the Woodbridge Armory. This event will feature talent from both rosters that will feature JAPW talent plus top Ring Of Honor stars including Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles and more to be announced in the upcoming weeks. Advanced seating tickets will be available at ROHwrestling.com, RFVideo.com or by calling 215-891-9404. Limited tickets will be also sold through JAPW's website at www.japw.net Matches already signed for this event are Dan Maff vs. Slyk Wagner Brown, and in a 6-Man Tag Team Scramble match will have Insane Dragon, Azrieal & Jay Lethal vs. Deranged, Dixie & Hijinx. More top matches will be signed and announced in the upcoming weeks. Be there that night as two top promotions on the east coast combine to make an unbelievable action packed event. The show is within an 1 hour driving distance from NYC and Philadelphia to be accessible to all the hardcore and die-hard fans of the area. Maff/Slyk sounds quite interesting. If done right, it could be good. Has it ever happened in JAPW, since both guys work there so often? Oh, and there's a problem - As Rob Naylor pointed out on the ROH board, Chris Daniels is booked for MLW on this same date. Something tells me one of the bookings he hasn't confirmed yet. Which one? That IS the question...