IWC: Winner Takes All 2011 Review

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by wptg

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Winner Takes All on December 10th, 2011

Opening Match: Alex Colon vs. Rickey Shane Page
Page connects with a series of strikes but gets sent to the floor. He catches Colon on a dive attempt and drops him across the apron. In the ring, Colon comes off the top with a knee strike and takes control. Page avoids a knockout kick and stomps Colon into the canvas. Colon connects with a yakuza kick but falls victim to a bucklebomb. Page lays in a spin kick for a nearfall. He applies a texas cloverleaf but Colon is able to free himself from the hold. Colon throws a shirt into Page’s face and connects with a superkick. Page blocks a second superkick and finds success with a roaring elbow for the win at 5:10. They packed a good bit of action into five minutes and I would like to see both of these men brought back. Page has an extremely unique offensive repertoire and he could find his niche in a lot of different promotions. **½

Page grabs the microphone and says that he’s been trying to get back into IWC for quite some time. He admits that it’s an honor to be on the same show with the likes of Jimmy DeMarco, Shiima Xion, and John McChesney…especially Xion. Page awkwardly walks away.

Match #2: Low Rider and Kaientai vs. Samuray Del Sol and Sairus
Sairus snaps off a headscissors on Low Rider and they wrestle to a stalemate. Kaientai and Del Sol trade armdrags and find themselves at a stalemate as well. Low Rider flips into the ring and Sairus does the same after a couple of attempts. Low Rider snaps off a slingshot headscissors on Sairus, who responds by sending Low Rider to the floor. Kaientai blocks a dive from Sairus and connects with a superkick. Low Rider and Kaientai isolate Sairus until he takes Kaientai down with a hurricanrana, dropkicks Low Rider, and makes the tag. Del Sol connects with a springboard dropkick on Kaientai. Sairus lands a springboard corkscrew dive to the floor onto both of his opponents. Del Sol follows with a dive of his own. In the ring, Sairus hurricanranas Low Rider off the top rope. Kaientai hits an electric chair jawbreaker on Sairus. Del Sol hits a twisting brainbuster on Kaientai. Low Rider catches Del Sol with shotgun knees but gets planted by a DDT from Sairus. Del Sol hits a reverse hurricanrana on Kaientai. Sairus leaps off the apron and hurricanranas Kaientai on the floor. Low Rider hits a sit-out gourdbuster on Del Sol. Low Rider comes off the top rope but Del Sol catches him with a steenalizer for the victory at 9:16. These four went full-blast for nine minutes and had a highly enjoyable exhibition. For the intricacy of the exchanges that they were attempting, mostly everything went off without a hitch and the crowd really reacted to the action. You won’t see this kind of match very often so it’s fitting that it happened on one of IWC’s biggest shows of the year. All four men looked great in the ring and that translated into a quality showcase. ***

Match #3: Joe Rosa vs. Aiden Veil
Veil monkey flips Rosa out of the corner and snaps off a hurricanrana. He lands a standing moonsault. Rosa avoids a springboard attempt and hits an overhead suplex. He takes over until Veil tries a few quick pin attempts to no avail. Veil follows with a sloppy flurry of offense. They trade strikes and Rosa connects with a clothesline. Rosa hits the Last Call for the win at 5:54. Rosa has a lot of potential and I’m interested to see how he progresses in 2012. Veil, on the other hand, needs a lot of work in the ring and he’s been bordering on dangerous during his matches in IWC thus far. This match was fine when Rosa was in control but Veil just couldn‘t get his offense together. *

Match #4: Matt Justice vs. Jason Gory
The winner will become the #1 contender for the Super Indy Title. They begin with some chain wrestling. Both men try a few quick pin attempts to no avail. Gory connects with a dropkick but gets caught by a series of armdrags. Justice misses a senton but finds success with a powerslam. He takes control until Gory hits a jawbreaker and lands a lionsault. Gory connects with a lariat in the corner but misses the QAS. He counters a springboard lariat with a lungblower. Gory hits the QAS for a nearfall and lands a 450 splash. Justice sneaks in a small package out of nowhere for the victory at 6:53. While the beginning moments of the match showed promise, the action suffered from some miscommunication down the stretch. However, I liked the finish as it plays into Gory’s recent trend of losing by the skin of his teeth. I could see Justice and Facade having a quality match over the Super Indy Title. **

Gory shoves the referee and yells at him. Justice tells Gory that he’ll get his chance eventually. Gory refuses a handshake and walks away. Justice vows to win the Super Indy Title in 2012.

Match #5: IWC Tag Team Titles: Jimmy Vegas and Super Hentai vs. Bobby Beverly and Nicki Valentino vs. Louis Lyndon and Flip Kendrick vs. Mickey and Marshall Gambino
The titles were vacated when Norm Connors stripped Jimmy Vegas and Dennis Gregory of them back at No Excuses in October. Not only will we have new champions, the actual titles are new as well. The Founding Fathers and the Gambinos stare each other down before the opening bell. Everyone starts brawling. Hentai interrupts a confrontation between Vegas and Marshall. Lyndon cartwheels out of an armdrag from Beverly but gets caught by an enzuigiri. Lyndon responds with a series of kicks. Kendrick snaps off a hurricanrana on Valentino and lands a standing shooting star press. Aeroform connect with stereo dropkicks on Valentino. Hentai runs into a shoulder tackle from Marshall. The Gambinos hit a double team backbreaker on Hentai and throw him down to the canvas. Vegas knees Mickey from the apron and the Founding Fathers isolate him. He low bridges Vegas to the floor and a brawl erupts on the outside as the match starts to break down. Aeroform dropkick the One Nighters to the floor and follow out with stereo dives. In the ring, Kendrick lands a springboard corkscrew onto Marshall. The One Nighters showcase some double team maneuvers on Kendrick. Hentai hits a saito suplex on Valentino and transitions into a camel clutch. Beverly is able to break up the hold. Vegas hits a german suplex on Beverly. They do a tower of doom spot in the corner with Marshall coming out on top. Vegas and Marshall stare each other down again but their partners interrupt. The Gambinos hit the Curse of the Gambino on Hentai. Lyndon unleashes a flurry of offense on the Gambinos. He almost gets caught with the Curse of the Gambino but the Gambinos become too preoccupied with the Founding Fathers. Beverly catches Lyndon with a rollup out of nowhere and the One Nighters become the new IWC Tag Team Champions at 14:43. Every team brought something different to the table and in the end, I think the right team won the match. The hostility between the Gambinos and the Founding Fathers was played off well and I’m glad that their feud was highlighted. The finish left a lot of room open for future title defenses for the One Nighters, as the other three teams could all make cases for why they should receive another shot at the titles. The action progressed nicely and found its rhythm once everything broke down. I’ve really enjoyed the One Nighters’ work in IWC and I think they’ll have a solid first run with the new titles. ***¼

After the match, the Founding Fathers and the Gambinos brawl to the back as the One Nighters escape with their titles.

Bronco McBride and Tyler Stone come out for their match. Chest Flexor interrupts before the contest can begin. Flexor says that he demanded a match on tonight’s show and proposes a tag team match. He reappears as “Tex” Flexor and offers to team with McBride. David R. Dimera comes out to team with Stone, leading to…

Match #6: Bronco McBride and Tex Flexor vs. Tyler Stone and David R. Dimera
McBride and Flexor attack before the opening bell. They work over Dimera, focusing their offense on his left arm. He hits an STO on McBride and makes the tag. Stone lays out Flexor with a butterfly piledriver but gets caught by a brainbuster from McBride. McBride traps Dimera in a fujiwara armbar for the win at 4:41. This was a fine match to bring everyone back from intermission. The match itself wasn’t much but it achieved its goal of planting the seeds of dissention between Stone and Dimera. *½

Stone argues with Dimera after the match and leaves him in the ring.

Match #7: Dalton Castle vs. Sami Callihan
Castle leapfrogs over the referee and catches Callihan with a knee strike before the opening bell. Callihan responds with a powerbomb and attempts an early kneebar. He clotheslines Castle off the apron and lands a dive to the floor. Callihan lays in a few chops around ringside. Castle impressively snaps off a hurricanrana on the floor and drops Callihan back-first across the apron. In the ring, Castle takes control and targets the midsection. Callihan connects with a bicycle kick but runs into an overhead suplex. He’s able to mount a comeback after slamming Castle legs-first into the ropes. Callihan connects with an enzuigiri followed by a facewash bicycle kick. Castle dodges another bicycle kick and hits a dead-lift german suplex. Callihan responds with a saito suplex out of nowhere. He connects with a knockout kick and superkicks Castle’s left leg. Callihan locks in the stretch muffler but Castle reverses the hold into a small package for the victory at 10:13. These two wrestled a fun and energetic back and forth contest that made the most out of its ten minutes. Callihan did an excellent job of working over Castle’s leg and Castle came off as extremely resourceful by countering the stretch muffler to win the match. Castle has really come into his own in IWC and he should have big things in store for him in the coming year. Callihan complemented him perfectly and their polar opposite personalities contributed to the entertainment value of this match. ***

Match #8: IWC World Heavyweight Title: John McChesney © vs. Shiima Xion vs. Jimmy DeMarco
These three men have been the main components of the IWC World Heavyweight Title picture for the past three years. McChesney breaks a fan’s whiteboard during his entrance, which has become a staple for him over the years. McChesney hip tosses both of his opponents after some dirty tactics. They return the favor and throw him out of the ring. Xion lands a springboard corkscrew onto DeMarco. McChesney pulls Xion out of the ring and rams him into the guardrail. DeMarco hits a powerslam on McChesney. Xion connects with a double missile dropkick and hits a neckbreaker on McChesney, who inadvertently DDTs DeMarco. McChesney hits a back suplex on DeMarco and they do a tower of doom spot in the corner. DeMarco bucklebombs Xion as McChesney brings a chair into the ring. McChesney breaks the chair by dropping DeMarco back-first across it. He follows with a northern lights suplex. DeMarco fights off a top rope hurricanrana from McChesney and C4s Xion off the top rope. All three men are down. They trade punches and chops. DeMarco finds success with a double testicular claw. He hits the C4 on Xion for a nearfall. McChesney plants DeMarco with a TKO but gets sent to the floor. Xion superkicks DeMarco and hits a crucifix bomb for a two count. Xion transitions into a crossface. McChesney tries to break the hold but gets trapped in a crossface as well. Xion back suplexes McChesney to the floor. DeMarco tries a quick rollup on Xion for a two count. DeMarco blocks a second crossface attempt and hits the C4 on Xion to become the new IWC World Heavyweight Champion at 13:56. These three know each other very well and were able to string together some nice sequences throughout this match. I think mostly everyone expected this to be the main event and some will be surprised at the short duration. However, there seems to be more to come from DeMarco, McChesney, and Xion in 2012 and I don’t think this match settled the issues between them. DeMarco winning the title is surprising, especially since he had a long title reign in 2010. This was an entertaining triple threat match and it’ll be interesting to see how these three men progress as I’m not sure where they go from here. ***¼

Fans fire confetti and streamers into the ring as DeMarco celebrates. Xion shakes his hand and they hug. Rickey Shane Page charges the ring and attacks Xion. Chuck Roberts and referees check on him as Page walks away laughing. McChesney claims that he had nothing to do with Page coming out. McChesney says that the real champion was not pinned tonight and tells Roberts that he should be ashamed of his new champion. He challenges DeMarco to one final match next month. DeMarco accepts the challenge and makes it a cage match. They start brawling into the crowd until staff members separate them. Chuck Roberts makes the cage match official and reminds both of them that this will be their final match against each other.

Match #9: IWC Super Indy Title: Ladder Match: Logan Shulo vs. Matt Cross vs. Facade vs. Hallowicked
Egotistico Fantastico had to forfeit the title due to an injury so this match will crown the new champion. Shulo catches Facade with a boot and lands a dive to the floor onto Hallowicked. Facade lands a springboard moonsault onto Cross and takes out Shulo with a dive of his own. Cross snaps off a headscissors on Hallowicked and Facade adds a dropkick. Facade leaps off the top rope and takes Shulo over with a hurricanrana. Cross kicks a ladder into Hallowicked and Shulo but gets rammed into the ringpost. Facade double stomps a ladder, driving it into the faces of Hallowicked and Shulo. Cross and Facade battle over who should climb the ladder in the ring. Hallowicked gets involved and kicks Facade in the face. Facade pushes him into the ladder but misses a crossbody and collides with it. He recovers by spin kicking Facade and back dropping Shulo into the ladder. Hallowicked brings another ladder into the ring. Facade bulldogs him into the ladder and lands an arabian moonsault. Shulo sets a ladder across the bottom rope and double stomps Facade into it. Cross connects with an enzuigiri on Shulo and lands a shooting star press. Facade and Hallowicked brawl on the outside. Facade misses a dive and crashes through a ladder that was propped between the apron and the guardrail. Cross drop toe holds Hallowicked into a ladder and catches him with a springboard stomp. They battle on top of a ladder and Facade dropkicks it over. Facade connects with a knockout kick on Shulo who falls onto a propped ladder in the corner. Facade climbs another ladder and Shulo meets him at the top. They trade strikes and Shulo gets sent through the propped ladder in the corner. Facade grabs the Super Indy Title to become the new champion at 16:27. This was a well-structured ladder match that didn’t go overboard on the dangerous stunts but made the big spots count. Facade and Shulo did most of the heavy lifting but Cross and Hallowicked added their individual touches to the match as well. Aside from a dead spot in the middle of the match, the action kept moving and there were enough multi-man interactions to keep things interesting. Although Facade looked great in victory, Shulo has really benefited from staying even with him throughout the past couple of months. Despite taking awhile to crown a new champion, I think IWC dealt with the injury appropriately and the Super Indy division looks to be headed in a positive direction in 2012. ***½

Jason Gory comes out to congratulate his partner. He hugs Facade but then spits red mist into this face! Gory starts choking out Facade and pushes the referee. Gory talks about the lack of opportunities that he’s received throughout his career in IWC. If he needs to become a little more violent, then so be it. Shulo reenters the ring and chases Gory away. Shulo hands the title to Facade and raises his hand as Facade celebrates to end the show.

Overall: Winner Takes All ended things on a high note for IWC in 2011 as it was an extremely consistent show that gave new life to the title scenes heading into the new year. The One Nighters won the IWC Tag Team Titles in a fun scramble match, Jimmy DeMarco finally dethroned John McChesney while setting things in motion for the next show, and the ladder match main event provided a strong finale with Facade’s title win. There were a few other worthwhile matches in the undercard, such as Dalton Castle’s encounter with Sami Callihan and the lucha tag team showcase. I value consistency in shows and Winner Takes All definitely came through on that end. I can safely give this show a recommendation. Nothing is necessarily “must see,” but the show advances multiple storylines into 2012 while being consistent in the in-ring aspect as well. As a result, this would be a great introduction to IWC for someone wanting to check out the promotion.

To read reviews of past IWC shows, check out my blog at iwcwrestling.wordpress.com

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