Code Black on May 11th, 2012
A video package is shown highlighting most of the card. Featured matches include a Baseball Diamond Brawl between Jason V and Tony G, a showcase tag team match with the Kentucky Buffet and Eiffel Tower, a hair vs. hair match between Scott Parker and Blake Reed, and a fatal four-way main event for the IWAU Heavyweight Title.
Opening Match: Baseball Diamond Brawl: Tony G vs. Jason V
There are various baseball-related objects around the ring that are legal to use. The referee is fittingly wearing a baseball cap. They stop each other from retrieving the weapons in the corners of the ring. Jason tries a low blow but Tony is wearing a cup! Tony connects with a few punches. To avoid a flurry of offense, Jason stands on a base and declares himself safe. That was awesome. Tony trips him off the base but misses a diving headbutt while wearing a catcher’s mask. Jason steals the catcher’s mask and lays in a headbutt of his own. The referee becomes preoccupied and starts eating a hotdog. Tony catches Jason with a few baseball-assisted punches. They battle over the baseball bat. Tony gets the bat and lands a shot to the midsection. He connects with a baseball slide and hits a DDT. Jason responds with a powerbomb out of the corner. Tony hits him with the baseball bat for the win at 7:40. This was far from the heated brawl that I was expecting, but the opening comedy bits were a lot of fun and the crowd seemed to be entertained. I’m not sure where either man goes from here, although I could see Jason having a more prominent role in IWAU. **½
Match #2: Travis Weir vs. Perry Winkle
Weir utilizes his power and size advantages early on. Winkle fights back with a couple of well-placed kicks. Weir hits a fallaway slam and takes over. Winkle avoids a charge and connects with a missile dropkick. Weir shrugs off a tornado DDT attempt and throws Winkle across the ring. They battle on the middle rope and Weir gets shoved to the canvas. Winkle connects with a flying double stomp and lands a splash for the victory at 8:16. Weir looked a little lost at points but Winkle managed to hold the match together by bumping around the ring and getting the crowd involved in his comebacks. Winkle had a very good match with Matt Cage a few days before this show and I’m excited to see what he can do against similar opponents. *¾
Match #3: Hair vs. Hair: Scott Parker vs. Blake Reed
Parker dodges an elbow drop and attempts to ground Reed. Reed powers him up into a back suplex and hits a powerslam. Parker climbs under the ring and trips Reed as he looks for him. In the ring, Parker lands a crossbody and takes control. Reed comes back with a samoan drop. Parker avoids another samoan drop and pulls a chain from his tights. Parker uses the chain to choke out Reed for the win at 7:52. They kept things pretty basic and worked a fine eight-minute match. I would assume that this feud is not over given Parker’s victory. **
Parker duct tapes Reed’s wrists to the bottom rope and cuts his hair. Reed eventually breaks free and chases Parker to the back.
Match #4: Matt Cage and Alex Castle vs. Darin Corbin and Reed Bentley
Cage puts Eiffel Tower’s ring vests into his trunks and Corbin is not happy about this. The Kentucky Buffet connect with a series of chops on Bentley and Cage follows with a leg lariat. They spinebuster Bentley and make a wish. Corbin has been providing commentary from the apron through all of this. Bentley catches Cage with an enzuigiri but falls victim to a chinbreaker. Castle trips Bentley into a nice dropkick from Cage in a pretty cool spot. Bentley rakes Castle’s eyes and finally tags out. However, Eiffel Tower soon find themselves in boston crabs and the Kentucky Buffet stand tall. The action goes to the floor where both teams brawl around ringside. As Castle reenters the ring, Bentley snaps his neck across the top rope and Eiffel Tower isolate him. He finds an opening after suplexing Bentley into the turnbuckles but can’t make the tag. Castle eventually hits a northern lights suplex on Corbin and tags out. Cage lays out Corbin with a twisting neckbreaker and adds a top rope elbow drop. Castle connects with a corner yakuza kick and a basement superkick on Corbin. Eiffel Tower answer with a side slam-inverted DDT combination on Cage. Bentley gets sent to the floor and Corbin ends up on his shoulders. Castle clotheslines Corbin from the apron. Cage lands a dive from the top rope onto Eiffel Tower. In the ring, everyone catches each other with strikes. Castle plants Bentley with a uranagi. Corbin hits a half nelson facebuster on Castle and all four men are down. Castle hits a saito suplex on Bentley for the victory at 16:47. As expected from both teams involved, this was a solid tag team match that allowed everyone to shine. I liked how the Kentucky Buffet was clearly in control for the first five or six minutes of the match as it’s something you don’t see too often and makes perfect sense. I’ve also been a fan of Bentley from the matches that he’s been apart of this year and Eiffel Tower complemented the Kentucky Buffet very well. This was just a fun tag team match to watch that didn’t try to go overboard on big spots or nearfalls. ***¼
Match #5: Scarlett Bordeaux vs. Angelus Layne
Bordeaux slaps Layne and pulls her down by her hair. Layne lays in a few forearms and hits a suplex. Bordeaux avoids a senton and takes over. She also yells a lot. Layne fights back with a neckbreaker. They exchange forearms and Layne connects with double knees. Bordeaux attempts a tornado DDT but falls victim to a northern lights suplex. She recovers with a lungblower for a nearfall. Layne powers out of a dragon sleeper and applies a rear naked choke for the win at 8:34. This was a nice showcase for Layne and I wouldn’t mind seeing Bordeaux back in IWAU. There was some entertaining back and forth action and I really liked the finish despite it not receiving much of a reaction from the crowd. **¼
Match #6: IWAU Heavyweight Title: Joey O’Riley © vs. Christian Rose vs. A.T. Brooks vs. Jimmy Karryt
Everyone attacks Rose and throws him to the outside. O’Riley and Brooks throw Karryt over the top rope and onto Rose. Brooks gets elevated to the floor as well and O’Riley follows out with a dive. In the ring, Rose really goes to town on Karryt’s left hand. Karryt is able to create an opening after a stomp out of the corner. O’Riley connects with a corner lariat on Rose. Brooks and O’Riley charge at Rose but he stomps them down to the canvas. Rose and Brooks brawl on the outside while O’Riley works over Karryt in the ring. Brooks drop toe holds Rose into a propped chair. He attempts a springboard maneuver in the ring but Karryt catches him with an enzuigiri. Rose hits a modified air raid crash on Karryt and locks in a boston crab. O’Riley tries to break up the hold but falls victim to a neckbreaker. Karryt lands a split-legged senton onto Brooks. They do an awesome four-way submission spot that actually makes sense. O’Riley ends up with an STF on Rose but Karryt breaks it up with a dropkick. Rose traps both O’Riley and Brooks in a boston crab but that hold is broken up by an enzuigiri from Karryt. O’Riley hits a spanish fly on Brooks. Rose plasters Brooks with an elbow strike for a nearfall. He also catches O’Riley and Karryt with backfists. Karryt attempts a plancha but Rose connects with a roaring elbow on his way down. Brooks lays out O’Riley with a roaring bicycle kick. Rose hits a snapmare driver on Karryt and all four men are down. O’Riley hits a double slingshot DDT on Karryt and Rose. Brooks interrupts his 450 attempt and they battle up top. Rose ends up on the winning end of a tower of doom spot. Brooks connects with a superkick and a knockout kick on Rose. Rose blocks a hurricanrana and hits a powerbomb. He blocks kicks from everyone and puts them in boston crabs. Karryt and Brooks catch Rose with stereo superkicks and all four men are down once again. On the outside, Karryt uses a rope to tie O’Riley’s feet to the guardrail. In the ring, Rose connects with a roaring elbow on Brooks and hits a falcon arrow for a nearfall. Rose applies a boston crab and despite O’Riley’s best efforts to make the save, Brooks taps out while yelling “I’m sorry.” Rose becomes the new IWAU Heavyweight Champion at 20:16. I think Rose winning the title was unquestionably the right decision. He’s been having excellent matches as of late and headed the recent Destroy IWAU movement. Brooks apologizing before he tapped out was an awesome moment, as everyone knows what Rose is capable of, especially now that he has the title. As far as the in-ring action was concerned, while there were a few moments of miscommunication throughout the match, I also saw some multi-man spots that I’d never seen before and the crowd stayed with them throughout the entire twenty minutes. This was a great way to end the show and the title situation in IWAU has become very interesting. ***½
O’Riley attacks Karryt and Brooks after the match as Matt Cage and Alex Castle try to stop him.
Overall: Both matches that received a decent amount of time delivered, as the Kentucky Buffet and Eiffel Tower delivered a worthwhile tag team match and I can’t say enough good things about the main event. While none of the other four matches on the card were bad, none of them really stood out. But if you are a fan of IWAU, I really think the main event is something to check out. Yet as an overall show, I cannot give Code Black a recommendation. However, with Rose’s title win and the upcoming 1UP Tournament (see below), I like where things are headed.
On June 9th, IWA Unlimited presents its 1UP Tournament, featuring the following first round matches:
Reed Bentley vs. ACH
Matt Cage vs. Zakk Sawyers
A.T. Brooks vs. Davey Vega
Danny Cannon vs. Joey O’Riley
Perry Winkle vs. Alex Castle
Mat Fitchett vs. Gary Jay
For more information on IWA Unlimited, check them out on:
Facebook and Twitter
Smart Mark Video, where you can purchase this show when it’s released
Their official website
Youtube, where you can watch full-length matches