AIW Review: The Best of Blood

A few of these matches you will notice have no rating attached to them. I for one had difficulty rating some of these matches, as they were more spectacle than a method of telling a story or putting on a physical match. Therefore, some of these purposefully are not rated.

Disc One

Rude Boy vs. The Thrillbilly
“Rude Boy Strikes” – 8.21.2005

Thrillbilly chokes Boy against the ropes while Boy is bleeding from the forehead. He splashes Boy in the corner. Boy ends up with a pair of scissors and digs them into the Thrillbilly’s forehead. The fight spills outside in the street. Thrillbilly throws Boy into a car and a nearby fence. He slams his head into a light pole. Boy is a bloody mess now. He actually tries to get into a fight with some fan who is talking smack and both parties have to be held back. They end up back in the ring with Thrillbilly in control. He whacks Boy with a kendo stick. He digs scissors into Boy’s arm and head. More kendo stick shots follow, as well as a some cookie sheet attacks and choking with a shovel. He chokes Boy with a noose from the apron. Thrillbilly beats him on the floor with a shovel. Boy reaches such a state of distress that he begins puking in the ring and damn near chokes on his vomit. Meanwhile blood from his face is clotting. The match is stopped at about 14:30. Given the lights in the building and the beating Rude Boy took, this was almost like something out of “Saw” or a Grindhouse flick. It was surreal, gross and downright scary. “Spectacle” is the only word I could use to describe it. Not for the weak at heart.

Fans Bring the Weapons Match
New Jack vs. Christian Faith
“Die Hard” – 7.16.2006

Aaron Bauer is in Faith’s corner. Jack sneaks in from behind to attack Faith. Jack pulls out the Freddy Krueger claw and digs it into Faith’s arm. Jack then jabs Faith’s arm and digts into it with a fork. Faith gets in a few punches. Faith uses the claw on Jack’s head. Jack places a metal sheet on Faith’s groin and slams a golf club against it. Jack throws him against the wall. Out in the parking lot he throws a few punches before bringing Faith back into the ring. Faith scrapes some sort of grater against Jack’s head. Jack staples a plastic bag to Faith’s arm. Faith responds by stapling a dollar bill to Jack’s head. He digs a crutch into Jack’s throat. Jack slams that crutch against Faith’s arm. He comes off the top rope with a chair to Faith’s head for the pin at 14:23. This was all ECW nostalgia, so if you like watching New Jack be New Jack while “Natural Born Killaz” plays in the background, this is for you. I enjoyed it for a good bit but much like a lot of what New Jack does it got a bit repetitive.

Fans Bring the Weapons Match
The Necro Butcher vs. Drake Younger vs. John Thorne
“Hell On Earth 3” – 10.28.2007

Aaron Bauer is in Necro’s corner. Thorne and Butcher start throwing punches on the floor. Younger somersault sentons onto both of them. He throws a trashcan at Thorne before Butcher throws him into a board laying against the wall. Butcher slams the guardrail into Thorne’s head repeatedly. Younger and Butcher exchange chops ringside. Butcher throws Thorne into a soda machine near the back of the building. He then whips Younger into the crowd. He puts a chair around Thorne’s neck, then uses a second chair to smash it into him. Thorne digs some scissors into his forehead. Younger hits Thorne with a chair. Both Butcher and Younger break a crutch across his back. Butcher sandwiches both his opponents heads with baking sheets. Butcher crotches Thorne on the guardrail and sends him into the crowd by slamming a guitar against his head. In the ring he slams Younger onto a shopping cart. He clotheslines him in the corner and kicks him in the side of the head. Younger throws thumbtacks at Butcher’s feet to stop his oncoming charge! Younger then suplexes him onto the tacks. Thorne breaks the pin attempt. He splashes some light tubes into Younger’s chest. He gives Butcher a neckbreaker onto some tacks and broken tubes. He double stomps a baking sheet into Butcher’s chest for a two count. Butcher huracanrana’s Thorne off the top rope. He puts him in a rear-naked choke. Younger comes off the second rope with a legdrop to break it, landing ass first in some thumbtacks too. Nice going Drake. Butcher sets up two chairs back-to-back. He gives Younger a backbreaker onto them for two. Younger manages to give Butcher a Samoan Drop through a couple light tubes. He slams Butcher through a chair with a Death Valley Driver! Thorne is there to break the pin. Thorne gives him a uranage onto the glass and tacks. Even so, Younger manages to give Thorne the Drake’s Landing onto the shopping cart! Butcher breaks that pin. He brings in some more light tubes and gives Thorne a Tiger Driver through them. That gets him the pin at 15:04. That was so much fun to watch. All three guys knew what the crowd wanted and provided it in excess. A few of the spots were clever and they managed to get a louder reaction as the match wore on. Quite frankly, it was three hardcore wrestlers doing hardcore wrestling well. ***1/2

After the match, Younger attacks Necro and puts him through the timekeeper’s table with a Death Valley Driver off the apron! Now that’s added value if I’ve ever seen it.

No Disqualification
John Thorne vs. Mad Man Pondo
“Gauntlet for the Gold 3” – 2.24.2008

Pondo goes for the STOP Sign Smash before the bell rings. Thorne goes to the floor to avoid it. Aaron Bauer is in Pondo’s corner. Pondo rakes Thorne’s eyes. Thorne pulls some scissors out of his boot and jabs them into Pondo’s forehead. He further busts Pondo open by digging the scissors into his open wound. Pondo busts out his staple gun and uses it against Thorne’s forehead a few times. Thorne takes control of the staple gun and staples a dollar bill into Pondo’s cheek. Pondo suplexes him onto an upright chair. He scrapes the edge of his STOP sign against Thorne’s wound. Thorne kicks the sign into Pondo’s face. He then stomps it into his chest for a two count. Pondo recovers and finally hits the STOP Sign Smash. He uses a sledgehammer to break a cinder block on Thorne’s crotch! He places Thorne underneath some chairs and his STOP Sign. He dives onto him with the Silencer. Matthew Justice comes in to make the save. He smashes Pondo with the STOP Sign. He places Thorne on top giving him the pin at 8:09. It seems weird to have Thorne go through all that just to have Pondo be taken out with a STOP sign. It made sense for the context of what it would lead to in the storyline (the next match on this compilation to be exact), but left something to be desired. By and large the action was good up until that point. **1/2

Fans Bring the Weapons Match
Oh, Snap Inc. (Faith In Nothing (Christian Faith & Vincent Nothing) & Mad Man Pondo) vs. Revelation 13 (John Thorne, Drake Younger & Matthew Justice)
“Absolution 3” – 5.25.2008

Faith in Nothing demolish Justice with a modified KRS-ONE. They maul Younger with knees and boots in the corner. Pondo blasts Thorne with his STOP sign. He digs his barbed wire bat into Thorne’s head while Faith in Nothing fight with Younger and Justice on the floor. Pondo takes a stapler to Thorne’s crotch. In the ring, Younger dropkicks some light tubes into Faith’s face for a two count. Justice dumps out some thumbtacks and Faith gets his head rubbed into them. Faith slams Younger off the top rope into the tacks. Pondo suplexes Thorne into a ladder that is leaned against the guardrails. Justice headscissors Nothing into a trashcan propped up in between the top and second turnbuckles. Younger and Faith trade punches as they sit in chairs outside of the ring. Younger comes back inside so he can come off the second rope to dropkick some light tubes into Pondo. Thorne smashes a light tube against Faith’s head on the floor. Pondo breaks a Guitar Hero peripheral across Younger’s head. Nothing suplexes Justice onto a guardrail. Pondo takes some huge pliers and picks at Younger’s forehead. Nothing holds up Thorne so Faith can stomp him into a collection of light tubes. Younger brings a barbed wire board into the ring. Thorne DDT’s Faith and stomps some light tubes onto his chest. A mass collection of upright chairs holds up a barbed wire and light tube board on the floor. Pondo set up the other board on some chairs in the ring. Younger and Justice double superplex Pondo through the board in the ring! Pondo manages to kick out. Faith in Nothing double slam Justice through a table. Younger smashes a light tube across Faith’s back and nails Nothing in the head with a piece of the broken table. Younger and Faith end up on the apron by the board. Faith sends them both through the barbed wire/light tube board with a Death Valley Driver! Pondo places a ladder and some light tubes on top of two chairs. Thorne however ends up tossing Pondo through his own contraption and gets a two count. Nothing Angle slams Thorne onto the barbed wire board in the ring for the pin at 14:47. That was like the “Hell On Earth 3” match but way crazier. There’s something admirable about six guys going out and taking a serious beating. This was a really fun hardcore match that really felt like the competitors wanted to maim one another. ****

Disc Two

Intense Division Championship – Beer Bottle on a Pole Match
Jimmy Demarco (Champion) vs. Facade
“Nightmare Before X-Mas 2 – 12.19.2008

Demarco has an injured knee and pretends like he is going to hand the title over. That turns out to be a rouse for him to attack Façade with his crutch. He enters a ladder into the ring. He picks up a second and Façade tope con hilo’s onto him. Demarco however is able to regain control before they come back into the ring. He tries to whip Façade into a ladder but Façade counters with a spinwheel kick. He botches a quebrada press off the ladder. Demarco gives him a spinebuster. He throws the ladder at Façade’s head twice. He wedges Façade between the ladder and drives the top portion into him with some chair shots. Demarco climbs the ladder in the corner. Façade powerbombs him off. Demarco tips the ladder onto Façade while he recovers. Façade tosses him into the crowd. He sets up a ladder between the guardrails and the ring apron, then spinwheel kicks a chair into Demarco’s face. Demarco suplexes Façade onto the previously propped up ladder. He retrieves the beer bottle. Façade attacks before he can use it. He knocks Demarco back onto the ladder between the ring and guardrails. He gives for the Arabian Skull Crusher, but Demarco moves out of the way causing him to crash to the floor. Demarco pulls down the Intense Title for the win at 10:53. A few cool spots aside this was a nothing match with an abrupt finish. Demarco was an interesting guy but Façade was still at his peak greenness here. **

Absolute Championship – Fans Bring the Weapons Match
Drake Younger (Champion) vs. Jimmy Demarco
“Absolution 4”– 6.12.2009

Drake brings out light tubes but there’s plenty of other plunder around the ring already. They trade shots in the middle of the ring. Younger hits Demarco with a light tube in the head as Demarco tries a sunset flip. Younger headbutts a light tube into Demarco’s forehead. Younger snapmares Demarco and digs a broken light tube into his head. Drake uses a staple gun on the inside of Demarco’s leg. Younger staples a dollar bill onto the side of Demarco’s head. Demarco rolls to the floor disoriented. Younger picks up the barbed wire board and places it between the ring apron and the guardrail. Drake picks Demarco’s forehead with the wire and tosses Demarco back in the ring. Drake double stomps on a chair which has a light tube under it, onto Demarco’s back! Younger takes a cheese grater and rubs it against his forehead. Younger pours thumbtacks onto the ring apron. Demarco drop toe holds Younger right on the tacks, and follows with a senton. Demarco slams Younger on the thumbtacks and chokes him. Demarco grabs a headlock. Demarco slams four light tubes tied together across Younger’s back. Demarco chokes Younger with a rope and brings Younger to the ring apron. Younger slams a few items onto Demarco, including a plush Goldberg. Younger looks for a piledriver. Demarco counters looking for a DDT. Drake scoops him and slams Demarco through the barbed wire board to the floor! Younger pins Demarco in the ring for two. Younger places another group of light tubes on the mat. Younger drops Demarco with a slam across the light tubes. Demarco kicks out yet again. Younger places more light tubes across Demarco’s chest before heading up top. Demarco cuts Younger off and follows up top. Demarco superplexes Younger through the light tubes. Younger kicks out Demarco sets up two chairs with some space apart, light tubes set up between them. Drake smacks a computer keyboard on Demarco’s head. Younger powerbombs Demarco through the light tubes! Demarco kicks out, and sets up the chairs and light tubes again. He looks for a move off the top, and Younger reverses into a Death Valley Driver! Demarco somehow kicks out once more. Younger looks for a Drake’s Landing, and Façade hops on the apron to distract him. Shiima Xion runs in and blasts Younger with light tubes across his head! Demarco hits a piledriver on the chair. Younger kicks out and looks for the Drake’s Landing again. He fails and each guy gets two with a roll-up. Younger and Demarco hit double clotheslines. Demarco low blows Younger and uses the ropes to pin Younger for the win and the title at 14:04. That was as crazy as I thought it would be, but a lot more one-sided than I expected. These guys have some balls putting themselves through this kind of match. The fans ate up everything until Xion and Façade ran in, which took some of their steam away. The sudden finish didn’t help either. Even with that, this was another entertaining spectacle. ***1/2

Fans Bring the Weapons Match
Alpha Beta Duke (The Duke, Nick Belushi & John Thorne) vs. Da Latin Crime Syndicate (Luis Diamante, Joey The Snake & K. Fernandez)
“Nightmare Before X-Mas 3” –12.20.2009

Johnny Gargano vs. Chest Flexor
“Girls Night Out 4” – 7.29.2011

Gargano kicks out at two. Flexor chokes Gargano on the middle rope. Beverly chokes Gargano behind Dawson’s back. Flexor gives him a gut buster for two, then slaps on a Camel Clutch. Flexor pushes Gargano to the floor where Williams gets in a couple more punches. Flexor drops him with a neckbreaker and puts his feet on the bottom rope for a two count. Gargano fights off Beverly and Williams as they try to interfere. Flexor throws powder into Gargano’s eyes and Dawson pretends not to see it. Williams and Beverly come in and take turns beating Gargano down. Tim Donst runs out with a 2×4 and takes out Beverly and Williams. He chases them (and Dawson) away, allowing Gargano to tackle and lay in a series of punches to Flexor. Gargano ties up Flexor in the ropes and batters him with superkicks. Gargano places a steel chair between the middle and top ropes in the corner. He lawn darts Flexor into the chair Gargano does it a second time. Gargano rams Flexor’s bloody head over and over in the steel guardrail. He continuously hurls chairs over and over onto Flexor. Gargano throws one last chair onto Flexor than heads backstage. Flexor, nearly dead, is helped to the back. This wasn’t really a match as it was an awesome segment to set-up the protagonists and antagonists in what would end up being the next big rivalry in AIW. I thought the way Gargano took out Flexor was perfect considering how he was screwed back at Absolution VI. This was an awesome next chapter in the Flexor Industries vs. AIW feud. Gargano officially won this match due to Flexor not being able to continue.

”Hell on Earth” Rules
Masada vs. Mad Man Pondo
“Hell On Earth 7” – 11.26.2011

This is a Fans Brings the Weapons match with much of the plunder already in the ring. Each guy tries to throw the other on a barbed wire bat. They fail initially, but Masada then gets a belly to belly suplex onto it for two. He hits Pondo in the arm with that bat and digs it into Pondo’s head. Pondo gives Masada a Death Valley Driver onto the bat. Pondo DDT’s Masada on some Christmas ornaments. Pondo crotches Masada on the middle rope and kicks a light tube into his groin. Pondo digs a broken light tube into Masada’s arm. He places Masada on the chair with a choke, then headbutts a light tube into his forehead. Pondo sets up for the Silencer and hits it for a two count. Masada enzuigiri’s Pondo on the top rope. He puts a pile of weapons on the mat and heads up top as well. Masada ultra huracanrana’s Pondo on the pile of weapons. Masada smashes some Battleship boards against Pondo’s head. Those pegs probably hurt like hell. Masada puts a light tube and wooden spike into his head. Pondo comes back with a swinging DDT. He smashes some sort of plaque over Masada’s head. Pondo brings a sledgehammer and cement block into the ring. Pondo he puts the block on Masada’s groin and hammers the damn thing. He uses a staple gun to staple a dollar bill to Masada’s head and arm. He even staples Masada’s groin. Pondo sets up a table ringside. Masada avoids being put through the table by suplexing Pondo back in the ring. Masada asks for some fans to throw their chairs in the ring, which some do. Masada places one chair flat onto two propped up chairs. Masada places Pondo on the chairs and moonsaults onto him for two. Masada smashes a light tube across Pondo’s neck and carves it into Pondo’s forehead. Pondo suplexes Masada into some chairs in the crowd. Pondo places Masada on the previously set up table. Masada gets up and looks to throw Pondo off the ring apron. Pondo fights back and comes to the floor with Masada. Masada places Pondo on the table and comes back into the ring. Masada hits a slingshot senton and the table does not budge. So, Masada comes off the middle rope with an elbow drop which does break the table. Masada digs some wooden skewers into Pondo’s forehead. He applies a Camel Clutch while digging another skewer into Pondo’s mouth. Masada hits a chair into the skewers in his skull for the pin at 21:10. This was absolutely barbaric, bloody ultraviolence. Really there’s no two better guys in North America doing this kind of wrestling together. Definitely a highlight of the DVD and a worthy inclusion. ***1/2

Overall: This is a collection where based on the title alone you will know if it is for you. All I can do is assure you that if you are a fan of hardcore wrestling, you won’t be disappointed by the matches offer in this set. I myself am not a hardcore and ended up enjoying the set quite a bit, so if a few matches pique your interest, you may want to give this collection a look as well, especially if you’re a fan of Drake Younger. You can buy the DVD from AIW’s store or from Smart Mark Video. It is also available as a digital download, and to stream on SMVOD.