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Disclaimer: Wrestling evaluation is 110 per cent subjective. When ultraviolence and death matches are involved in the discussion, that needs to be taken as seriously as your fandom can handle.

First Round – Fans Bring the Weapons Dog Collar Match – Ron Mathis vs. Joe Gacy: This was set to be Matt Tremont versus Joe Gacy, for the purpose of furthering the bloody grudge feud between the two this year. Then, Tremont had to pull out due to a stomach ailment and therefore Gacy as the opponent was also scrapped. Then, MASADA versus Ron Mathis became the match that CZW was pushing. However, on the day of, at the start of the event, MASADA was pulled from the event due to a knee injury that has gone very public. All of this somehow culminated in Mathis versus Gacy. Nevertheless, we got the ultraviolent dog collar stipulation that had been marketed since TOD 12 took shape. On top of the dog collar involvement, fans bring the weapons was added. That fact, and the time given, or lack-thereof, for Mathis to get over, are my only two gripes here.  Drew Gulak actually kicks the show off with a “fight for a better Combat Zone” address, earning the cheap heat he is known for. Gulak breaks the MASADA news to the fans in attendance, and that would be more than enough to get the cheap heat over. In the words of Tremont’s theme, turn the page on the ignorant speculation, there’s the Bulldozer up on the stage as he hits the ring to announce a clean bill of health. Gacy attacks Tremont with a chair and then a dog collar match with random weaponry scattered all over, is underway. Mathis and Gacy set a great pace, but by the time anything half-way special came to fruition, the brakes are put on and the match slams to a halt. Although, a modified tombstone onto thumbtacks more often than not deserves to be the climax. **1/2. Mathis. 

First Round – Mummified Barbed Wire Match – Danny Havoc vs. Rory Mondo: Based on how unique this concept is, I reckon it would have been better suited in a second round position, but nevertheless this Danny Havoc brainchild was utterly fascinating. Unfortunately the fascination within the concept did not catch up to the fascination within the match. With that said, some cringe-worthy, pop-worthy spots, give this match just enough oil to run smoothly. There are barbed wire boards and a coffin that has quite literally been stuffed with barbed wire. The object of the match is to quite literally stuff your opponent into the coffin, shut the door and have it stay that way for five seconds. Then, try to light the coffin on fire. Okay, the last part of that wasn’t actually a part of the concept. It was just another unforeseen, twisted-brainchild of Havoc’s. A top-rope assault-driver puts Mondo into the coffin. My holy shit moment of the show. ***. Havoc.

First Round – Ultraviolent Ladders Match – Scotty Vortekz vs. Lucky 13: This was a bloody mess. Lucky’s back color and the match itself. This can happen in a tournament such as this, so I encourage you NOT to read the opening sentence of this paragraph as a jab of any kind. A gaping gash in a very unlucky area and the blown spots that followed, simply make this, the shows sore spot. As a realist, this can happen in this line of work and that is why my frame of mind here is, “well that’s unfortunate and simply too bad.” We know these guys want to give us all that they have in their bodies and when it cannot be done, gripes are put aside and fandom is driven by reality, not the alternate one that die-hard evaluators look for. Lucky gets tapped up and somehow they work to a legit finish marked by a double-knee stomp onto a ladder lined with gusset plates. Without discrediting the performers, this is not an easy match to sit through. Thank you Lucky. **1/2. Vortekz.

First Round – International Panes of Glass – DJ Hyde vs. Big Japan Wrestling’s, Takumi Tsukamoto: In summary, truth be told, this was the best match of round one. Hyde is a panes of glass and a plastic fork-board specialist, and those items are what gave this the ultraviolent label. Exactly like the other first round matches, the predictable outcome took nothing away from this. The match had a well designed spot-by-spot pace that made a lot of sense and told a story, no matter how simple the narrative actually is here. There is not much to say, besides that it was a treat to see Tsukamoto in a CZW ring. These are the types of matches that pump a shows tires. ***1/2. Tsukamoto. 

Non Tournament Scaffold Match – Devon Moore vs. Drake Younger: Allow me to jump into something that I found somewhat disrespectful or more so unnecessary, to the point where I feel it took away from the match, and it has to do with the commentary calling throughout. Even though this is a non tournament contest, a typical scaffold match has no rules. It is no secret, and it was made clear that Drake Younger announced the end of his ultraviolent career following a match in wXw Germany with Masashi Takeda this year. It is also clear that a death match and a hardcore match are two different things. No sarcasm there. What bothered me here was the constant harping on commentary, questioning if this isn’t a death match, then what is? Moore and Younger are feuding, so why focus on something with so much irrelevance considering it is a non tournament bout anyways. Moore goes to retrieve a a barbed wire bat but it was confiscated by the official. There was no need to have that happen and there was no need to say anything on commentary other than relaying what these two were doing in the ring and on the scaffold. There were chairs used. There were boards used as tables. Leave the barbed wire bat out of it and the fans lose nothing. Drake Younger is one of the most respected professional wrestlers in the world and if he wants to decide where and when to draw a line in his career, so be it. I feel as if all of this put an unfortunate damper on what otherwise was a good building-block in the feud, and a good match altogether. They work towards a no contest finish where both men are knocked out but the administration of the ruling was incorrect. Therefore, Maven Bentley gives the order to restart the match, and then a roll-up serves as the finish. ***. Younger.

Second Round – Fans Bring the Weapons Match – Scotty Vortekz vs. Ron Mathis: This felt more like a first round contest than one meant for the second round. It felt rushed, and no matter how ridiculous it sounds, considering the nature of the show, intensity was definitely lacking here. The lack of intensity goes against the style of Mathis, but yet compliments the more laid back style of Vortekz. Therefore, this resulted in an unbalanced reaction regarding the chemistry these two provided. The subjective stigma in the form of keyboard snowflakes is surprising, as a plentiful variety of thunderous bumps should have been enough to put this match over. Each spark these two set just couldn’t get a fire going, but then again, you need time to lite a fire. Also, the non-sensible use of the match gimmick got in the way of any sort of story being told. With that said, Vortekz hits a modified under-hook suplex from the top-rope onto a shopping cart to put Mathis away. You may not want to sleep on the match for that very reason. **. Vortekz.

Second Round – Light Tube Bundles Match – Danny Havoc vs. Big Japan Wrestling’s, Takumi Tsukamoto: Danny Havoc is one of the very best at turning heads towards ultraviolence. He has carried the CZW flag as a stigma-breaker by incorporating the high-octane elements of independent professional wrestling with death match wrestling. This match proves that theory without a shadow of a doubt. Obviously his opponent  had something to do with that. This was short, but damn near perfect for the time it went. ***. Havoc.

Non Tournament Match – Drew Gulak vs. Chris Dickinson: This was an unannounced, impromptu match that turned into a segment, but nevertheless the point was made and the point was proven. The point, Chris Dickinson needs to be in CZW. That may not be the point everyone receives here, but regardless it is the most important one. MASADA makes his way to the ring just as Dickinson and Gulak are locking-up, and from there a beat down on MASADA by Dickinson ensues. Gulak watches for a while, but then decides to join in. Dickinson takes out MASADA’s injured knee where a brace is clearly visible. He then proceeds to cut a promo, questioning the credibility of MASADA as champion. Then, Gulak takes Dickinson out with a vicious low-blow just as Dickinson was going for another full-blown heel attack on MASADA’s knee. Gulak closes the segment out by saying his next step in “the fight for a better Combat Zone,” is becoming CZW World Champion, and he wants to go through MASADA to make it happen. A great segment. N/A.

Non Tournament Match – Sami Callihan vs. Greg Excellent: For a few minutes, Callihan and Excellent wrestle with comedy style in full-force, while Callihan imitates DJ Hyde the entire time. Hyde must have been watching from the back and finally seen enough, so he decided to make his way to the ring to put a stop to it. This was the “tournament of Deej,” and “now I’m going to hit you with a watermelon.” This segment as far as ideas go, looks to have not got as over as much as it could have in the skate-zone, but regardless, this was an appropriate time-waster as thank you Sami chants rained down on Markland Acres. N/A.

Tournament of Death Finals – 444 Light Tubes Match – Danny Havoc vs. Scotty Vortekz: Sweet Jesus Mary and Joesph! A death match of epic proportions. There is so much chemistry between these two in years past and that chemistry came back to life at Tournament of Death 12. After watching Vortekz in round one and two, if you felt the need to deliberate whether he still has it or not, following the extended hiatus he took, odds are, by the end of this classic you’ll know he’s still got it. There are light tubes attached to the ropes and light tubes scattered in one giant cluster all over the canvas. This makes things particularly dangerous because the tube breaks are not going to be even, and everywhere both warriors step the tubes are shattering in all directions. CZW has learned over many years it’s incredibly hard to get Havoc over as a heel. Last month at “Proving Grounds,” Havoc was in quirky heel mode upon the return of Scotty Vortekz. There is storytelling advancement here with Younger and Lucky 13 at ringside. Their presence will push that into the minds of those watching. It is no easy task to remind people of that when a spectacle like this is taking place, because quite frankly, the human eye and ultimately, the human brain, is trying to comprehend what it is witnessing. This was extremely graphic and by the finishing stretch I was in full-out let’s go Havoc mode. If those two points, are not the exact point of this whole thing, what is? The double-turn that takes this match home ties all of the above in one tight, pretty, ultraviolent bow. These two had a great wrestling match even if you take away the light tubes. Don’t believe me? See it to believe it. Like Nothing Else. Much respect. Congratulations Danny! ****. Havoc. This is Havoc’s second Tournament of Death victory. He also won TOD VII. 

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