Disk 1

The centerpiece of this DVD collection is a brand new 2 ½ hour documentary talking about the life and times of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. It covers all of the major highlights in his career plus a lot of extensive commentary from Austin assessing his own career. What separates Austin from so many other professional wrestlers is his brutal honesty. He is able to assess his own career in an honest way. When something worked, Austin will tell you. Like in the case of coming up with his character and many aspects of the Vince McMahon rivalry. When something failed miserably, like his infamous heel turn, Austin isn’t afraid to say what went wrong. This was a fascinating look at Austin’s career and practically justified my Blu Ray purchase all by itself.

A thorough look at Austin’s career is given, from his humble beginnings training under Chris Adams until his last match at Wrestlemania 19 against The Rock. Austin shows clear reverence to the men who  helped him in his career, even his trainer Chris Adams. He also talks about all the things Ricky Steamboat provided in his career. Austin has also toned his anger down when it comes to being fired from WCW. With 20 years of perspective, Austin is willing to admit that he deserved to get fired for various reasons. Also easy to justify when you consider what Austin was able to do in ECW and WWE. As he moves forward, Austin has to come up with some names for a new WWE character. Otto Von Ruthless and Fang McFrost thankfully did not make the cut (although the names the wrestlers get in FCW might be nearly as bad as these), but Austin used a suggestion from his ex-wife to come up with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. In so many aspects of his career, Austin was able to take negatives and turn them into positives.

He took the firing from WCW and became an angry, bitter man which translated well to the WWE audience tired of cartoon characters. Triple H breaking kayfabe with some of his buddies led to Austin’s big break in the 1996 King of the Ring. Bret Hart’s lack of respect for Shawn Michaels led to an incredible feud with Austin that then led to two borderline five star matches, including one of the best Wrestlemania matches of all time.  Then there was Owen Hart’s piledriver that almost ended Austin’s career just as he was ready to explode into the stratosphere. Although it put Austin on borrowed time, his character once and for all became a man of the people fighting the system. He stunned his way to the top, ending with a stunner on WWF Owner Vince McMahon on September 22, 1997 in Madison Square Garden. The departure of Bret Hart and injury to Shawn Michaels made Austin the unquestioned number one star in the WWF by Wrestlemania 14.

The personal problems, and for Austin there have been many, are generally glossed over. The only time a divorce is even referenced is when Austin talks about forgetting his vest at Wrestlemania 15. He also doesn’t address the domestic altercations that came after departing WWE in the summer of 2002. He does mention having a number of issues, particularly with alcohol, going into his final match as Austin spent the night before Wrestlemania 19 in a Seattle hospital because of dehydration. I would have to consider not addressing some of these issues as the major flaw of the whole documentary.

Overall, this was  a very strong feature that showed off what made Austin so special to both WWE and the business in general. Austin’s honesty is actually refreshing compared to so many other legends. You also get the sense that unlike so many other older wrestlers, Austin doesn’t need to constantly need the spotlight on him and is content to spend a lot of time on his ranch hunting and enjoying cold beverages.

Disk 2

-Steve Austin picked out of many the matches that have been important in his career, even if they’ve been seen before elsewhere.

-Steve Austin (w/Jeanie) vs. Chris Adams (USWA- May 1990)

Match in Five Words or Less: Austin Comes Off The Top

Match Highlights: Austin decks Adams from behind and delivers a series of forearms.  Not much wrestling from Austin. Mostly punching. Adams tossed outside and sent into the apron. Shot to the throat. Double axehandle to the floor. After sending Adams into the apron once again, Austin tosses him back in the ring. Bodyslam back in the ring. Big splash (from Steve Austin?) misses. Punch to the midsection followed by a superkick and back drop. Austin tossed through the middle rope. Adams rams Austin into the chair. Chair shot right to Austin’s head. Jeanie pulls the leg on a vertical suplex. Austin ends up on top and gets three.

Match Analysis: This felt more like a match as part of a greater angle than an individually important contest. You could tell Austin was really just starting as he was really basic here and didn’t try to make things complicated. But the flashes were there.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Steve Austin/4:38/*1/2

-Adams superkicks Austin in the face. Jeanie sprays hair spray into Adams’s face.Beatdown ensues. Adams briefly gets away. Heels take off.

-Ric Flair and Steve Austin vs. Sting and Ricky Steamboat(WCW Saturday Night- July 30, 1994)

Match in Five Words or Less: Wow

Match Highlights: Flair immediately tags out and struts on the apron. Steamboat gives chase. Now Austin runs away since they’re feuding. Flair tags. Not like those two have a rivalry or anything. Cheap forearm and chop. Whip and back drop by Steamboat. Sting in. Press slam. Ten punches in the corner, even some delivered to Austin. Kicks from Flair. Sting backslides for two. Shot from Steamboat. Flair flop. Flair rolls outside. Chop no sold by Sting. Sherri put in front. Austin and Steamboat run around. Sherri taunts Sting. Sting yells right back at her. Eye rake. Chop along the rail and back in goes Sting. Austin and Flair work Sting over briefly. Boot and chops. Back drop sends Austin HIGH in the air. Sting works a wristlock. Steamboat tags in. Austin quickly tosses him outside. Boots from Austin. Steamboat drags him out. We get a strike battle. Austin goes to the eyes. Double axehandle met with a shot to the gut. Swinging neckbreaker and chop. Flair comes in and gets chopped. Steamboat is battling both men. Atomic drop on Austin. Austin goes outside. Steamboat has a chinlock on Austin after a “commercial break.” Jawbreaker from Austin. Chop and back to the punches. Steamboat ducks and we have a backslide battle. Hard chop. Austin placed on the top rope. Superplex. 1-2-NO! Sting in with a bodyslam. A second one. Off the ropes and Austin gets his knees up. Flair struts. Vertical suplex. No sell! Clotheslines from Sting. He launches himself over. Austin with a series of shots on the floor. Austin and Steamboat battle on the floor. Sting has an inside cradle for two. Flair begs off. This is crazy. Sting keeps kipping up and won’t stay down. Flair cowers and threatens to go after some fans. Austin and Flair discuss strategy. Heels fail at a double team as Sting clotheslines them both. Flair climbs up top, and he gets press slammed. Flair dodges out of something and goes to the corner. Shoulder tackle by Sting. O’Connor roll by Austin. He holds the tights and gets two. A roll-up for two. Clotheslines from Sting. Press slam. Austin goes low. Flair tosses Sting over the top rope, which would be a disqualification if the referee had seen it. Sherri punts away at Sting. Heels continue working Sting’s midsection over. Austin does a great job preventing the hot tag. Mistake comes as he comes off the middle rope and meets Sting’s knees. Steamboat comes in with chops for everyone. Flair goes upside down and out. Back drop on Austin. Sting decks Flair on the apron. Austin boots Steamboat and clotheslines him. Tag to Flair. Snapmare into a headlock. Nearfall exchange. Knee drop by Flair misses. He kicks Steamboat away. Shoulder tackle and Steamboat goes down. Austin comes down with his knee. Stomps. Sherri chokes some more. Vertical suplex back in the ring. Abdominal stretch. Because they’re heels, Flair of course lends a hand to his partner. Flair with chops in the corner. Straight right hand. Steamboat comes back. Chop block from Flair. Roll-up gets two. Steamboat chop. Austin just barely prevents a hot tag and hits an elbow drop for two. Sting shouts at Steamboat to get up as Austin has a chinlock applied. Off the ropes. Steamboat chops Austin down. Steamboat fights out of the corner. Tag is made but the referee was distracted by Flair. All four men brawl. Sting press slams Flair. Austin crotched on the top. Stinger splash. Scorpion deathlock. Sherri comes off the top and is caught. He slams Sherri into Flair. Austin rolls Steamboat in the corner with his feet on the ropes and gets three.

Match Analysis: An absolutely fantastic back and forth contest. I feel like this was a clinic on how to do a tag team wrestling match. It wasn’t about the moves that were hit. It was about their characters and the way they behaved. Austin and Flair acted like heels in everything they did. Steamboat and Sting were the clear babyfaces.  I could have watched this match for hours and not gotten tired of it. Regardless of the other matches which have been on other collections, you should spend 20 dollars just to get this gem on your shelf.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Ric Flair and Steve Austin/24:00 shown/****1/4

-King of the Ring Final: Steve Austin vs. Jake Roberts(WWE King of the Ring 1996-June 23, 1996)

Match in Five Words or Less: The Start Of Something Great

Match Highlights:  The point of showing this has nearly nothing to do with the match itself because let’s face it… it’s not much. Roberts is selling the ribs that were injured by Vader earlier on in the evening. Austin was also coming off a trip to the emergency room to get stitches by his mouth., courtesy of Marc Mero. Austin works over the ribs until Gorilla Monsoon comes in to check on Roberts’s condition. Roberts makes a brief comeback. Shoulder tackles in the corner. Finally,  a stunner is hit and Austin comes away with the victory.

Match Analysis: The point wasn’t to have great match but rather to show just how mean and heartless Steve Austin truly was. This also was supposed to be the start of a mega push, but that aspect wouldn’t come into play until Bret Hart came back in the fall.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: 1996 King of the Ring-Steve Austin/4:36/*

-Dok Hendrix interviews the new king, who unlike kings of the past did not wear the goofy crown or cape. Some reference to Austin 3:16 is made. Not sure what that’s all about. Sadly, his words about Jake Roberts proved perfunctory. Steve Austin’s time is here, and that’s the bottom line.

(A couple years ago, I decided to rank every single Wrestlemania match ever. As crazy as it might seem now, I actually did it. In lieu of completing fresh write-ups on some of Austin’s famous Wrestlemania matches, I’m pulling a copy and paste job. Not like you’re paying for these, and it’s not like a lot more needs to be said about these matches than what I said back in 2009 anyway.)

-Submission Match: Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin (Wrestlemania 13- March 23, 1997)

Match in Five Words or Less: Best Double Turn EVER!

Analysis: Bret Hart called this his favorite match he ever had in the WWF. Steve Austin was the man who inducted Bret Hart into the WWE Hall of Fame 2006. This match is the ultimate example of what Wrestlemania can and should be about. It is a great wrestling match, a psychological brawl that included a mixture of holds and use of the hardcore style that was more famous in ECW. It is a historical match since Steve Austin and Bret Hart completed an epic double turn that would send Austin into the strastosphere and Hart into being a hated heel (at least in the United States). We also have a great visual as Austin desperately tries to get out of the sharpshooter and there’s that close-up of a bloody Austin trying to climb toward the ropes. I should also note Austin losing the match despite not giving up. Back in the day, before wrestler routinely got out of submission holds and matches were stopped because of referee’s discretion, this was a rare occurrence, and the impact of Austin never giving up to Hart’s sharpshooter was what made him such a popular superstar the rest of 1997 and into the rest of the decade.

Up to this point, Wrestlemania 13 had been one of the worst Wrestlemanias ever with boring match after boring match. It’s almost as if Austin and Hart went into a vortex or another universe and had a match somewhere else. The Chicago crowd was rewarded for sitting through a whole bunch of garbage by getting the all-time greatest match in Wrestlemania. I know there will always be a debate about what the greatest match in Wrestlemania history will be. But for me, there was never really any doubt. This was the match that set up so much, both good and bad.

Austin would use this match to become the second biggest babyface in WWF history, while this would be Hart’s last Wrestlemania appearance and one of the last times we got to see the real Bret Hart, not that pod person that wrestled in WCW and who has become a shell of his former self because of various family tragedies, concussions, and motorcycle accidents. To a certain extent, I guess Austin has become a shell of his former self too after his own substance abuse problems and injuries, but for some 25 minutes these two took wrestling fans on an emotional rollercoaster that won’t be soon forgotten.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Bret Hart/22:05/*****

(Editor’s Note: Bret Hart did indeed make another Wrestlemania appearance. But we don’t need to speak of that match ever again.)

-WWF Intercontinental Championship: Steve Austin (champion) vs. The Rock (w/The Nation of Domination)(WWF D-Generation X- December 7, 1997

Match in Five Words or Less: Taste Of Main Event Style

Match Highlights: Steve Austin nearly had his neck broken three months prior, so Austin had to modify his style slightly in order to continue his wrestling career. Less mat wrestling and bumps. More brawling through the crowd. There were also bells and whistles as well.  For example, there’s this match. Rocky was freshly turned and had the Intercontinental championship belt with him. Steve Austin drives in on his truck. Austin goes to work even before the bell rings. Faarooq, Kama, and D-Lo Brown help quadruple team Austin. Brown is back dropped into the glass and front of the truck. Stunner on top. Rock lays the smack down as the bell rings. Shoulder tackle by Austin. Thesz press and right hands. Exchange of nearfalls. Rock tosses Austin to the floor.  Faarooq and Kama take him back to the car area. Kama hits Faarooq with a chair shot. Kama gets sent hard into the side of the card. Austin goes back in and gets booted. Back elbow. Low blow from Rock as the referee is distracted. Choke on the middle rope. Rock slams Austin. People’s elbow to zero reaction for two. Chinlock. Knee to the midsection. Another bodyslam and set-up for the elbow. Austin gets out of the way. He stomps a mudhole in the corner. Kick. Kama gets decked off the apron. Austin accidentally stuns the official. Rock has a pair of brass knuckles. Kick and a stunner on Rock. Referee comes in and counts three.

Match Analysis: Compared to some of the matches they would go onto have, this was weak sauce. Austin was clearly coming off his neck injury. You could see how limited he was and Rocky wasn’t skilled enough to really make this anything more than a kicky/punchy type of match. Austin would go onto patent this style and have it down within six months.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL Intercontinental Champion- Steve Austin/9:07/**1/2

-WWF Championship: Shawn Michaels (champion) vs. Steve Austin (Special Outside Enforce: Mike Tyson)(WWF Wrestllemania 14-March 29, 1998)

Match in Five Words or Less: Austin Has Arrived

Analysis: A lot can be said about Shawn Michaels and his attitude before discovering Jesus and turning his life toward religion. A lot of it wouldn’t be very good. But when it comes to the in ring aspect, there is no better performer then Shawn Michaels. He put together one hell of a gutty performance. I don’t know if this match is even in the vicinity of their King of the Ring ’97 match; both men did the best they could with what they had. I can’t call this a true classic or rate this an eight, but factoring in the other things, it’s still ranked quite high on this list. And when Austin pinned Michaels’ shoulders to the mat 1-2-3, the WWF Attitude Era officially began. Gone were heroes and icons. In was a real person who represented regular people but never pandered to them. Steve Austin’s journey to become the man was now over. The next step was showing he had the goods to carry the WWF into the next millennium.

What’s always been amazing to me is that this just one of two matches these two legends had together. Just as Austin was really rising, Michaels sort of flamed out. Then when Michaels came back in late 2002 and into 2003, Austin would retire as a broken down and some would say bitter man. Honestly, the way things have developed, I’ve actually come to respect Michaels more as a wrestler and human being.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: NEW WWF Champion- Steve Austin/20:02/****

(Editor’s Note: My tone on Steve Austin has definitely softened the last two or three years. Time heals all wounds.)

-WWF Championship: Steve Austin (champion) vs. Dude Love (Special Referee: Vince McMahon, Special Ring Announcer: Pat Patterson, Special Timekeeper: Gerald Brisco, Special Enforcer: The Undertaker)(WWE Over the Edge- May 31, 1998)

Match in Five Words or Less: Austin Overcomes It All

Match Highlights: I’m dying to know who wrote the introductions of Patterson, Brisco, and McMahon. If it was Russo, then it’s one of the greatest things ever. This is one of the more famous matches in history because Russo would try to rip off what happened in this match a million other times. Unfortunately, the performers were never near as good as these individuals were. The look on McMahon’s face when he’s about to ring the bell and Undertaker’s music hits is marvelous.  Lock-up goes into the corner. Austin breaks clean… and flips McMahon off. Dude Love covers off a shoulder tackle and gets two? Feeling out process continues. Kick to the gut. Austin sends Dude down and stomps on his fake teeth. Clothesline from Dude. Punches in the corner. Thesz press and right hands by Austin. Clothesline over the top rope. Austin sent into the stairs. Dude pounds away and sends him into the stairs again. Vince shouts he’s not going to count Austin out. Russian legsweep gets two. Choking and biting in the corner.  Whip across and a clothesline. Swinging neckbreaker and clotheslines from the champion. Kicks in the corner. Dude reverses a whip. Mandible claw. Dude gets hung up by the neck in the ropes. Dude tosses Austin over the Spanish announcer’s table. Pat Patterson helpfully reminds us that this is a no disqualification match. Dude chokes away with a chord. Austin rams Dude into the table, thus taking Brisco out. Right hands and send into the rail. Clothesline and Dude lands hard on the floor. That’s why he was retired within two years. Back elbow. Austin misses a charge on the middle rope. He rolls outside. Brisco holds the hammer up. Dude baseball slide dropkicks Austin. Awkward looking neckbreaker on the floor. Pat Patterson reminds us that this match is falls count anywhere. We get a quick pair of two counts. Austin hits a running clothesline. Back drop on one of the car hoods. Cover for two. Face first in the hood. Dude covers on the car. That would have been a hell of a finish. Rake of the eyes. Dude gets hotshotted into the car. To the top of the car. Stunner attempt but Dude throws him across. Sunset flip off the car. Dude grabs a lead pipe as Austin gets back up. Shot to the head. Austin fights back, but he’s bleeding. Dude hits a back drop out of a powerbomb. 1-2-NO! Snap suplex. Dude crawls across the cars and sets up for an elbow drop. Austin moves out of the way.  Cover for 1-2-NO! McMahon looks at Undertaker while he is making the count. Dude sent into the stairs and back in the ring. Patterson trips Austin. Dude hits a clothesline. Series of right hands. Dude takes the steel pad off the turnbuckle. Austin sent into the medal. Running knee into the corner. Austin sent into the corner yet again. Elbows and right hands from Austin. Dude sends Austin into the buckle. 1-2-NO! Patterson hands Dude a chair. Shot to the gut and back. Double arm DDT. 1-2-NO! Running charge. Austin boots the chair into Dude. Shot right to the cranium. He covers. McMahon refuses to count. Dude comes from behind and belts McMahon in the head. Kick and stunner. Another referee runs in but is pulled out by Patterson. Dude hooks a mandible claw. Patterson goes to count. Undertaker chokeslams him through the English announce table Dude with another cover. Brisco counts, but he goes through the Spanish announce table. Back to the claw. Low blow and stunner. Austin forces McMahon’s hand to count the pinfall. 1-2-3! Austin retains and flips everyone off. Crowd goes ballistic.

Match Analysis: If  a match like this were to happen today, people would talk about the overbooking. Let’s face it. This was an overbooked mess. But everyone played their role to perfection in this bout and made into a classic. It also helped that this match had a crowd that was so into every minute, and the greatest announcer of all time to help put it over. Amazing what happens when you get everything to work together.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating:STILL WWF Champion-Steve Austin/22:28/****1/2

-WWF Championship: Steve Austin (champion) vs. The Undertaker (Summerslam 1998-August 30,1998)

Match in Five Words or Less: Undertaker Jobs Clean

Match Highlights:  Just for the record, the theme song Undertaker used during the fall period is my favorite of all-time.  Immediate right hands. Taker tosses him over and jabs away. Back elbow and another right hand barrage. Austin responds in kind. Whip reversed and a clothesline from Taker. Double birds from the champion. Some arm work. Austin roll-up for two. Drop toehold. Into an armbar. Yes, an armbar. Austin with a boot. Taker rises up and knocks Austin in the head. Off the ropes. Kicks and Taker hits a vertical suplex. Elbow drop misses. Right hands from the champion. Taker hot shots Austin on the top rope. Into the buckle. Shots to the back. Stomps. Whip across. Austin pulls Taker out and rams the left leg into the side of the ring. Across the post and Taker’s leg is sent into it multiple times. Taker tries avoiding the champion. He comes back with a clothesline and both men are down. Straight choke. He grabs the arm but Austin pulls the challenger off the top. Stomps to the left knee.  Kane makes his way out. See, Taker and Kane were aligned. This was the first time they were together. They would go back and forth many many many times. Taker tells Kane to leave. He invites Austin in. Austin stares Kane down before resuming working on the knee. Chokeslam back in the ring. Austin clothesline Taker over the top. He sells his knee. Brawl goes around ringside and into the crowd. Back drop of Austin. Back to the ring. Austin comes back. Off the ropes. Stunner but Taker backs away and lands on his feet. Taker drives the champion into the post back first. Taker eventually tosses Austin out. Austin’s back nails that apron at an awkward angle. Taker begins cleaning off the announce table. Taker climbs to the top rope! Leg drop through the table! Sweet American Jesus! In the ring for a two count. Whip across. Taker misses a charge. Shot to the back and a right hand to the throat. Another whip. Austin gets his boot up. Whip across and they clothesline each other. Right hand exchange as they both get up. Chops and more punches. Off the ropes and Thesz press. Elbow drop.  Taker rams Austin into the corner. Awkward looking stunner gets two. Some clear miscommunication there. Taker hits a chokeslam and calls for the finish. Austin out. Stunner blocked. Taker crotches Austin on the top rope. Russian legsweep. Taker sits up. Taker grabs Austin’s arm. Austin hits a low blow. Stunner gets him the victory and Austin retains. Taker hands Austin the belt after the match in a sign of respect.

Match Analysis: While there was some clear miscommunication and awkward spots, these two delivered a very hard fought and physical match. It’s rare Undertaker jobs clean, but it made a lot of sense for him to so in this match. It was another sign of Austin’s arrival as a big time superstar. This is was a very enjoyable and smartly worked contest and definitely one of the better matches these two ever had.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL WWF Champion-Steve Austin/18:43/***1/2

-Steve Austin vs. The Big Show (Special Referee: Mankind) (Monday Night Raw-March 23, 1999)

Match in Five Words or Less: Big Show Buried

Match Highlights: After signing a ten year contract, Big Show was making his wrestling debut on the go home Wrestlemania 15 edition of Raw. Paul Wight was pretty much a big disappointment for the first few years of his WWE/WWE career, and this match is no exception. Michael Cole calls this the biggest match in Raw history. So is this the first real dumb thing Cole ever said? I have to believe it’s not the last. Why would you give this away for free with minimal build? Thank the Monday night wars and Vince Russo. Austin controls with punches. Big Show comes back using his strength. Austin hits a low blow. Show kicks Austin, and he backs away into the crowd. That’s called selling. Poke to the ye and and a punch. Big Show chokes him. Mankind hits a double axehandle from behind. Wow. Big Show goes after Mankind. Austin takes a pad off. Series of right hands. Kick. Show sends Austin into exposed medal. Rock tells Michael Cole to shut up. Where is Rock now to stay that. Foley punches Show. Austin is tossed out of a stunner. Driving boot. Austin rolls to the floor. Show hits a headbutt. Show press slams Austin on the floor. Headbutt. Austin out of the clutches. Show sent into the post and he no sells. Austin is sent in instead. Mankind grabs a chair, and he threatens Show to get back in the ring. Chop. Show misses an elbow drop. Austin with elbows. Show grabs a bearhug. Austin gets out of the hold. Thesz press and a two count. Show tosses him. Austin wears Show out with chair shots all across the body. Kick. Wham. Stunner. Victory. Show takes his anger out on Foley afterward.

Match Analysis: I’m not even sure why they bothered including this. It didn’t feel special and was really only an example of Vince Russo’s half-baked booking. Jobbing Show to Austin made little to no sense except to show that “WWF is better than WCW.”

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Steve Austin/9:32/*

WWF Championship: The Rock (champion) vs. Steve Austin (Wrestlemania 15-March 28, 1999)

Match in Five Words or Less: A Vinny Ru Special

Analysis: Shawn Michaels makes his contractually obligated Wrestlemania appearance to make sure Vince McMahon isn’t the special referee. Here’s my thoughts on this whole situation. Why can’t we just have one referee officiate the match, have Austin and Rocky have the kind of epic title match we all know they can have and call it a day? Because Vince Russo is a putz. You may have noticed every time I’ve talked about Wrestlemania 15, I’ve taken a cheap shot at Vince Russo. I’ve done this for a darn good reason. His slimy greaseball fingers are all over every single one of these matches. In so many cases, his writing ruins potentially decent matches. The roster in 1998 and 1999 was not all that good, and the fact that the WWF was making somewhere between a bajillion and two bajillion dollars has nothing to do with it. Vince Russo sure as hell wasn’t the reason. Two guys wrestling in this match are the big reasons. Austin and Rock did everything in their power to cut through the crap and be the best damn wrestlers they could be. And that guy who returned for this main event, Jim Ross, facilitated this garbage too so it could make some semblance of sense. Yet Captain New York thought J.R. was too southern or too ugly or whatever. Well, I ask you this fair reader. Who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and is regarded as one of the greatest announcers of all time? Who did Austin and Rock raise hell for to have him call this match? Sure as shit wasn’t the head of TNA’s booking committee.

Wrestlemania 15 will go down as one of the worst Wrestlemanias of all time. Thankfully, this is neutralized by the fact that a crapload of people bought it and the WWF was ridiculously hot at this point. These two have a very good match here. However, I think their match at Backlash was actually more epic and their main event at Wrestlemania 17 was one of the biggest matches in WWF/E history. For this reason, some of the history is lost. It’s a passable match, but all the fighting on the outside and four referees being taken out are major distractions.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: NEW WWF Champion-Steve Austin/16:52/***1/2

(Editor’s Note: My dislike of Vince Russo really shined through here. Clearly what he was doing worked for the time, but a lot of long term damage has been done to the product. We still feel the residuals to this day.)

WWF Championship: The Rock (champion) vs. Steve Austin (Wrestlemania 17-April 1, 2001)

Match in Five Words or Less: The Attitude Era Is Over

Analysis: The moment Steve Austin shaked the hand of his hated rival Vince McMahon, the “Attitude” era ended. Of course, this was also in the same vicinity of the XFL ending its’ financially disastrous one season and WCW finally going the way of the dodo. But the ending of Wrestlemania 17 was both a symbolic and literal ending to the WWF being hip and cool. Although, the WWF/E has put on some wonderful shows and had a lot of spectacular matches, the company has never been able to approach the popularity of where they once were. The WWF wanted Austin and McMahon’s alliance to be the shocker of all shockers. What no one understood was they were pissing on a three year legacy and essentially destroying a potential invasion angle three months before it started.

What must be made clear is the fact that this is the best singles match Austin and Rock ever had. It was epic, violent, and a spectacular roller coaster ride. Austin’s inability and frustration at the Rock’s heart worked out very well. Rocky had actually been the one leaning toward a heel turn, but Austin (as had been rumored for almost a year beforehand) turned heel in front of a Houston crowd that wanted so badly for Austin to win the championship, that they either didn’t notice or didn’t care that their hero just went heel. This was actually another part of the problem.  It was six months after Austin’s big return from a serious neck injury. Absolutely no one wanted this heel turn. When Hogan turned heel, the crowd had already been booing him.

With a little foresight and realization, Vince McMahon could have made himself a billionaire all over again simply by having Austin as the default leader of the WWF in a battle against WCW. Hell, those two could have shaken hands eventually. But imagine it’s just a week or two before the big invasion ten man tag and it’s with a look of distrust on each man’s face. Sadly, Austin turned heel after having one of the very best matches in his career. He would be emasculated in an alliance with Triple H, be reduced to duets with Kurt Angle, and would finally be the leader of the failed invasion angle that reduced Austin to a punchline. Who knew a handshake could mean so much?

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: NEW WWF Champion- Steve Austin/28:06/****3/4

(The documentary addresses a lot of the points I make here. This was just a remarkably short sighted and silly move by everyone involved. If Austin was going to turn heel, it needed to be the fans that illustrated this, not the company forcing it down our throats.)

Disk 3

This is a series of sometimes important, sometimes, sometimes funny, but all the time entertaining Steve Austin promos. What follows is a brief description of each segment and some general thoughts. There are also some Blu Ray exclusive segments and matches which I will also go over as well.

WCW Saturday Night- June 5, 1993- It’s a Flare for the Old, a parody of Ric Flair’s WCW talk show. Brian Pillman makes fun of Ric Flair’s age and brings out Steve Austin. Pillman is fantastic. Too bad they wrestled Arn Anderson and Flair in one of the lowest rated Clash of the Champions of all time. It’s absurd to think that Flair outlasted both Austin and Pillman careerwise. Anderson stalks out. Austin makes fun of him. Slap across the face. Anderson tosses Austin in the ring and lays into him. Pillman beats Anderson down with a cane.

ECW Hardcore TV-October 10, 1995- Steve Austin is a little sour about being fired by Eric Bischoff and just little bit more sour about the booking.  Good stuff as Austin was finally developing his character and slowly becoming “Stone Cold.” Austin calls the ECW Arena the biggest piece of crap he’s ever seen. Well, it took 17 years, but that piece of crap finally shut down.  He calls ECW violent crap and says he’s here to wrestle. This lasted a month… maybe. The ending of this promo, where he talks about no one being able to hold him back, was great.

ECW Hardcore TV- October 31, 1995- Steve Austin makes fun of Eric Bischoff and gets in some funny lines about the big boys playing with each other and talks to some bongos. Ironically, his line about Monday NyQuill would prove to be correct by 1998 and not so much in 1995.

ECW Hardcore TV-December 19, 1995- Austin is relenting about the fact that he lost two world title matches after not having not received a single world title match in WCW. He gives credit to Mikey Whipwreck and Sandman for beating him. Austin talks about not being a superstar. He calls Eric Bischoff one of the best announcers in the sport. Austin wants to come back to WCW and be a midcard wrestler. Then he comes back to reality and talks about being better than anyone in ECW. We’re getting closer and closer to that “Stone Cold” character. Austin is going to take some time off… and go to WWF. Well, that’s what actually happened.

In Your House: Mind Games-September 22, 1996- Brian Pillman and Owen Hart are already in the ring. Steve Austin talks about Bret Hart being scared of him and runs the legend down. One of my all-time favorite lines is said here. “When you put the letter ‘s’ in front of Hitman, you’ve had my exact opinion of him.” This was of course to set up a match with Austin and Hart at Survivor Series 1996. The shackles were off. Austin was starting to get on a roll.

WWF Livewire- October 19, 1996- Steve Austin berates Todd Pettingill and Sunny for not showing what happened on the previous Raw. Absolutely hilarious.  There is speculation about what Bret Hart will say on the upcoming Raw. Austin answers phone calls and e-mails in the most humorous  way possible.

WWF Monday Night Raw-November 4, 1996- Steve Austin had recently injured Brian Pillman after some comments Pillman made about a possible match with Bret Hart. Austin shows up. Pillman pulls out a gun. This is one of the most infamous segments in the history of Monday Night Raw. After moving the show up an hour, this was how WWF introduced themselves to this new audience. This is complete shock level garbage.

WWF 1997 Slammy Awards- March 21, 1997- Ahmed Johnson pretends to announce Steve Austin as the winner of the newcomer of the year award. He then gives it to Rocky Maivia. Yeah, this character sucked. He’d be The Rock by the end of the year and actually ready to draw some money. Steve Austin then gets to cut a promo and talks about how he should have won the award. He talks about taking the Intercontinental title before turning his attention to Bret Hart. The submission match was actually the next night. Man, Austin was on a role during this time period. Next up, Bob Backlund gives away an award for freedom of speech. Austin gives his thoughts on professional wrestling and his match with Bret Hart.

WWF Monday Night Raw- April 21, 1997- Bret Hart is being carried to an ambulance. Steve Austin is ready to take Bret Hart straight to hell. He continues a beating he had commenced earlier in the evening.

WWF Monday Night Raw- September 21, 1997- Steve Austin went on a stunner rampage of some high profile names, Jim Ross, Sgt. Slaughter, and Jerry Lawler. Now it was the owner’s turn. This was WWF’s first Monday Night Raw in Madison Square Garden. They needed something big for the first time. Well, this was it. Vince McMahon takes his first of millions of stunners. Great start to a rather famous feud. McMahon cuts a great promo about why Austin isn’t able to compete at this time. A truly historic moment in WWF/WWE history.

WWF Monday Night Raw- January 19, 1998- Vince McMahon wants to announce Mike Tyson’s role at Wrestlemania, but Steve Austin just has to interject himself. Things of course get physical and break down rather quickly. If they could have booked these two at any point, Vince McMahon would have been a billionaire two years before he actually became one.

WWF Monday Night Raw- March 30, 1998- Vince McMahon has a nice new shiny title belt to give Steve Austin. He wants to congratulate Austin on his victory and make him an offer. Austin can do things the easy way or the hard way. Austin of course chooses the hard way and lays McMahon out with a stunner. This officially began the Austin/McMahon feud. It wouldn’t end until July 1999.

WWF Monday Night Raw- September 30, 1998- Vince McMahon wants to present the WWF title to either the Undertaker or Kane based on the results of a triple threat match which took place the night before. The stooges and security are standing by McMahon.  Steve Austin drives a zamboni into the arena and attacks McMahon. The crowd is absolutely nuts for all of this. This was a fairly important part of the McMahon/Austin feud. It led to Taker and Kane “breaking” Vince’s ankle moments later.

WWF Monday Night Raw- October 5, 1998- Vince McMahon is being a real jerk in the hospital. Steve Austin takes advantage of the situation and physically assaults the owner of the promotion again. The bed pan shot is funny no matter how many times I see it. This is back when WWF used to do things that were actually funny.

WWF Monday Night Raw-October 12, 1998- Vince McMahon drove himself in a brand new Corvette. Well, that’s just a set-up for what happens later as Austin dumps a load of cement into the car. Very funny stuff. I believe that corvette can be found at WWE headquarters.

WWF Monday Night Raw-October 19, 1998- Vince McMahon “pees” himself on national television the night after “firing” Steve Austin. This evening pretty much crossed the line, and I have no interest in discussing it further. The end game is Austin puts a new contract in McMahon’s pocket and gets himself rehired.

WWF Monday Night Raw-March 22, 1999- The Rock is ready to lay the Smackdown on Mankind’s candy ass. Steve Austin… well, he drives a beer truck into the arena and pours liquid into the ring. At least Austin cuts a great go home promo before the Pay-Per-View. Beer douses both Shane and Vince McMahon as well as The Rock. This somehow is regarded as one of the best Raw moments in history. It’s pretty darn funny but nowhere close to being one of the greatest.

WWF Monday Night Raw-April 19, 1999- The Rock has a funeral for Steve Austin’s career days before Backlash. He has Austin’s smoking skull belt with him and is going to bury it in a coffin by a graveyard at the entrance way. Austin destroys Rocky’s car with his monster truck. Anyone else find it ironic that someone who had a reputation for drinking beer frequently after matches drove around so many vehicles in this promotion? I remember digging this segment back in 1999, but it doesn’t hold up all that well now.

WWF Survivor Series- November 19, 2000- Steve Austin lifts up a car containing Triple H. He drops it with his forklift. Triple H came back… two weeks later. So Triple H won’t even sell vehicular homicide.

WWF Smackdown- March 22, 2001- Jim Ross sits between WWF champion The Rock and his challenger, Steve Austin. Great sitdown interview between these two. Rock and Austin really sell their hated of each other well. This hatred certainly came to a head at the show just a few days after this interview. The discussion of the WWF championship shows just how far Austin would go to become the champion, and this interview most definitely teases the Austin heel turn. Ross asks Rock and Austin how they feel about each other on a personal level. Pretty interesting responses both ways. Steve Austin talking about NEEDING to beat The Rock at Wrestlemania is a pretty powerful moment considering that went down.

WWF Smackdown- July 5, 2001- Steve Austin brings cowboys hats for himself and Vince McMahon. Kurt Angle wears a smaller cowboy hat. I hate this goofy Austin heel schtick with a fiery passion.

WWF Smackdown- July 12, 2001- More dumb Austin heel stuff.  He sings… horribly. Kurt Angle admits to being in the Glee club. See, that’s way more relevant now with that lousy Fox show on the air. Angle does some singing of his own. Keep In mind THE FREAKING WCW INVASION WAS GOING ON DURING THIS TIME PERIOD! 2001… the year WWF flushed more money down the toilet than any other five year period combined. And I’m not even including the XFL in the discussion. Later on, Vince McMahon has a discussion, with Austin, Angle, Kane, Undertaker, and Chris Jericho about their main event match with WCW at the Invasion PPV. Austin is being a comedic goof. Again, this was during the Invasion. Even a half-assed Invasion managed to draw a 750k in buys. Amazing how badly WWF botched this angle.

WWF Smackdown- July 19, 2001- The old Steve Austin was supposed to be back. He’s enemies with Vince McMahon again. Austin would turn heel again a few days later at the PPV and join The Alliance (WCW and ECW). *flushing toilet sound*

WWF Raw- January 14, 2002- Steve Austin says “What?” a lot at Michael Cole. Him introducing “What?” to the wrestling business  might have been one of the ten worst ideas in the last 20 years considering how many people have to hear the chant.

WWE insurrextion- June 7, 2003- Chris Jericho and Eric Bischoff are calling British people fat until co-GM Steve Austin comes out for some fun and shenanigans. I really wish Bischoff had stayed in WWE based on his interactions with Austin and the crowd. Austin makes fun of Jericho a great deal and gets in a lot of “Whats” of course. It was pretty out of control by this point. Jericho complains about his treatment in England and lists and a bunch of band names. Austin drinks beer with Jericho and Bischoff. Stunner on Jericho. Jericho takes a great bump and spit take.  Bischoff gets stunned as well. This was a fun segment. Little on the fluffy side but it was acceptable.

-Steve Austin takes questions from Twitter. He talks about how he came to name his ranch and whether he would open up a wrestling school (he wouldn’t). He talks about what he does in his spare time. Needless to say, hunting is on the list. He also speaks more generally about his career as far as what his greatest moment was and when he knew the character was working. There are some additional questions as well. A final Wrestlemania match is teased. Punk being shown first can’t have been a coincidence.

-Steve Austin talks about the significance of The Sportatorium. I agree with Austin that it’s unfortunate the building was torn down and not treated as a landmark.

-Mick Foley and Steve Austin talk about how the most popular t-shirt in the history of the WWF came to be. It’s incredible to think just how many shirts were sold back in the day.

-Austin gives a guided tour of his ranch. Pretty self-explanatory.

WCW Saturday Night- May 15, 1993- Ric Flair puts the Hollywood Blondes over. Steve Austin and Brian Pillman make old jokes. IN 1993! Austin and Pillman make fun of the Four Horsemen. This would lead to Flair and Anderson bringing in… Paul Roma. The look of disdain on Arn Anderson’s face and his verbal response in this segment was tremendous. Anderson begins undoing his shirt. Flair takes the jacket off. Only an organization as incompetent as WCW couldn’t make money on the feud. Blondes walk away as Flair yells.

WWF Superstars-November 17, 1996- It’s hours before Steve Austin is going to wrestle Bret hart at Survivor Series. Austin isn’t going to take Hart lightly, and he’s no stepping stone to the WWF title. Austin talks about taking Brian Pillman out. Apparently, he and Pillman weren’t actually friends. That’s just wrong.

WWF Superstars-March 23, 1997- Steve Austin is in the Rosemont Horizon before Wrestlemania 13. He says a lot of mean things about Bret Hart, UFC, and Ken Shamrock.

WWF Monday Night Raw-August 18, 1997- Steve Austin is bitter about his treatment after being injured by Owen Hart. He throws some fruit around for fun.  He has words for Owen Hart and will make decisions on his own. Too bad this neck injury put Austin on borrowed time.

WWE Monday Night Raw-March 17, 2003- Steve Austin tosses Eric Bischoff out of the ring and calls The Rock into the ring.  Very funny stuff from these two. I’m not even sure this aired on television. Rock makes fun of a fan for having a sign that says “Scorpion King sucks.” Then Austin says “What” a lot. They shake hands. Rock blocks out of a stunner attempt and heads out. Austin stalks Rock from behind. Rock sees the Titantron.  Austin takes Rocky out and of course delivers a stunner.

WWE Hall of Fame- April 4, 2009- Vince McMahon inducts Steve Austin to the Hall of Fame. Steve Austin fives his induction speech. The decision to time these speeches was a really poor one. To not hear Austin be able to speak for 25-30 minutes was a major disappointment.

WWF No Mercy- May 4, 1999: Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker vs. Triple H- WWF used to produce exclusive Pay-Per-Views in jolly old England. They were really just televised house shows. This one in particular didn’t have much significance to it at all. Triple H’s heel turn was barely two months old, and we were just a month or so away from him being shoved down our throats. Taker was in his Ministry outfit. Steve Austin was… well, he gets a rather loud ovation. Just your run of the mill Vince Russo brawl they seemed to do at every PPV, American or British. Taker and Hunter are in the same faction at this point and team up for a fairly good portion of the match. Everyone who the Corporate Ministry screwed earlier in the night runs out to battle guys like Mideon and Viscera. Mankind takes Underaker away from the ring. Austin stuns Triple H to retain the WWF title. I’d give this ***.  WWF might have set ratings records and made a buttload of money, but 1999 was sure a mixed bag of a year.

WWF Monday Night Raw-October 8, 2001: Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle- This was during that cracked out Invasion period. Kurt Angle won the world title two weeks prior at Unforgiven. Now it was Austin’s time to win the championship back. The less said about this whole period, the better. The one positive is we got a series of very good matches between Angle/Austin and Rock/Jericho. But WWF refused to really put Angle and Jericho over definitively. These sorts of decisions, not putting over new talent and continuing to rely on the same people, would continue to come back to bite WWF in the butt. This was of course an excellent wrestling match with a crappy ending as William Regal turned on the WWF (Oh, there were a hell of a lot of turns in these few months) and gets Austin the championship back. This was actually Austin’s last ever WWF title victory. Match itself was easily ****.

WWF No Mercy- October 21, 2001: Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle vs. Rob Van Dam- RVD was really starting to get himself over as a babyface despite  being in the Alliance. WWF decided to have him start losing a lot. RVD wouldn’t get a main event push until 2006, well past the point he was in his prime and really at his peak as a wrestler.  This was very similar to any other three way match you’d see. Angle gets off to the hot start. Austin and RVD start out working together, but they were sort of feuding at this point despite being in the same group. Some really creative and innovative spots are included as well, including RVD hitting a kamikaze dive on both men, and both men getting out of the way of a frog splash. Vince McMahon makes his presence known as he clearly wants to get the WWF title off of Austin and onto Angle once again. Angle and Van Dam battle one-on-one as Austin is injured on the outside. Stunner sends Angle to the outside. McMahon hits Austin with a chair. RVD hits a frog splash but only gets two as Angle breaks the count. Series of German suplexes and into an angle slam. Shane McMahon tosses Angle out. Vince takes out his own son. Stunner on RVD and the victory. Austin retains. Very good match. I’d say ***3/4.

Steve Austin vs. The Rock (Wrestlemania 19- March 30, 2003)

Match in Five Words or Less: A Quiet Farewell

Analysis: I wish I had known this was Steve Austin’s last match in the WWE. Maybe he himself didn’t know, but I can’t think of a better way for his career to end then to put to bed one of the epic feuds in the history of WWE. These two fought for the championship numerous times over numerous Pay-Per-Views. Their match at Wrestlemania 17 was truly the most epic of all because of what it represented and the fact that these two were the biggest stars in the company. What you had here for all intents and purposes was two part-timers ending their feud before going off into the sunset. For Austin, this was his last rodeo. For The Rock, he would bring in Goldberg to have a one off match at Backlash with, make a supporting appearance in MSG at Wrestlemania 20, and then basically never being a regular on WWE ever again.

The match itself wasn’t inherently bad, just a very finisher oriented match. These guys used their own finishers on each other, then stole the other’s and finally Rock pinned Austin clean in the middle of the ring. Not a whole lot of psychology or great wrestling, but these two are such pros that they would almost have to try and have a bad match. I hold back the full monty for historical significance since Austin could very wrestle a retirement match at Wrestlemania 25. We shall see about that. This was a fine way for both men to sort of make their exit. I still want to know exactly what Rock whispered to Steve Austin immediately after pinning him. Guess it will remain one of wrestling’s great mysteries.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: The Rock/17:53/***1/2

(Editor’s Note: Obviously, Austin didn’t wrestle a retirement match at Wrestlemania 25, but he may at 29 or 30.)

-What airs next is a series of deleted scenes as Austin talks about a number of conversations. First, he talks about attending a seminar with Chris Adams and signing autographs before he even became a wrestler. Austin talks about being singled out by Adams, particularly as it relates to his football career. He then discusses attending the “Hair Club for Men.” Pretty hilarious. Then, he talks about Jim Ross coming up with his rattlesnake nickname. Odd that Austin is pretty scared of snakes. Triple H talks about how clumsy Austin is and uses what happens at Summerslam 1999 as an example. Oh that wacky wrestling world. CM Punk talks about his relationship with Steve Austin. It’s surprisingly, their relationship is positive. Great story about the difference between Hogan and Austin. Back to Austin as he talks about the stunner. Michael Hayes is actually the one who came up with using it as a finisher. Vince McMahon, who’s probably taken more stunners than anyone, is not a very coordinated man. The Rock always sells it well.  Some random music video ends the DVD.

The Verdict: Thanks to a very well done in-depth documentary, a real gem of a WCW tag team match, and the bonus commentary on some of Austin’s biggest matches ever, I’m willing to give this three disk collection a major thumbs up. This is an extremely fair representation of Austin’s career and any fan not familiar with him will get a real sense of what made him such a special talent.

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January 13, 2012 was one of those rare, extremely special indpendent wrestling shows. A talented roster from top to bottom put on a fantastic show which saw Zack Salvation win the EVO Eight tournament & the chance to challenge Heavyweight Champion Marcellus “The Mid Atlantic” King once again. On March 9, 2012 Pro Wrestling Evo returns with ‘EPIC’ headlined by the EVO heavyweight title match and once again packed with talented indy wrestlers from across the SouthEast. The following is a preview of each match announced for the second Pro Wrestling EVO show of 2012. As always please check www.prowrestlingevo.com for more details leading up to the show & www.evoondemand.com for all the past great shows from the greatest independent wrestling promotion around.

SuperHEX  Action continues At ‘EPIC’ !!!!

Ben Tyler vs Joe Black
Tyler and Black will battle for the second straight show, this time in singles action. Tyler competes mainly as a tag wrestler in EVO but all the guys in SuperHEX are trying to take the next step in their singles career. Ben Tyler currently has 1 point on the SuperHEX leaderboard & looks to move up with a win.  Black has had some very good matches in the last year, including earning 4 points at Evo Eight putting him in 2nd place on the leaderboard as of this writing. Who will take the next step in moving up the SuperHEX rankings at ‘EPIC’?

SuperHEX 3 Way

Chiva Kid v Chip Day v Corey Hollis
Chiva is one of the most popular talents in the southeast but came up short leaving Evo Eight with zero points and is looking to get his first points on the board at ‘EPIC’. Corey Hollis & Chip Day have been battling one another throughout Georgia and had a great opener at Battlefield EVO in each of their debuts with the promotion. These two are new to the SuperHEX division and will each respectively look to make an immediate impact in the division.

Damn Open Challenge

Dem Damn Texans are one of the toughest tag teams in the southeast & at ‘EPIC’ they have extended their brand of an open challenge to any takers. The Damn open challenge will take place on March 9th. Who will step into the ring with Jimmy Jack Funk Jr & Zane Riley and more importantly will they be up to the task of brawling with the Texans?

Special Challenge Match
Robyn Golphin v Cedric Alexander

The First PWEvo champion Cedric Alexander has been slowly losing his grasp on reality in recent events and it may be Robyn Golphin who pushes him over the edge. Recently while at WrestleReunion in LA, Alexander read a tweet from Golphin that he took offense to and made this special challenge to show the young guy some respect. Golphin debuted with Pro Wrestling Evo in September and has shown tremendous heart but has yet to get his first win. Golphin takes the night off from SuperHEX action to take on one of EVO’s most successful talents. Will Alexander be able to keep things in check & dispose of the young kid? Or will Golphin get his first win in a major way at ‘EPIC’?.

PWI International Ultra J Title Match

“The Midnight Son” Caleb Konley(c) v “The” John Skyler
Konley defends his title again at ‘EPIC’ this time against newcomer to EVO John Skyler. Skyler debuted in January taking eventual tournament winner Zack Salvation to the limit in the opening round  of the phenomenal tournament. Skyler impressed all in attendance & earned this shot at Konley, who has defended the Ultra J title against all comers since winning the title quite some time ago,  including victories over Eddie Edwards, Corey Havoc, Kirby Mack, & many others. Can John Skyler make more of a impact in March by becoming the new Ultra J champion or will Konley once again retain the title & show that he is one of the best independent talents in pro wrestling today?

Pro Wrestling EVO Heavyweight Title Match

Marcellus “The Mid Atlantic” King v “The Queen City Killer” Zack Salvation
As noted before, Salvation won the right to this match by defeating three of the best talents in independent wrestling at Evo Eight in January, and retiring “The ManScout” Jake Manning from Pro Wrestling EVO in the process. King battled Salvation in both singles & tag action throughout 2011 but “By Any Means Necessary”  the champion always hung on to the Heavyweight title and has promised to do the same at ‘EPIC’.  The war of words is really fueling this feud as Salvation has promised to serve King’s head on a “silver platter” on March 9th. Will The Queen City Killer be the Salvation of Pro Wrestling EVO at ‘EPIC’?  or will By any Means Necessary get taken to a violent degree? Either way these two always put on a show that can’t be missed and it will be exclamation point on another EPIC night for Pro Wrestling EVO.

 
In a addition to the matches announced Kirby Mack has an open challenge to suspended EVO talent Trevor Lee. Mack is proposing a fight, a match, anything just to get his hands on Lee who he feels needs a lesson in respect. Trevor Lee has stated that he WILL be at ‘EPIC’ and if possible he’ll get his hands on Mack, who he feels is just looking for someone to prove what he already knows. That he is a has been. Will Mack continue his “lead by example” guidance over the SuperHEX or has he offended Trevor Lee to a point where the talented youngster will put an end to a long, successful career? Below you can see each of the messages these two men sent to Pro Wrestling EVO along with the full episode of EVO Underground Ep. 10 leading up to the second ‘EPIC’ event of 2012 from the hottest promotion in independent wrestling.

Evo Underground Ep. 10- Mack Challenges Lee to a Fight + More! 

Trevor Lee’s Response:

From the SuperHEX divison, to a battle of Loose Cannon versus Young Lion Pro Wrestling EVO Epic will certainly be a can’t miss show. EVO offers a level of talent and production value that isn’t easy to find in a wrestling show of any kind. 2 big title matches will headline a show that always produces high level matches, high intensity stories & an unbelievable entertainment value. Pro Wrestling EVO is THE premiere promotion in the SouthEast, if you’re in the area & a pro wrestling fan do yourself a favor and head to Concord, NC on Mar 9 for an EPIC night. Also check out all the action leading up to EPIC at www.prowrestlingevo.com and follow @prowrestlingevo on Twitter. Haven’t seen Pro Wrestling EVO before? Check out all of their past events in FULL at a DISCOUNTED price at www.evoondemand.com

*Note that this show is packaged in a two-disc set with Northern Aggression, the next event. The review of that show will be posted tomorrow.

December 3rd, 2011 in Spartanburg, South Carolina

Opening Match: Mike Bennett vs. Adam Cole
Bennett gains the advantage early on after some cheap tactics. Cole connects with a hard right hand and lands a plancha to the floor. Bennett hits a nice spinebuster into the apron and takes control in the ring. Cole comes back with a backcracker and connects with corner punches. He follows with a superkick and hits a german suplex. Bennett retreats to the apron and avoids a DDT attempt from Cole. Cole recovers with a flying crossbody but falls victim to a TKO. Cole armdrags out of the Box Office Smash and hits an ace crusher. He connects with an enzuigiri and a knockout kick for a nearfall. Bennett escapes the Panama Sunrise but almost gets caught by a sunset flip. Bennett elevates Cole into a backbreaker and hits the Box Office Smash for the win at 9:32. This was most likely the best performance I’ve ever seen out of Bennett. He found creative ways to work over Cole’s back and showcased some new offense that I can’t remember him using before. Cole worked well with him and they were able to get the crowd to bite on a few nearfalls down the stretch. While I’ve always been critical of Bennett, he definitely showed something in this match. ***

Match #2: Harlem and Lance Bravado vs. Cruz and Rios
Cruz catches Harlem with a flying forearm smash while Rios lands a lionsault onto Lance. The Bravados start working over Cruz after Harlem hits a delayed vertical suplex. He low bridges Lance to the floor, rolls through a lariat from Harlem, and makes the tag. Rios lands a seated senton onto Harlem and follows with double knees. The Bravados hit the Gentleman’s Approach on Cruz for a nearfall. Harlem bicycle kicks Rios to the floor. Lance catches Cruz with a bridging pin for the victory at 5:36. I’ve been saying for awhile that the Bravados need to start picking up some wins and that finally seems to be the direction that they are headed. Los Ben Dejos looked good in the ring and I wouldn’t mind seeing them back in Ring of Honor. However, this was mostly a squash for the Bravados. *¾

Match #3: Jay Lethal vs. TJ Perkins
If Perkins can defeat Lethal or last the time limit, he will receive a shot at the World Television Title. They have a nice sequence out of a knucklelock and Lethal hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. He connects with a handspring back elbow followed by a basement dropkick. Perkins escapes a submission and applies a pendulum. He transitions into a quick pin attempt to no avail. Perkins connects with a hesitation dropkick and hits a backbreaker. He takes over until Lethal connects with a superkick. Perkins quickly responds with a brainbuster and both men are down. They exchange strikes and Perkins gets booted to the floor. He cuts off a dive from Lethal and hits a sit-out powerbomb. Perkins snaps off a hurricanrana. They trade quick pin attempts to no avail. Lethal hits the Lethal Combination for a nearfall. Perkins blocks a top rope elbow drop but Lethal recovers with a handspring ace crusher for the win at 11:34. These two had amazing chemistry and I can see them having an excellent rematch down the line if given more time. Although I wish the match would have settled down at points, the constant back and forth action invoked a great response from the crowd and put Perkins on Lethal’s level in Ring of Honor. I’m glad that ROH has been giving Lethal some fresh opponents recently as it’s made the Television Title scene much more interesting. ***

Match #4: Kenny King and Rhett Titus vs. Matt and Nick Jackson
The All Night Express hit stereo scoop slams and back drop the Young Bucks. King lands a corkscrew plancha to the floor onto them. In the ring, King connects with a springboard elbow drop on Nick. Titus finds himself in the wrong corner and the Young Bucks take control with some double teaming. They target Titus’ left leg and isolate him. He starts to build momentum but Nick catches him with a flying double stomp. Titus takes advantage of some miscommunication and makes the tag. King connects with a series of kicks and hits an overhead suplex on Matt. Nick catches King with a running knee strike and Matt follows with a springboard ace crusher. Matt spears Titus. Nick tries to add a springboard maneuver but King lays him out with the Coronation for a nearfall. Matt saves his partner from a blockbuster-powerbomb combination by attacking Titus’ bad leg. The Young Bucks hit More Bang for Your Buck on King for the victory at 13:44. I’m surprised that I didn’t enjoy this match as much as I thought I would. It seems as though working over Titus’ leg has become a theme of his matches as of late. While that’s perfectly fine, the limb work didn’t stop Titus from performing any significant moves and only ever came into play during the finish. With that said, I thought the finish was effective in giving the Young Bucks a win while keeping King and Titus looking strong. I just think that these two teams have a better match in them. **¾

Match #5: Jay and Mark Briscoe vs. Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander
The crowd absolutely loves the Briscoes. Both teams start brawling before the opening bell. Jay throws Coleman into the barricade and suplexes him onto the entrance ramp. Mark takes out Alexander with a dive and then throws him into the barricade as well. In the ring, Mark hits a bulldog on Alexander. Coleman catches Jay with a high leg drop. Jay flatlines Alexander into the middle turnbuckle and Mark follows with a shotgun dropkick. The Briscoes work him over until he hits a saito suplex on Mark and makes the tag. Coleman hits a snapmare driver on Jay and an STO on Mark. He connects with a double dropkick and lands a springboard moonsault to the floor onto Jay. Alexander follows out with a dive of his own. Back in, Coleman hurricanranas Mark off the middle rope and Alexander adds a frog splash. Jay starts brawling with Alexander on the outside. Mark hits the Cutthroat Driver on Coleman but gets caught by a spin kick from Alexander. Jay yakuza kicks Alexander and the Briscoes follow with the doomsday device for the win at 9:44. I think Coleman and Alexander have proven that they deserve a permanent spot in the tag team division and they complemented the Briscoes nicely in this match. However, Coleman and Alexander seem to be in the same position as the Bravados in that Ring of Honor gives them high profile matches but they can never pick up the big victory that they need. The match itself was a decent exhibition with the Briscoes mostly dominating aside from some back and forth action down the stretch. **¾

Match #6: Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin vs. Roderick Strong and Michael Elgin
If the House of Truth can defeat Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team or last the time limit, they will receive a shot at the ROH World Tag Team Titles. Strong goes directly after Shelton’s injured ribs. Shelton finds an opening after a series of punches and a corner splash. WGTT take down Strong with stereo shoulder tackles. Haas dropkicks Elgin to the floor. A distraction by Truth Martini allows Elgin to hit a powerslam on Shelton. The House of Truth isolate him, with Strong applying the Stronghold at one point. Shelton hits a move on Strong that the camera misses and makes the tag. Haas hits an overhead suplex on Elgin and an exploder on Strong. Shelton superkicks Elgin and Haas follows with an olympic slam. Strong catches Shelton with a knee strike and takes him out with a plancha. Elgin connects with an enzuigiri on Haas and hits a swinging uranagi. He dead-lifts Haas into a bucklebomb and Strong follows with the Sick Kick for a nearfall. Shelton hits a neckbreaker on Strong and a tornado DDT on Elgin. WGTT hit the Leap of Faith on Strong. Martini tries to interfere but gets crotched on the top rope. Elgin hits a side slam on Shelton and a TKO on Haas. He goes up top but Shelton german suplexes him off the top rope. Haas covers him for the victory at 15:58. They didn’t do anything mind-blowing but Strong and Elgin worked well with WGTT and this was an enjoyable match for its place on the card. While I absolutely hated the mandatory Truth Martini interference, I liked that WGTT were able to keep up once the action picked up, culminating with a smart finish. Elgin seems to be more focused on a singles run in ROH but I don’t think teaming with Strong every once and awhile would hurt. ***¼

Match #7: Eddie Edwards vs. El Generico
Generico armdrags out of a wristlock and they find themselves at a stalemate. Generico connects with corner punches followed by a leg lariat. Edwards avoids a split-legged moonsault and connects with a hesitation dropkick in the corner. He adds a running baseball slide. Generico lures him to the floor and follows out with a dive. In the ring, Generico lands a flying crossbody and hits a blue thunder bomb. Edwards blocks a yakuza kick and connects with a running knee strike. He hits a backpack chinbreaker and transitions into an STF. Generico is able to reach the bottom rope. They trade strikes and Generico hits a half nelson suplex. Edwards connects with a superkick but gets caught by a yakuza kick. Generico attempts a brainbuster but Edwards suplexes him over the top rope. Both men are down on the outside. Back in, Generico hits a michinoku driver for a nearfall. On commentary, Jim Cornette says that Generico would have “upset” Edwards there. Okay. Edwards hits a saito suplex and goes up top. Generico catches him with a yakuza kick. They battle up top and Edwards hits a TKO from the middle rope. He connects with a superkick for a two count. Edwards follows with a flying double stomp. Edwards hits a powerbomb and transitions into the achilles lock for the win at 18:01. These two had a great match in PWG about six months ago and they had a worthy follow-up here. They kept the action predominantly back and forth but the crowd was still able to get invested in the match due to some awesome exchanges. If anything, this contest helped to build up Edwards heading into his main event match against Davey Richards at Final Battle, as Richards was able to defeat Generico as well after a hard-fought battle at Glory by Honor. As for the match itself, I liked their PWG encounter slightly more than this one. While the finishes were almost identical, Edwards spent most of the PWG match working over Generico’s leg. However, this was still a very good contest and will most likely end up being the best match on the show. ***½

Match #8: The Honor Rumble
There will be twenty entrants with elimination occurring when someone is thrown over the top rope and both feet hit the floor. A new entrant comes out every minute and the final remaining wrestler will receive a shot at the ROH World Title. TJ Perkins and Matt Jackson start the match. Perkins hits a neckbreaker after a fast-paced exchange. Matt responds with a dropkick from the middle rope as Kenny King comes out. He catches Matt with a spin kick but gets caught by a hurricanrana from Perkins. Harlem Bravado is the next entrant followed by Cedric Alexander and Jay Briscoe. Jay eliminates King, Alexander, and Harlem. He hits a stunner on Matt and sends him packing as well. Perkins avoids elimination momentarily but gets eliminated eventually. Jay is the only wrestler in the ring. Caprice Coleman comes out next but gets quickly eliminated. Charlie Haas is the next entrant and he starts trading punches with Jay. Lance Bravado enters the ring as well. Jay and Haas quickly eliminate Lance as my frustration with the way ROH books the Bravados continues. Mark Briscoe joins his brother in the ring and they work over Haas. Grizzly Redwood joins the fray but Mark plants him with a german suplex. Adam Cole comes out next but the Briscoes continue to dominate as they biel Grizzly across the ring. Shelton Benjamin enters the match and evens the score. He eliminates Cole. Haas and Shelton clothesline the Briscoes over the top rope, eliminating themselves in the process as well. Grizzly is the only man left standing. The Briscoes and Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team brawl around ringside. Michael Elgin comes out next and hits a chokeslam on Grizzly. El Generico enters the match but is feeling the effects from his recent match. Jay Lethal comes out and gets in some offense on Elgin. Everyone works together to eliminate Elgin to no avail. Nick Jackson joins the contest followed by Mike Bennett. Lethal immediately starts brawling with him. Rhett Titus comes out before his official entrance. Roderick Strong reveals himself as the final entrant. Grizzly finally gets eliminated as does Nick. Elgin sends Titus packing while Generico eliminates Bennett. The final four are Strong, Generico, Elgin, and Lethal. The House of Truth take over with some double teaming. Strong elevates Elgin and Generico over the top rope at the same time. Lethal and Strong trade punches and Strong takes control. Lethal ducks a lariat and hits a handspring ace crusher. Strong retreats to the apron and they battle over a suplex. Lethal connects with a superkick that knocks Strong off the apron. Lethal wins the Honor Rumble at 24:25. I honestly do not have much to say here. The usual Royal Rumble type shenanigans occurred and if you like these kind of matches, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this contest. The segment between the Briscoes and WGTT was probably the highlight and I think Lethal winning was a solid choice. **½

Overall: Due to Southern Defiance being packaged with Northern Aggression, the next show, I’m going to hold off on giving most of my overall thoughts. However, I will say that this show would have most likely earned a slight recommendation on its own. The card was extremely consistent, with a lot of matches hovering in or around the three star range. Let’s see what Northern Aggression brings to the table (aside from a ridiculously long main event).

I’m very glad that this DVD exists. Raven is one of my favourite wrestlers of all time, and I always had a soft-spot for the Innovator of Violence too. I never really watched ECW, it was just an abstract concept in my head, something I read about and saw the odd clip of here and there. But the idea of a two-year feud in which the babyface never once pinned the heel seemed insane to me and I always wondered how they pulled it off without descending into repetitive boring territory. So when I came across this DVD it seemed a no-brainer to pick up a copy, despite it being a little pricey. But then again, SIX DISCS!

Am I going to review all the matches? Absolutely not, there are… (hold on, counting them)… 29 of them if you don’t count the 6 fan-cam matches included at the end of each disc as a ‘bonus feature’. Instead I’m going to review this as a product.

Overview

The first thing to note is that this is not a documentary, it’s an anthology. There are no cutaways to Dreamer, Raven, Paul Heyman or anyone else involved discussing their memories of the feud. There is no host in a studio introducing each segment. There aren’t even menus or captions to tell us the name of the event in which a particular segment took place or the date. The latter is a pretty big detriment in my opinion because with so many segments I could really have gone for some kind of a chapter selection menu.

Instead, when you put a disc in it autoplays. Joey Styles does a good job of giving back-story during the segments, so he fills in some of the blanks, but still, a little extra production wouldn’t have gone a miss. Even the back cover of the box just gives names to the segments without prefacing them with a dates (except for some reason Disc 3), so there’s multiple “Tommy Dreamer Promo”s and “Raven vs Tommy Dreamer”s. A little hard to tell them apart to say the least, so if you want to see a specific match or promo… good luck finding it. Oh, and there’s a couple of typos on the back cover as well.

Disc One

Things get started with Stevie Richards using three of Raven’s former ring-names to shadow the arrival of the man himself, and right from his debut you could tell he was going to be special. Dressed like he was, with that theme music, cutting that promo… there had been NOTHING like that character before. From there Raven cuts a lot of promos, brings out Beulah, and makes Dreamer run a gauntlet for the right to face him one on one for the first time, and thanks to a Beulah double-cross and a DDT on the floor, it ends very quickly. From there we get three more solo matches, each featuring a controversial ending with Raven winning, a couple of promos, and an insanely stiff brawl in the Hard Rock Cafe, as well as some Piledrivers for Beulah and the debut of Luna Vachon as Dreamer’s play-thing… nice choice there bro. Everything on this disc was pretty good and gets the set rolling along quite nicely by making things intense right from the word go. It’s pretty incredible to compare what was being done here with what was going on in the WWF and WCW in 1994.

Disc 2

To give things a theme, you could call this the Luna Vachon disc. She cuts a few promos in an extremely grating demon-voice and wrestles a few matches, most notably facing Beulah in a match that doesn’t go down exactly how you might think. Raven and Richards also won the ECW Tag Team Titles, pushing them even further up the card. After beating the hell out of both Dreamer and Luna on multiple occasions, things took a turn when the Pittbulls, previously allies of Raven, turned on him to join forces with Dreamer, not approving of the violence towards Luna. In retaliation, Raven recruited the Dudleys (the original ones, not the good ones) and faction warfare ran rampant with many a chaotic brawl. Finally, ‘The Chairshot Heard Round the World’, one of the sickest unprotected chair shots of all time. I’m not an advocate of those, but… you do kind of need to see it at least once. I’m really not a fan of Luna, the Pitbulls or the original Dudleys, so this disc was kind of a downer for me after the strong first one. I’d recommend checking your email or something while this one is playing.

Disc 3

To further advance the gang warfare, Tommy Dreamer recruited Cactus Jack to battle Raven, Richards and the Dudleys. Unfortunately, Raven’s mastery of mind-games allowed him to corrupt Cactus with a fantastic pre-match promo, causing him to turn on Dreamer just as he seemed to finally have Raven defeated. Mick Foley’s contributions on the microphone were quite frankly sublime, and this disc features one of the best promos of all time as Foley waxes lyrical on hardcore wrestling, fickle fans and his desire to go to WCW. Not to be outdone, Dreamer brought in Terry Funk to back him up based on his long history with Foley. Even at 53, Funk was still pretty capable in the ring and on the mic, engaging in a wild brawl and scoring a pin over Raven in a tag match. He also put Dreamer over like nobody’s business, making Tommy tear up as Funk promised not to forget him after he left ECW. The stuff with Cactus and Funk was pretty good, as you’d expect, but a few of the moments here and there dragged.

Disc 4

We start off with the first Dreamer vs Raven match since disc one, and despite some shenanigans at the start and finish, it was their best so far, with Raven once again getting the W and a shot at the Sandman’s ECW World Title to boot. Next came the infamous pregnancy angle, with Beulah announcing she was with child and that it was in fact Tommy’s baby, leading to the two reconciling as she left Raven for the man that later became her real-life husband. Nothing like this had really been done before in wrestling, ironic considering how frequently the WWF was called a soap-opera for men in the 90s. Yet this angle didn’t come across as ridiculous fluff (despite Beulah’s frankly high-school-drama-class level delivery of her lines), but rather legitimate and creative drama that furthered the feud. Raven bounced back though, defeating Sandman to win the title, confirming what we already knew: he was the man in ECW. He also separated Dreamer’s shoulder and got The Bruise Brothers to turn on him, exposing one of the major flaws in this set. We had no idea who the Bruise Brothers were, why they were with Dreamer, why they turned or what happened to them afterwards, as all the footage focuses on the immediate feud and not enough is done to explain the peripheral factors. While not an action-packed disc in terms of matches, the storylines were top-notch here, demonstrating Heyman’s creativity pretty well.

Disc 5

So you’ve just gotten your nemesis’ girlfriend pregnant and stolen her away from him, where do you go from there? Why you steal his new girlfriend, Kimona, to create a weird three-person relationship of course! Yes folks, this was the Lesbian Kiss angle, another first for wrestling, and something that apparently got them in a lot of trouble for a few weeks. We also got to see the Brian Lee/Tommy Dreamer mini-feud that saw Lee chokeslam Dreamer off a balcony through multiple tables on two occasions and culminated in the very dangerous scaffold match.

We also got to see what was in my opinion the best match Dreamer and Raven had against each other, which took place in Japan of all places. I don’t know if it was the motivation of trying to impress a foreign audience or if both men just happened to be on point that night, but the match was leaps and bounds better than the few they had early on. Also, Raven was pretty much untouchable as the champion in terms of mic and character work. You can feel his aura even now fifteen years later. Unfortunately he would lose the belt without being pinned after leaving the company for a little while to go into rehab. But thanks to the wonders of editing he was back right away, beating the Sandman for the belt again.

The disc closes with an interesting angle involving Brian Lee repeatedly smashing Terry Funk’s head in with a garbage can as the Funker is determined to get to Raven, who he was desperate to beat for the world title. Dreamer admonished the pair for going too far and the ring-crew finally managed to drag Funk away to receive medical attention. In fact, Raven went so far that Stevie Richards, who had broken out as the leader of the Blue World Order in Raven’s absence, turned his back on his former mentor. It all ends happily in the end though as the Sandman stands tall and is reunited with his son at long last (whole other 6-disc set available for that feud by the way). This disc was probably my favourite because it was a blend of the creative storylines from disc 3, had some really good matches, particularly the encounter in Japan, and the involvement of Brian Lee and Terry Funk was refreshing.

Disc 6

Here it is, the grand finale. The focus of the first half of the disc was the build towards ECW’s first ever Pay-Per-View and Terry Funk’s desire to gain a world title match against Raven in the main event. Sure enough, Funk ended up in that spot, wrestling his second match of the evening, already bleeding, in no condition to fight a fresh Raven. Where was Dreamer? Well, sitting on a balcony doing commentary. He would find his way into the finish anyway, and Funk ultimately won the world title in what was a genuinely wonderful moment that the crowd erupted for.

Furious, Raven beat the hell out of Stevie Richards, and demanded he be his partner in an upcoming tag match. Their uneasy alliance made for a pretty entertaining tag match, with Richards reluctant to help Raven and Raven frequently heckling Richards in pretty hilarious fashion. All of this led up to the Loser Leaves ECW match at Wrestlepalooza 97. Yes, everybody knew that Raven was going to WCW, even in the days before the IWC was so rampant. Yet the match was still pretty dramatic, with the crowd still not entirely sure Dreamer would win. There were far too many shenanigans in my opinion, with lots of interference, two ref bumps, and several false finishes, but Dreamer finally getting his hand raised was great closure on the feud. This was the shortest disc of the set, but what it lacked in length it more than made up for in quality.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it, nearly three years of matches, promos and more. Their allies and girlfriends turned on them and they nearly killed each other multiple times. It might not have been the best feud in the history of wrestling, but it was one of the best of the modern era, and certainly the best in ECW. If only the WWE knew how to get so much life out of a program these days.

I also want to say I found a new appreciation for Stevie Richards, given my first exposure to him was in the Right to Censor, I didn’t think he was anything special, but he played his role in ECW pretty perfectly and he was a much better wrestler than I gave him credit for. If not for him acting as a foil and flunky this feud may not have worked so well. Mick Foley cuts some of the best promos you’ll ever see and Terry Funk’s crusade was far more touching than I imagined.

I was pretty shocked how compelling I found most of the matches considering how few moves each man does. Seriously, they had the same finisher, both used piledrivers and relied on punches and weapons to fill the rest of their matches. And yet, somehow, I was entertained most of the time, especially when the two were fighting each other instead of their respective allies.

Letting the content speak for itself is good on the one hand, but there are some moments where a host is sorely lacking as we jump undetermined lengths of time and a few story threads are left unresolved. Oh! And get used to hearing Come Out and Play by Offspring and Man In A Box by Alice in Chains, because they get played a LOT. Like a whole lot. Like it’s the reason I used one in a recent podcast because both are stuck in my head.

I jump back in, both to wrestling and this column, with the 2012 Elimination Chamber exactly one PPV after I had stopped watching. The second stop on the road to Wrestlemania. I’m not sure where this road is actually located but just a tip for anyone who finds themselves driving on it, take a detour away from the cage full of oiled up half nude men. Not much had changed during the scenic trip to the big show, but the “this is the last PPV before Wrestlemania” hype is sent into an overdrive on par with a 13 year-old boy’s masturbation regiment, so it should hold some surprises like the discovery of lubricant.

Let’s get into the ten lessons learned from last night, because pro-wrestling should first and foremost be an educational experience. Also fingers crossed I’m not any worse at this then I was before.

1. I learned Chris Jericho’s light up leather jacket is never going to become not awesome. He’s keeping the Christmas light industry alive in the offseason and that should make him an American Economics hero. What’s strange about Chris Jericho is that besides his hair length and facial hair missteps, he’s looked exactly the same for two decades. Apparently, and this may be only rumor, his diet consisting exclusively of shrimp and goat’s milk is what’s keeping him so young looking.

2. I learned C.M. Punk is a hell of a worker and so is Rico the camera-guy. Something about the RAW Elimination Chamber match felt incredibly anticlimactic to me. A cross between the energy level of the audience and a general lackluster performance made it a disappointment of the night, when it clearly should have blown my feeble mind with the talent involved. What I did like about it was nobody could be considered the weak link; each had similar size and style. Throughout I kept thinking it was building towards some big ending but C.M. Punk wins it after tapping out the Miz with little fan fare. Kicking Jericho out of the cage onto the floor, which eliminated him, I’m guessing, is building towards a title match at ‘Mania which would be a good thing. C.M. Punk against Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania, that match would be a very good thing.

3. I learned John Lauranitis is my favorite heel executive ever. Sure, Vince McMahon was for years the go-to evil boss when you were in need, and Eric Bischoff’s time with the NWO was popular with the kids, but they don’t have Johnny’s command of both the ring and language. Perhaps it’s the creepy fake smile plastered across his face to let us know when he’s happy, or the goofy ridiculous fake snarl when he’s mad. It’s my favorite moment of the PPV, him in the ring with Otunga, Christian, Del Rio, and Henry, with Ace grinning like he’s a mentally deficient child discovering Fraggle Rock.

4. I learned the only thing worse than one giant in a stipulation match is two giants. It’s never a pretty thing watching the big men battle it out, predictable and limited skills don’t often make for must see viewing. For years the Great Khali has somehow been booked in main-event after main-event without having any semblance of ability except the skill to have a malfunctioning pituitary gland. While the Big Show is a wrestler who has certainly put in his time to earn my respect, the elimination chamber should be a showcase of the yet to happen, not the already was. Speaking of that predictability, both men were in the match relatively short periods of time, thankfully.

5. I learned Santino is no joke. His pre-match promos, which were better than Rocky 5 lead me to believe that they were setting him up for some screw job where he’d never actually get into the chamber but instead be replaced by a heel, more specifically, I thought it would be Mark Henry. Surprisingly, he not only got into the match but made a great accounting for himself making it to the very end when he submitted to the Lebell Lock. Here’s the thing, Santino can wrestle, we saw it back when he was the Intercontinental champion (on a few occasions) and hoping to be the next Honky Tonk Man. I do not know the circumstances surrounding his sudden reemerged push, but if readers are aware please let me know in the comments. I find Santino’s mispronunciations good humored fun, as I watched those Rocky promo’s I couldn’t help but think of the WWF promo’s in the 80’s and how they too represented just a fun time, not many outside of the business knew the shoot side of things then. I was also hugely surprised at the pop he received, and I hope he gets an actual match at Wrestlemania, fingers crossed.

6. I learned it is okay to like Sheamus, or maybe I’m a completely biased moron. As fanboys, we can all admit to not being sure why we like some of the things we obsess over, I’m not sure why I have seen every episode of the show One Tree Hill starring teen-heartthrob Chad Michael Murray, but I have. Sheamus is like One Tree Hill in my mind, I’ll even let him use that as a catchphrase, “The Great White Hope and Pretty Much a C.W. Primetime Soap.” I don’t understand why I support him but I do. Yes, I am very pale and Irish, and yes I do weight-lift with Triple H… okay not the last one, still I was incredibly excited to see him win the Rumble especially after Del Rio’s win in 2011.  What I guess the sixth thing I learned was that sometimes you’re just a mark regardless of better judgment. After Daniel Bryan won the Chamber match and Sheamus came out I became stupidly happy as the band XTC once sang “I’m stupidly happy my vision is skewed.”

7. I learned it’s awesome to hear fart jokes on pay-per-view! There’s an old saying I just made-up that goes, “you can’t be in Wisconsin without talking about cutting the cheese.” Luckily the WWE is never above demanding its employees take part in jokes that are sinking below the PG rating and going straight for the BD, they’re now actually targeting the brain-dead with their programming, that’s just shameless. How Hornswoggle has maintained as much airtime as he has is just some sort of miracle, but he should really demand they stop belittling him….get it, belittling…he’s a midget…

8. I learned the WWE bookers have a questionable match order. A randomly thrown together match between Justin Gabriel and Jack Swagger should have been put on much earlier, the show was called the Elimination Chamber yet both of them took place before Swagger-Gabriel, and shockingly for no reason at all a Diva’s match took place at all, three mistakes. At this point a match between Kane and John Cena shouldn’t be the main event of anything that’s not a county fairground show, a child’s birthday party, or a multimillion dollar wrestling spectacular. The WWE’s roster is incredibly strong right now and should be treated in a way that displays the deep talent pool they’ve accumulated, instead of rehashing old matches for the eighty-millionth time.

9. I learned ambulance matches are almost as unrealistic as a buried alive match. It’s obvious that most stipulation matches require a huge suspension of disbelief. I know that it isn’t very difficult to touch four corners of a ring in succession even if I am tied to someone with a length of rope, and knocking someone off a scaffolding, that seems both really easy and stupid in equal measures. The point of an ambulance match is that you drag your opponent from the ring, put them into an awaiting ambulance and close the doors. While not the most outlandish scenario, still, it would be impossible to do if your opponent had even the ability to play dead, if he just became a skin sack you’d have to physically drag him into the ambulance and most wrestlers weigh enough were that would be quite difficult. The Cena-Kane ambulance match wasn’t the worst match I’ve seen, it even made more sense than it’s close relation the stretcher match but was it strong enough to main event last night. Wait.. nah not even close.

10. I learned knowing all of the Cena-Rock promos that will be cut in the next few weeks; obviously Cena would win the main event. At the 2012 Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, the road to Wrestlemania may have just given us a GPS. I think that some matches are almost a lock for Miami, and most of them I’m very happy for. Sure there are still a few weeks (41 days) and plenty of TV time for things to change, but this is looking to be an exciting time for fans and casual observers alike.

Friday February 24, 2012
7:30pm 115 Bourbon Street
3359 W. 115th Street
Merrionette Park, IL
Doors open at 7:00pm

Ticket Info:
VIP Front Row Stage – SOLD OUT!!!
VIP 2nd Row Stage – $25 – Includes Entry Into Meet & Greet
VIP 3rd Row Stage – $20 – Includes Entry Into Meet & Greet
Front Row Floor – $25 – Includes Entry Into Meet & Greet
2nd Row Floor – $15 – Includes Entry Into Meet & Greet
3rd Row Floor – $15 – Includes Entry Into Meet & Greet
General Admission – $10

Meet and Greet from 5:00pm – 7:00pm for select ticket holders.
All autographs $10, Photos with the wrestlers $10, Both for $15.

Featuring:

AAW Heavyweight Championship Match
Silas Young(c) vs. Michael Elgin

Jerry “The King” Lawler vs. Mason Beck

Cage Match
Danny Daniels/Jesse Emerson/Hunter Paine w/ Truth Martini
vs.
Darin Corbin/Marion Fontaine/Tweek Phoenix w/ Joey Eastman

Falls Count Anywhere
MsChif vs. Mena Libra

Plus:
AAW Tag Team Champion: Jimmy Jacobs
Colt Cabana
Shane Hollister w/ Scarlett
Gregory Iron
BJ Whitmer

Follow Phil Colvin on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/Phil_Colvin

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Be sure to follow us as well for everything INDY wrestling related and follow our staff.

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This week: Much to contemplate, as valentine’s day throws up a number of questions. One, are you serious bro? That’s a given. Two, which is worse, being trapped in the Elimination Chamber, or being trapped in the Friend Zone? And three, let’s be honest, can we really blame Eve for falling for John Cena? I mean, he’s so heroic. I saw those hype videos. Can you bench press 500 plus pounds? I rest my case. Plus, Santino shocks the world, valentine’s day gets weird on NXT, nobody wants to hear Miz speak and the endless possibilities of “The Undertaker” and his brand. Perfume, clothing, cigarettes. Endless.

RAW SUPERSHOW

- Raw started with Kane on the screen, saying there was nothing he would not do to make John Cena embrace the hate. He promised somebody would be taking a ride in an ambulance tonight.

- The six Raw Elimination Chamber competitors were in the ring for a debate. Because, you know, that’s topical right now, I think. John Laurinaitis came out before anyone could answer, saying how happy he was that the Board Of Directors believed in him, before leaving again. Big chants for Punk. Punk said he was the best wrestler in the world, which Jericho and his flashing jacket didn’t seem happy about. Vickie asked that there be no booing allowed. The fans did not comply. Ziggler ragged on Truth. Truth talked about trading Dolph and Vickie to Smackdown for Hornswoggle and a box of spiders if he was elected. He’s embracing the What? chants now. He cut an insane promo. Everybody looked at him like he was crazy. Miz claimed last year’s Wrestlemania was a success due to him. He insulted Vickie. Miz spoke for so long, a buzzer went off to signal he’d run out of time. Nobody else got buzzed. He tried to keep talking against everyone’s wishes. Kofi took exception to Miz calling him an afterthought. Jericho said he was surrounded by neophytes, meaning I learnt a new word watching Raw. Yay. Jericho insisted he was the best in the world and pointed out he’d been in more Elimination Chambers than anyone else, eliminated more people and won his last Chamber match. His jacket blinked throughout. Jericho focused on Punk, who pretended he wasn’t listening. Punk made fun of him for finishing 7th on Dancing With The Stars and Jericho pulled a face. Eventually Lawler called an end to proceedings and Jericho squared up to Punk, before Kofi laid out Jericho with Trouble In Paradise.

- Chris Jericho d. Kofi Kingston in 5:21. Jericho got a commercial break to recover but Kofi was still on top early. Kofi hit a dive and sent Jericho into the table. A counter powerbomb got Jericho back into the match. Kofi was able to make the ropes in the Walls Of Jericho. He then hit Trouble In Paradise again, but Jericho got his foot on the rope to prevent the pin. As the referee tried to separate Kofi, Jericho used an eye poke to set up the Codebreaker.

- Shawn Michaels arrived backstage and ran into Triple H.

- Cena was with Zack backstage. Zack had flowers and chocolates for Eve, since it was almost Valentine’s Day. Cena was worried about Kane and told him stay in his locker room for safety and he’d find Eve.

- In Laurinaitis’s office, Otunga pointed out that he was still the interim GM and the Board didn’t make him permanent GM yet. Otunga had an idea that’d make him permanent GM of both Raw and Smackdown.

- Randy Orton d. Big Show by DQ in 4:34. Daniel Bryan came out to watch. He sat at ringside near Cole and Cole was talking nice about Bryan all match, because he was within earshot. Which was an interesting touch. Wonder if that’s leading to anything. They had a solid match. Show got distracted by Bryan, allowing Orton to give him the big DDT over the top rope. An RKO spot went awry, but Orton hit a second one. Bryan ran in and gave Orton a belt shot from behind. Cole immediately started criticising Bryan now he was gone, as Bryan gave Big Show a shot with the belt as well and stood tall.

- Shawn Michaels came out. Shawn said it wouldn’t be Wrestlemania season without Mr Wrestlemania. He said he was watching last week and was waiting for HHH to accept Undertaker’s challenge. And he was shocked when he didn’t. Shawn said he’d come to the conclusion that HHH was just playing mind games with Undertaker and invited Triple H to come out and accept now. They hugged and joked around a bit, but HHH told him he wasn’t facing Undertaker. He reiterated he wasn’t willing to finish Undertaker off. Shawn said that’s what HHH does, that’s who he is. Shawn asked if he’d “married that chick and became one of them”. He called HHH a corporate sellout. HHH said Shawn didn’t understand. He tried to leave, but Shawn dragged him back, calling him a coward. HHH got mad, saying unlike him, he had responsibilities, because the WWE was going to be his. He said he used to look at Undertaker as an opponent, but he couldn’t now, he was a “brand” and the brand was good for business. He said Undertaker was all that was left from their era and he couldn’t be the guy to end it. HHH said Shawn was trying to live vicariously through him since he didn’t get the job done. Shawn said he was at peace with his life, but HHH wasn’t. He told him to look him in the eye and say he didn’t want to end Undertaker’s streak. HHH got in Shawn’s face and said no, so Shawn walked out on him. Before HHH could leave, the light went out and another Undertaker video played. They showed him cutting his hair off, so that’s that problem solved.

- R-Truth d. Dolph Ziggler in 2:29. Ziggler looked good for most of the match. But as Ziggler stopped mid-match to do some situps Truth caught him and turned one into an inside cradle for the win. Cute finish.

- Santino spoke to Zack. Santino had some valentines advice for Zack. It wasn’t good advice.

- Tamina Snuka d. Brie Bella in 1:28. Beth did commentary. They’ve added the Snuka surname to Tamina, in her continued character tweaking. Tamina took out Nikki with a headbutt and beat Brie with the superfly splash.

- Josh interviewed Cena. Or, he tried to. Kane tried to take Eve away in the ambulance but Cena heard her screams and ran to save her. Kane was ready to drive away, but Eve jumped out at the last second, into Cena’s arms. And then, they kissed. Cena was confused, then they both noticed Zack the cripple had seen them. Eve tried to explain herself to Zack, saying it was heat of the moment. She wanted to be friends. Everyone in the crowd was appalled by this suggestion.

- CM Punk d. The Miz by submission in 5:00. Punk hurt his arm and Miz tried to go after it for a while. They exchanged the advantage for a while, but nobody seemed to buy Miz winning. Punk eventually picked up the win with the Anaconda Vice. Jericho and his blinking lights was watching on a monitor backstage.

- Kane and the ambulance returned to the arena, before Cena came out. He got his usual hostile reaction. Cena apologised to Ryder. He said Kane’s plan was to turn everyone against him and make him embrace the hate. People chanted that they hated Cena. Cena said he was proud to be who he was and he told everyone to keep thinking that made him weak. But he’d continue to overcome. He promised to win at Elimination Chamber and said he had a message for Rock. But Zack wheeled himself out. Ryder got on his crutches and came to the ring. He slapped Cena and Cena took his shirt off like he was ready to fight. Cena blocked a punch from Zack and thought up one of his own, but realised what he was doing. Zack hobbled back up the aisle as Kane appeared on the screen and said what he did to Zack meant he’d embraced the hate. As Zack got back in his wheelchair, Kane came out and sent him off the side of the stage in the chair. Cena ran to check on him and Eve was there crying, as Zack was stretchered out.

NXT

- Show opened with Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks. They claimed Striker tried to ruin their moment last week. Hawkins claimed they were the two biggest potential stars going and it was ridiculous they were made to beg for matches on NXT. Hawkins said NXT didn’t need a host. He unveiled a Curt Hawkins “Change” t-shirt. Striker interrupted. They called him to the ring. Striker said he’d called an old friend to ‘substitute’ for him. It was William Regal. Regal said he was in charge tonight and banned Reks from ringside for Hawkins’s match, which was with Tyson Kidd.

- Tyson Kidd d. Curt Hawkins by submission in 6:34. Kidd did a hurricanrana off the apron, swinging around the ringpost to go around the corner, which was impressive. But a trip sent him face first on the ring apron and Hawkins took control. The fans got into Tyson as he made a strong comeback. Both guys traded close falls late on, before Kidd got the Sharpshooter on and forced Hawkins to tap. Really enjoyable TV match.

- Titus O’Neil d. Yoshi Tatsu in 3:27. Yoshi took the fight to Titus. Titus tried to ground him but Yoshi fought back, until Titus hit the sky high out of nowhere for the pin. He demanded a match with Alex Riley, which brought Riley out. As soon as Riley got in the ring, Titus rolled out and said it’d be next week, because he had a valentine’s date.

- Alicia and Kaitlyn talked about Maxine backstage. She insisted she and Bateman were just friends. Johnny Curtis walked up and invited them to the back of his van, which they weren’t into. As they walked off, he ‘intercepted’ a valentine’s gift meant for Maxine. He said it was like stealing candy from a Bateman, which is top top wordplay.

- Percy Watson d. Michael McGillicutty in 4:04. Crowd weren’t into this until Percy started making a comeback. Percy won with the Percycution.

- In her dressing room, Maxine found her valentine’s gift. Except, “somebody”, wink wink, had changed the card to say it was for Kaitlyn. Maxine threw the chocolates away in anger.

- Derrick Bateman and Justin Gabriel d. Johnny Curtis and Heath Slater (Bateman pinned Slater) in 4:27. Kaitlyn did commentary. It was pretty amazing. She’s great. Regal seemed quite enamoured with her. Curtis has new gear with the words “Let’s Get Weird” on the back, another pretty amazing person. Bateman and Gabriel took their opponents out with dives. The heels were able to isolate Gabriel. Regal and Kaitlyn were the stars of the show. The match itself was not bad either, as Bateman ran wild off the tag. Bateman hit the side headlock driver for the pin and Kaitlyn looked very impressed. Maxine stormed out with the chocolates and got into a brawl with Kaitlyn. This turn of events also seemed to please Regal. Kaitlyn got a faceful of the chocolates and Bateman tried to break it up, eventually carrying Maxine off kicking and screaming. As he carried her off, they passed Curtis, who was watching all of this from behind the steps with a creepy smirk. This was all magnificent.

SUPERSTARS

- Aksana d. Maxine in 5:28. Aksana looked largely okay here. In more ways than one. She used a spinebuster for the victory.

- Jack Swagger d. Mason Ryan by submission in 5:02. Vickie has a thing for Scott Stanford and who can blame her? Swagger tried to spook Mason out by screaming at him, which really didn’t work. Ryan got the better of Swagger early, until Swagger clipped his knee. Mason tried to get the full nelson slam, but Swagger escaped to the apron and reinjured the leg on the ring post, to set up the ankle lock.

- Epico and Primo d. Santino Marella and Alex Riley (Epico pinned Riley) in 8:52. Crowd were into Santino. More on this later. Josh compared him to Jeremy Lin. Santino chased Epico off with the cobra. Epico mocked the trombone, which is a real jerk move. Rileyrella looked strong early and Santino loaded up the Cobra, but the champions were able to cut Santino off thanks to a distraction. Santino eventually got the tag to Riley, who ran wild. Things broke down, before Epico countered Riley’s TKO and hit the Backstabber for the win.

SMACKDOWN

- Orton was in Teddy’s office and didn’t look happy. Teddy said he was sorry, but he wasn’t medically cleared due to his concussion and he wouldn’t be able to compete tonight, or in the Elimination Chamber.

- Big Show and Great Khali d. Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes (Show pinned Barrett) in 3:35. Big Show was in a bad mood from Monday. After Khali dominated for a while, Cody and Wade were able to get him down and work him over. Show ran wild and hit Barrett with a giant spear. Chokeslam put Wade away. After the match Khali and Show faced off and Show laid him out with the KO punch.

- Teddy was fretting over what to do about Orton’s spot in the Chamber, when Mark Henry walked in. He told Teddy not to let his pride get in the way of doing what as good for business and he needed him in the Chamber. Show came in and wanted Daniel Bryan. Henry told him to wait his turn, so Big Show knocked him out. He started wrecking the office as Teddy ran off. After the break, he told security to escort Big Show out. Security weren’t down with this prospect.

- Hunico d. Ted Dibiase in 1:49. Hunico claimed Dibiase stole a victory from him last week. Hunico went after Ted’s injured arm again. This was all action for the short time it lasted. Ted injured his wrist and Camacho made things worse by hanging his arm over the arm, allowing Hunico to score the win with a rollup.

- Epico and Primo d. The Usos (Primo pinned Jimmy) in 4:48. Apparently Primo hasn’t done his wrestling homework, because he tried to headbutt a Samoan and it didn’t work. The champions gained control. Booker T compared them to Harlem Heat, as he’s prone to do. Usos were able to make the tag and Jey made a big comeback. Jey countered a Backstabber and Jimmy went for the superfly splash, but Primo got his knees up and hit the Backstabber second time around. Match was fun.

- Bryan came out, once Big Show was no longer in the arena. They showed a bunch of pro meat eating signs in the crowd and one pointing out that his belt is made of leather. Fantastic. Bryan bragged about what he did on Raw. He claimed if either Orton or Big Show were real men, they’d be out there right now. But they were afraid of him. He claimed everyone was afraid of Daniel Bryan. Bryan said the fans had no faith in him, but he proved everybody wrong and would do so again at Elimination Chamber. Bryan claimed he would win the Chamber match, just like he would have beaten Orton tonight. He got Lillian to announce him the winner via forfeit and did a giant celebration. Teddy interrupted and announced Bryan would be facing Sheamus instead.

- Daniel Bryan d. Sheamus by DQ in 6:45. Sheamus was in control from the start, forcing Bryan to grab his belt and try to take the count out. Sheamus cut him off, but Bryan was able to cut him off moments later and tried to take a count out victory with Sheamus on the floor. After being worked over, Sheamus made a comeback. He fought off the Labell Lock and set up for the Celtic Cross. Bryan escaped and slapped Sheamus, which caused Sheamus to lose his cool. As if that wasn’t enough he then spat at Sheamus and Sheamus threw the referee down for the DQ. Bryan ran away and Sheamus was left to fume.

- Wade came into Teddy’s office, wanting to know who Orton’s replacement was. Cody showed up, wanting to know the same thing. Teddy set up an invitational wildcard battle royal for the final spot, with anyone from Raw, Smackdown, even NXT. Neither Cody or Wade seemed happy about this.

- Jinder Mahal d. Ezekial Jackson by submission in 2:08. Jinder applied the 80s evil foreigner camel clutch, but Zeke powered out. Which lead to Jinder hitting a flatliner and putting it back on for the win. Nothing to see here. Nothing.

- Tamina Snuka and Alicia Fox d. Beth Phoenix and Natalya (Tamina pinned Natalya) in 2:53. They showed clips comparing Tamina to her father before the match. The heels put a hurting on Alicia. Natalya got the Sharpshooter locked in but Tamina got the tag and finished Natalya off with the superfly splash. Beth then took a thrust kick and Tamina went for the superfly splash on her, but Beth escaped.

- Laurinaitis and Otunga showed up. Laurinaitis asked if Teddy was really going to give some no name, no charisma talent into the Elimination Chamber. He told him he was going to add some excitement to the battle royal and added David Otunga.

- Santino Marella won an Elimination Chamber Wildcard Battle Royal, last eliminating David Otunga, to earn a spot in the World Title Elimination Chamber Match.

Participants: Drew McIntyre, Curt Hawkins, Tyler Reks, Michael McGillicutty, Primo, Epico, Ezekial Jackson, Hunico, Camacho Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Yoshi Tatsu, Jinder Mahal, Heath Slater, Derrick Bateman, Titus O’Neil, Darren Young, Santino Marella, Johnny Curtis, Ted Dibiase, Percy Watson, Justin Gabriel, Alex Riley, David Otunga

Laurinaitis accompanied Otunga out. Bateman was the first man eliminated, which is a travesty. The NXT guys were on the chopping block early, with Percy and Titus going quick. Drew pressed Tyson out onto an Uso. Slater and Young went out, soon followed by Yoshi. Dibiase was able to eliminate Camacho as payback for earlier. McGillicutty was out next. Gabriel threw Hawkins out. Epico and Primo worked together to eliminate Riley, then threw Curtis into Reks to eliminate both of them. The other Uso was their next victim, but Primo double crossed Epico and dumped him out moments later. Hunico managed to take Ted out, but Ted blocked a kick and pulled him off the apron to eliminate Hunico. Primo and Gabriel teased eliminations, with Gabriel eventually hitting a spin kick to take Prmo out. But as soon as he got back in, Zeke clotheslined him out. Zeke then dumped Jinder. Which left Zeke, Drew, Otunga and Santino as the final four. Santino tried to bring out the cobra, but got jumped. Drew laid Otunga and Zeke out with boots, but Santino snuck up behind and threw him out. Zeke set Santino up to be thrown out, but Santino escaped and pulled the rope down, eliminating him. At which point, with Santino and Otunga left, the crowd got behind Santino. Santino hulked up and people went nuts. But he missed the headbutt. Otunga had the match seemingly won, but Santino reversed and sent Otunga over the top to win the battle royal. The crowd erupted, which made this all worthwhile. Really well done and Santino was great.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada – 11.20.2011

Commentary is provided by Mike Rotch and a rotating cast of people that includes Eddie Kingston, Shayne Hawke, Twiggy, Addy Starr, Dan Barry and Shanna McCord.

A slew of pre-recorded promos (most of which were put on YouTube) begins the show. Nearly 45 minutes worth.

Buck Gunderson talks about how all his life he wanted to be a superhero. Unlike them however, he had no tortured past to make the transition. This dream led him into professional wrestling so he could have more trauma in his life. Pauly Platinum, his opponent, on the other hand is a confident individual who is looking to make the most of his debut in the ISW pre-show tonight.

Dan Barry is looking to make sure he doesn’t get left out of Canada again, so he heads to the Canadian Consulate. Last time Barry was scheduled for a match in ISW, he was apprehended at the border and this fiasco went down. They’re office is closed, so he’s going to smuggle his way in. Barry is counting on Dr. Gene Spleissing to make a real opponent for him on the show.

GLAAD Badd recaps what has happened to him at the past couple of ISW shows, the biggest deal being that his brothers Chad and Brad, along with his nephew Ricky Baddcliffe, spoiled his party and put a beating on him. He laid out a challenge for Brad and Chad tonight in a tag team match. GLAAD’s partner at this time is not known.

Lloyd Cthulowitz, Dr. Speissing’s original creation is in his law office working. His promo is given subtitles since we can’t understand his language. He believes he has been wronged in his past two matches. He feels the referee slow counted him in his match at Burger King of the Ring against Izzie Deadyet. He says all he needs is another match with Deadyet to make things right. He will get that match tonight.

Jolly Roger is looking through his refrigerator. Jigsaw comes in to steal something from the fridge. He was planning to party when he returned to Canada, but then he found out he had to face a guy named Shitty. Roger plans to kick the shit out of him because he’s standing in the way of his true goal, which is to acquire ISW gold. He tells Shitty to be prepared.

Michael Von Payton put out a promo two weeks before this event, worried that he wasn’t even on the show. Payton puts out an open challenge since he doesn’t trust ISW to give him a match he’s worthy of. Payton says that of everyone that wasn’t already booked on the show, Bastian Snow stood out. He plans to crack Snow’s shell and eat out his insides. He claims Bruno Sammartino has supported him in this challenge and believes Bruno will be proud of what he sees. In the promo that follows, Snow accepts the challenge.

Beef Wellington surprises Michael Llakor, the head of ISW, at his office. Wellington knows that he’s been on the downswing for the past couple of years and he believes that it’s because he has been lacking purpose. He wants to fight Giant Tiger at Slamtasia. Llakor informs Wellington that Twiggy already has the title match. Wellington tries to tell Llakor that Twiggy forfeited the match to him, but Twiggy’s agent denies him. Llakor says Giant Tiger told him to put Wellington to put him in a match with Eddie Kingston. Llakor is reluctant to do so, but Wellington decides to take the match anyway. Wellington also says he sent Llakor some dick pics, which Twiggy’s agent is in to. The next promo shows Edde Kingston watching Impact Wrestling and nursing his hurt knee. He says he put off the doctor looking at his knee since he is Giant Tiger’s gatekeeper. He says Twiggy had to go through him to get his title shot at Giant Tiger and Wellington will be no different. He tells Beef that he’s fucked.

Player Uno finds it awkward talking to a camera alone his room. He feels like a screw up since he’s been losing in ISW a lot lately. He believes all of that is going to change his losing ways come Slamtasia 4. If he loses, he would consider leaving ISW. Frankie Arion, one of Player Uno’s opponents…well it seems a women is giving him “that special favor” in the restroom. She asks what he thinks of his match with Uno and Arik Cannon at Slamtasia. He doesn’t seem too worried about it.

Moohammad the Terrorist Cow is sitting at home. He’s happy because he has El Hijo del Bamboo at the next show.He reminds Bamboo that he was the one who freed his father and was a good friend to him. He sees it as an honor to face Bamboo at the next show. He says no matter what Bamboo’s father meant to him, he will do anything to retain his “Other” Championship.

Twiggy has been waiting to get his ISW title shot for awhile and is happy to finally get it at Slamtasia 4. He says only one of them can come out on top, and he’s fairly certain that man will be him. The next promo shows Giant Tiger telling a man servant of his to wait in his bedroom as he talks to the camera. He resents that Twiggy gets everything handed to him. The one thing he has that Twiggy doesn’t is the ISW title. He tells Twiggy that he will have to get inside of his head to win the title, which won’t be an easy task. A follow-up promo from Twiggy shows right after with some final words before Slamtasia 4. He talks about how many people have not believed in him through his career but he’s proven them wrong. He has the same odds stacked against him going into Slamtasia 4. The last thing he has to cross off his list is winning the ISW Championship. He’s gone through all the road blocks and has the finish line in sight. He says the League, Giant Tiger, and his title reign will all go down on Sunday.

And now onto the show!

Pre-Show Match
Pauly Platinum vs. Buck Gunderson

Platinum smacks Gunderson’s hand away instead of shaking it. Platinum slaps Gunderson a few times when Gunderson pokes him in the chest. Gunderson takes him down with a Thesz Press and multiple punches. Gunderon headbutts Platinum JYD style. Platinum misses an elbow drop. He kicks the ropes when Gunderson comes to step back in the ring. Platinum does damage to Gunderson’s leg. Platinum steps on Gunderson’s groin after distracting the referee. Platinum pulls Gunderson out of the corner. He chokes Gunderson on the mat and bottom rope. Platinum delivers a clothesline. Gunderson enzuigiri’s Platinum in response. They exchange punches back on their feet. Gunderson double overhand chops Platinum twice. He gets two with a dropkick. Gunderson sets Platinum across the top rope. From underneath he scores some punches. This sends Platinum out to the apron near the stage. Platinum slingshots Gunderson onto the stage. He throws a few foreign objects on Gunderson’s head before getting a two back in the ring. Platinum nails a boot after avoiding an O’Conner Roll. He hits a modified Death Valley Driver for the pin at 8:32. Not a great outing from either guy. Gunderson looked painfully average and very nervous. Platinum was fine, but outside from a few random calls to the crowd nothing about him stood out. Hey, at least it was on the pre-show. 1/2*

Jolly Roger vs. Shitty

Shitty knees Roger in his mid-section. Roger and Shitty engage in a little Lucha until Roger armdrags Shitty to the stage. Roger dives over the top and onto Shitty. Roger ties Shitty’s limbs together back in the ring. Roger kicks Shitty out of it and throws him into a couple corners. Shitty throws Roger face first into the second turnbuckle. He chokes Roger with his vest. Shitty gets in a few strikes as Roger tries to recover. Roger gets in a kick from the corner. Shitty clotheslines him back to the mat. Roger delivers a nice hip toss neckbreaker to shift the momentum of the contest. Roger back elbows Shitty in the corner. He hits a tornado kick for two. Shitty gets the ropes to break Roger’s Dragon sleeper. Shitty pulls the referee in the way to avoid a splash. He goes for a powerbomb. Roger rolls through but eats a knee strike. Shitty boots Roger after a low DDT. Roger connects with an enzuigiri. He hits a fisherman’s neckbreaker. He follows with a 12 Large Elbow for two. Roger springboards in from the stage. Shitty kicks him as he comes into the ring. He gives Roger two piledrivers for the pin at 9:16. For those who haven’t seen Roger since his CHIKARA guys, the guy has not lost a step whatsoever. He and Shitty had a good back-and-forth contest with the fans solidly behind Roger the whole time. Good, solid opening match. **1/2

Bastian Snow vs. Michael Von Payton

Snow already gets major points for using the South Park “Crab People” chant as his entrance theme. Snow controls Payton by his arm. Payton pokes Snow in his eye. Payton foolishly forearms Snow’s shell multiple times. Snow claws Payton and delivers an STO. Snow sentons shell first onto Payton’s back. Payton rolls to the floor when Snow begins to crab walk on the ropes. Snow however follows with a double axe handle off the second rope. Payton again elbow drops Snow’s hard shell when he gets back into the ring. Payton figures it out and kicks Snow in the back. He pump-handle slams Snow for two. A backbreaker proves fruitless. He suplexes Snow on the mat instead for two. Snow catches Payton’s leapfrog in the corner. He Finlay rolls Payton and then fisherman suplexes him for two. Payton side swipes a dive off the second rope. Payton lands a spinebuster. He pulls out a fork and knife in an attempt to try and eat Snow. Snow however turns him into a Boston Crab. Payton gets the ropes to break it. Snow sends Payton to the stage. Snow smacks Snow in the eyes. He comes in from the apron with a sunset flip and holds the tights for the pin at 6:30. Another solid wrestling contest. There’s a lot of shtick from Snow’s end, but it worked into the match organically and added to the overall contest. **1/2

Dan Barry comes out for his match. Dr. Gene Spleissing comes out and hands a note to Llakor to introduce. The newest creation is a “mythical fox creature from the Orient”. Kitsune is the name of this creature, who is a essentially a ninja warrior with a mask stylized after a fox.

Dan Barry vs. Kitsune

Barry is quite proud of himself for hip-tossing his way free from a wristlock. Barry also breaks out of a headlock and dropkicks Kitsune in the back of his head. Barry applies his own side headlock. He rams his boot into Kitsune’s head whilst keeping the hold on. Kitsune shoots Barry to the ropes. Barry drops right back into the side headlock like a boss. Kitsune cartwheels into a dropkick. He elbows Barry in the corner. He back rolls over Barry. Barry ducks an enzuigiri but gets kicked thrice in the chest. Barry turns Kitsune inside out with a back suplex. Barry back elbows Kitsune in the corner. He hits the Broski Boot as a tribute to his trainee Zack Ryder. Kitsune sunset flips Barry for two. Barry suplexes Kitsune. Kitsune gets in a few strikes before Barry delivers a leg lariat. Barry stomps his knees into the mat and then puts on the Romero Special. He turns it into a leg-capture Dragon Sleeper. Barry punches an elbows Kitsune in the chest and chin before releasing the hold. Barry ducks some kicks and delivers a right hand. Kitsune spin kicks Barry in the side of the head, rendering both men down on the canvas. Kitsune kicks away at Barry’s legs. Barry cartwheels off the ropes, but is met with a tornado DDT of sorts from Kitsune. Kitsune gets two with a running shooting star press. Kitsune gets two again after a Falcon Arrow. Barry is able to evade a shooting star double stomp. Barry crotches Kitsune on the top rope. He brings Kitsune off with a moonsault fallaway slam (called the Irish Car Bomb) for the pin at 10:34. Barry is seriously excellent. If you haven’t seen him, do so, because he’s got a lot of talent and character. Kitsune also had an impressive outing in his debut. His athleticism and offense got him over in no time. Real good stuff from both guys. ***

Chad and Brad Badd come to the ring for their match. Ricky Baddcliffe is in their corner. They call out their brother GLAAD Badd. I’ll recite their promo in a less colorful manner. They basically reiterate that they dislike GLAAD because he’s a homosexual and even angrier at their father for accepting it. They’re proud that Ricky sent their father (his grandfather) to jail. GLAAD gives Ricky a kiss. Chad and Brad attack GLAAD until Addy Starr runs out. She’s GLAAD’s partner for the match! GLAAD grabs both of his brother’s asses which sends them to the floor.

The Badd Boys (Brad & Chad Badd) vs. GLAAD Badd & Addy Starr

The Badd’s double clothesline Starr at the bell. They bully her in their corner until she evades a double suplex. She rolls through a clothesline and tags in GLAAD. He’s able to forearm both of his brothers in opposite corners. He even drop toe holds Chad into Brad’s crotch. GLAAD humps Chad in the behind. Starr and GLAAD go for cockslams. Ricky breaks them up. This distraction allows Brad and Chad to hit the Badd Move on Starr. They almost have the three count but pick Starr up at the last minute. They hit the Demolition Decapitation for the pin at 3:23. That was pretty much an extended angle, but an entertaining one while it lasted. N/R

The Badd’s continue to beat on GLAAD after the match. Brad announces that they’re going to abduct GLAAD and teach him what it’s like to be a real man.

Suddenly, “Bad Boy For Life” by P. Diddy hits and brings The League of Extraordinary Men (Giant Tiger, Eddie Kingston, Sexxxy Eddy and a few others) to the ring. Kingston holds Addy so Tiger can spear her. Eddy tells the crowd that the ISW title is going nowehere. Eddy reads a poem to Giant Tiger, which turns out to just be the lyrics to the Golden Girls theme song. Kingston presents Tiger with a new “Beef Father Fucker” championship belt which is a toy replica of the NWA title. Tiger puts down the fans in a very vulgar and sexual manner. He reiterates that he’s coming after Twiggy in the main event later on. The League moons the crowd before heading backstage.

Player Uno vs. Frankie Arion vs. Arik Cannon

Cannon stops to purchase some beers on his way to the ring. Arion and Uno start off without him. Cannon stands on the stage watching his opponents fight for control. Uno shoulder blocks Arion and punches him in the stomach twice. Arion rolls through a sunset flip. He stomps Uno in the stomach. Cannon trades out his beer bottles to Uno and takes his place in the match for now. Cannon works his way out of a wristlock. He takes a swig of beer which pleases the crowd. Arion delivers a few different armdrags. Per the fans request, Cannon drinks some more beer with Uno. Arion pretends he’s going to join in but dumps the beer out instead. This raises the ire of both Cannon and Uno. They throw Arion back into the ring. Uno and Cannon use their common ground of love for beer to team up. Cannon clotheslines Arion and lifts up Arion in a vertical position. Uno feeds him beer. Cannon drops Arion out of the suplex to grab his beer bottle. Uno airplane spins Arion which makes them both dizzy. Cannon and Uno argue over who is going to go for the pin. On the stage, Cannon traps Arion with his knee and pours beer into his mouth. Pissed off, Arion kicks away at both opponents in the ring. Arion tries to backslide Cannon but settles for a neckbreaker. He bulldogs Uno for two. Arion scores an enzuigiri. He comes off the top with a dropkick to Cannon. Uno knee strikes Arion in the corner. Cannon rocks Uno with a punch and superkick. He drops Uno with a brainbuster for two. Uno kicks Cannon out of the corner. Uno catches Arion with a Lethal Injection for two. Cannon forearms Uno and slams him. Cannon misses a second rope moonsault. Arion sends Cannon out with a Canadian Destroyer. Arion German suplexes Uno. He grabs his Axe Spray and heads up top. He hits the Double Pit Chesty Splash for the pin at 11:12. The message here kids is if you drink during your matches, you won’t win. But in all seriousness, this was also a lot of fun. The crowd got to do some tongue in cheek heckling which made the beer the star of the show. All three guys made it work and delivered an entertaining contest. Llakor calling Uno “Player Boozo” afterwards deserved a snicker. ***

Eddie Kingston comes out to the ring with Sexxxy Eddy. He does his very own ring introduction. He introduces Beef Wellington, who comes out in UFO pants and kickpads to a Linkin Park song. Clearly this is him making fun of every 2001/2002 generic indy wrestler. I appreciate that.

Beef Wellington vs. Eddie Kingston

Kingston stalls. Wellington gives Kingston a Rock Bottom since the fans are inexplicably chanting for him. Wellington throws punches at both Kingston and Eddy on the floor. Kingston throws Wellington into the merchandise table and hits his dick. Wellington throws a copy of “Boner Jam” on DVD into Kingston’s face. Wellington knee strikes Kingston back in the ring. He rams his crotch multiple times into Kingston’s face. Kingston catches Wellington coming off the ropes with a Manhattan Drop. Kingston boots Wellington and chokes him with the microphone cord. Kingston brings a chair into the ring. Kingston places Wellington in the ropes and delivers a running forearm. Kingston rubs Wellington’s face whilst applying a Camel Clutch. Kingston bites Wellington when he begins to fight back. He rips Wellington’s mustache off. This angers Wellington, causing him to throw forearms and chops in the corner. Wellington gets his knees up to block an attack. He crossbody’s out of the corner for two. Wellington trips Kingston on the middle rope. He hits the 619. Kingston chokeslams Wellington as he comes off the top rope for two. Wellington rolls into a body block. Wellington is too dazed to follow up after an X-Factor. Montana America, one of Giant Tiger’s followers, oils himself up to distract Wellington. This allows Eddy to hand Kingston a foreign object to put in his pants. Wellington hits the Ass Punch but it hurts his hand. Kingston then hits the FU for the pin at 9:14. Kingston and Wellington’s personalities really made this entertaining. Otherwise it was pretty basic stuff throughout. **1/2

Llyod Cthulowitz vs. Izzie Deadyet

Cthulowitz toreador’s Deadyet. Deadyet hits Cthulowitz to block a Lucha roll. They each miss a few moves and go for a quick pin, reaching a stalemate. Cthulowitz dropkicks and sentons Deadyet. He proclaims he’s going to eat his soul. With that, Cthulowitz pulls out Deadyet’s intestines! Deadyet pulls Cthulowitz into a clothesline. He strangles Cthulowitz with his intestines. Deadyet hits a neckbreaker for two. Cthulowitz knee strikes Deadyet. He suplexes Deadyet for two. Cthulowitz gets face to face with Gorelust, Deadyet’s manager. Deadyet comes from behind and hits Cthulowitz with some dismembered body parts. Once they get back in the ring they throw forearms at each other. Cthulowitz lands a Dragon suplex. He drops Deadyet off his shoulders into a modified stunner for two. Deadyet chokeslams Cthulowitz before delivering That Zombanese Move for two. Deadyet sets up for a super chokeslam. Cthulowitz counters with a Frankensteiner. He turns Deadyet into the Texas Cloverfield. Deadyet tries to eat the referee’s brains while he’s in the hold, so the referee calls for the bell at 8:00. Cthulowitz reapplies the Texas Cloverfield and then let’s go. Cthulowitz is officially announced as the winner via disqualification. That was going along really well up until the finish. That was somewhat bizarre but I’m sure there will be some reasoning for it. **1/2

El Hijo del Bamboo comes out in all of his king regalia as he is the reigning Burger King of the Ring. He is set to challenge Moohammad the Terrorist Cow for the “Other” Championship. He comes to the mat, but is walking with a cane. Moohammad brings Bamboo to the stage. He says he was injured after kicking hit by a milk truck, so he is unable to perform tonight. He plans to forfeit the title to Bamboo since he respects him as the son of one of his best friends and as a former animal. As Bamboo and Mohammad embrace, Michael Von Payton makes his way out. He’s not down with Bamboo just being handed the belt. Payton convinces Bamboo to have a match with him to decide who the new champion is by knocking off all of Bamboo’s king regalia.

”Other” Championship
El Hijo del Bamboo vs. Michael Von Payton

Bamboo is seething with anger at Payton’s pre-match antics. Bamboo throws a few jabs at the start. Bamboo gets worn out and begins rolling around on the mat. He scares Payton in the corner and lays in ten punches. Payton drops Bamboo face first on the top turnbuckle. Bamboo is able to recover and deliver some clotheslines. Payton boots Bamboo to block another clothesline. Payton stomps on Bamboo’s hand. He punches Bamboo with his own fist. Payton gets one with a diving clothesline. Payton his another one for two. Payton has difficulty lifting Bamboo for a slam. So much so that Bamboo falls on him in a lateral press when Payton attempts to do so. Bamboo wins a headbutt exchange on the mat. Bamboo is way too adorable when trying to bring Payton over onto his shoulders. He ends up snuggling with Payton. Payton realizes what’s going and quickly escapes. Bamboo tornado kicks Payton to the corner. Bamboo hip attacks Payton for two. Payton crotches Bamboo on the top rope. He superplexes Bamboo. He then splashes onto Bamboo thrice for a two count. Bamboo rolls up into a standing Shiranui for two. Bamboo comes off the top rope with a seated senton for the pin at 10:01 to officially become the Other Champion. I think I say it every ISW show I review, but Bamboo is awesome, adorable, and underrated. I’m never not entertained when he’s in the ring. While Kingston’s random comments on commentary were funny, Payton was a key piece of this match working. And work it did! What a feel good moment and match this turned into. ***

Interspecies Wrestling Championship
Giant Tiger (Champion) vs. Twiggy

The League attacks Twiggy before Giant Tiger makes his way to the ring. Twiggy ejects everyone from the ring when he makes his way out. Kingston gives him one last punch before heading out. Tiger brings Twiggy to the corner to stop his chops. Tiger throws a chair at Twiggy on the floor. Twiggy chops Tiger against the apron. Tiger pokes Twiggy’s eyes and whips him into the crowd. He pours beer on him to add some humiliation. Tiger suplexes the merchandise table onto Twiggy. They end up on the stage. Tiger whips Twiggy into the wall and then back into the ring. Tiger goes for the Razor’s Edge. Twiggy turns it into an Ace Crusher. Tiger’s assistant pulls the referee’s foot. The referee gets distracted, allowing Tiger to strike Twiggy with the title belt. Beef Wellington comes out and gropes Tiger in the middle of the ring! Tiger looks confused and turns into a superkick from Twiggy. That only gets him a two count. Tiger gives Twiggy the no-armed Pedigree. Twiggy manages to kick out. Twiggy goes through Tiger’s legs to avoid the Razor’s Edge. A cyclone DDT and top rope splash get him the pin and the title at 6:36. This match was not about the in-ring action, but rather the build up of Twiggy finally winning the title after chasing it for years. Giant Tiger’s two year reign of oppression has been finished, Beef Wellington got revenge for Tiger raping his father, and a new chapter of ISW is ready to begin. ** based on the action, but the moment and story were excellent.

Overall: Once you get passed the pre-show, this is a really enjoyable show from start to finish. Some aspect of every match was enjoyable, whether it be the in-ring action, the story, the characters or how the wrestlers worked with the crowd. Every wrestling fan can find something to enjoy and appreciate about ISW. I’d certainly give Slamtasia 4 a shot if you’ve ever given even a passing thought about checking the company out.

One thing I chastise certain companies for is not getting over the back story to every match on the live shows and relying on the internet to get the storylines over. Leave it to ISW to put up all the promos to the show at the top of the DVD that gave me insight into every single match on the card. That in and of itself made me appreciate the show even more as it allowed me to understand the motivations everyone had. I give ISW major Kudos for this. Other companies, take note.

For more information on Interspecies Wrestling, check out their official website, Facebook page, and Twitter. You can purchase this very DVD at either Smart Mark Video or ISW’s Store. You can also purchase the show digitally at Smart Mark Video.

Hometown: Philadelphia PA

Wrestling Influences:  Shawn Michaels, Sean “X-Pac, 1,2,3 Kid” Waltman, Billy Gunn, Taka Michinoku, Matt and Jeff Hardy

Favorite Opponent(s): “As a person I hate him, as an Opponent his one of my favorites”, Caleb Konley. Jake Manning, The Best Around (TJ Cannon and Bruce Maxwell), Josh Daniels, And Aden Chambers

Favorite Matches: Vs Josh Daniels (World-1 Wrestling), MackTion Vs The Naturals (PWS), Vs Caleb Konley (EVO), MackTion vs The Extreme Horsemen (UWF), MackTion vs Chris Bosh & Scott Lost (UWF), Vs Aden Chambers (MCW)

Promotions Worked: WWE, TNA, ROH, FIP, AWA, NWA, OMEGA, MCW, CZW, Pro Wrestling EVO, ICW (New York), UWF, World 1 Wresting, PWX(Florida), Believe Wrestling.

Titles Held:” I honestly don’t keep track of this. For every title I’ve held, there is a match that I’ve lost. While teaming with my Brother, TJ, we were fortunate enough to hold the Tag Titles for almost every federation we worked for. As for my singles career goes I’ve held titles such as the OMEGA Heavyweight and Cruiserweight Title but my most notable singles success would be not only being the longest reigning AWA light heavyweight champion of all time, but also the longest reigning light heavyweight champion of all time in any professional wrestling organization, 8 years and counting”.
Trained By: Matt and Jeff Hardy, Steve Corino, and C.W. Anderson.
How did you get started in Wrestling? “I had a dream, and I went for it. As simple as that”.

Any thoughts you have on PWEvo or it’s Talents:” In my honest opinion, Pro Wrestling Evo is independent wrestling’s best kept secret. Not only does it have a roster that could go toe to toe with any top roster in the industry, but it has a core group of employee’s who really care and are extremely passionate about the product. Someone recently asked me how they could make their company as successful as PWEvo. I told them one major thing EVO has going for them is that they not only listen to their talents input but they encourage it. In doing this they get the most important people on their side, their talent. Once your talent believes in your product and your vision, the possibilities and endless. In closing, I HATE Caleb Konley”

Year In Review: Kirby debuted with Pro Wrestling Evo in July 2011 alongside his brother & long time tag partner TJ as Team Macktion made an immediate impact defeating two of Evo’s best Caleb Konley & Zack Salvation. Mack then focused more on a singles career in EVO picking up a win over Chivas Kid at Best Show in Town. A feud was born leading up to #FollowThis as Kirby exchanged words with Caleb Konley and the two met for the Konley’s PWI International Ultra J Title at the event in October 2011. This one was a definite MOTY contender as it took a brutal KO/Submission combo to help Konley retain the title. We next saw Kirby at Evo Eight 2012 as part of the 8 man tournament to crown a new #1 contender to the PWEvo heavyweight championship. Again, Mack was in a MOTY contender falling to Cedric Alexander & suffering a shoulder injury in the process. Kirby was not done as he entered himself into the debut match for the SuperHEX division. Mack said he was here to show these young kids the way and serve as a mentor to them. Kirby backed this up defeating the 5 other men involved in the debut match and he is currently at the top of the SuperHEX leaderboard. Currently Kirby Mack has an open challenge to suspended EVO talent Trevor Lee for ‘EPIC’ not for a match but a FIGHT. Check out the link below to see Kirby call out Trevor Lee on Evo Underground Episode 10.  Kirby has carved out a nice singles career for himself in Pro Wrestling Evo, always entertaining & controversial, Mack speaks his mind & backs it up in the ring. 2012 should be an interesting year for the SuperHEX division, and Kirby Mack.
2012 Mission Statement:”To be the very first Kirby Mack.”

Evo Underground Episode 10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptbQG_sNEIY&list=UUMj8LEMRc6ul0DBkG9Kcezw&index=1&feature=plcp

Keep track of Kirby’s appearances via facebook at www.facebook.com/kirbymack and on twitter @NotKirbyMack For his upcoming appearances in Pro Wrestling Evo check www.prowrestlingevo.com and check out all of his past matches in EVO at www.evoondemand.com

Are you a Pro Wrestling EVO talent? Contact me at the email below for your chance in the spotlight.

Jeremy Polk
JustJer17@aol.com
@The1andonlyJer

AIW is a company we here at Pro Wrestling Ponderings have supported since this website’s inception. AIW has also been very supportive of us, and we’re very grateful for the relationship we have fostered with them. We recently received a press release from AIW supporter Pat Lucey to hype up their next big event, “Gauntlet for the Gold 7″, which takes place on Friday night March 2nd in Cleveland, OH. Pat is apart of AIW’s intern contest at the moment. While we at PWP do not officially endorse any of the candidates in AIW’s intern contest, we absolutely do support AIW at large and encourage all who can attend the show to do. Colt Cabana, Cliff Compton (formerly Domino in WWE) and Luke Gallows will all be in attendance shooting portions of the upcoming “Wrestling Road Diares 2″ documentary. So without further adieu, here is Mr. Lucey’s rundown for the show:

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On Friday March 2, Absolute Intense Wrestling presents their next big show in 2012, Gauntlet For The Gold 7! The show will take place at Turners Hall, one of the most famous wrestling venues in all of Ohio, located on 7325 Guthrie Avenue in Cleveland. Bell time is 7:30 PM, and tickets are only 15 dollars, with online purchases admitted first. Here is the line-up for the huge show:

30-Man Gauntlet For The Gold: The show is headlined by the 7th annual Gauntlet for the Gold 7 match. The rules are simple: 2 competitors start off the match, with another competitor entering the match every 90 seconds. Competitors in the match can only be eliminated by being thrown over the top rope, with both of their feet hitting the floor. The Winner of the contest will receive an Absolution Title shot at Absolution 7 in June. This all may sound similar to the Royal Rumble match, but the big difference is, the Gauntlet will be much better. So far entrants in the match include Eric Ryan, Josh Prohibition, M-Dogg Matt Cross, AIW Intense Division Champion Bobby Beverly, and so many others.

ACH vs. Façade vs. Uhaa Nation vs. Rickey Shane Page 4-Way Battle: AIW has been known for putting on spectacular 4-way contests in the past, but this one could take the cake. ACH has made only two appearances in AIW before, including being apart of the St Louis Anarchy showcase match back in December. He has made quite the impression not only in the eyes of AIW fans, but in the eyes of numerous other fans in Independent Wrestling. Facade was unable to pick up recent victories at the past 2 AIW events, failing to beat Eric Ryan and Samuray Del Soy in a 3-way back at Hell on Earth, and failing to capture the Intense Division title against Bobby Beverly back at Nightmare Before Xmas. Facade needs a win here to get back on track in his AIW career. Uhaa has also made a huge impression on the entire AIW fan base, having two tremendous matches with AR Fox. Now he looks to expand in his career in AIW, and this would be a huge win for Nation. RSP has been on a losing streak since he could not win the Absolute Title from Shiima Xion back in October. Page is likely the most determined here to win the match, as he is more focused than ever to get a rematch for the Absolute Title.

Tim Donst vs. BJ Whitmer: Ever since debuting for AIW last May, Whitmer has stated he is looking for the best of the best in Independent Wrestling to square of with in AIW. And there is no better opponent for him than “The Man” himself, Tim F’n Donst. In fact, these two did face off last May in AIW, with Donst coming out as the victor. Perhaps Whitmer is looking for a bit of redemption in their encounter this time around. Also will we finally found out which side Donst is on in the war of AIW vs. Flexor Industries? Only way to tell is to attend the huge event.

Marion Fontaine vs. Colin Delaney: Both men are coming off of huge victories at AIW Nightmare Before X-Mas 5. Fontaine picked up a win over The Kentucky Gentlemen, Chuck Taylor, while Colin won a brutal match against his former tag team partner, Jimmy Olsen. Who will pick up the win, The “Extremely Cute Wrestler” Colin Delaney or The ‘Messiah of the Mustache” Marione Fontaine.

“Wrestling Road Diaries 2: Filming” Featuring Colt Cabana, “Mr. 1859” Cliff Compton, and Luke Gallows: Back in 2009, Colt Cabana, along with Sal Rinauro and Bryan Danielson (WWE World Champion Daniel Bryan) filmed without a doubt one of the best wrestling documentaries ever released entitled “Wrestling Road Diaries”. Now Colt is back at it again filming a sequel to the critically acclaimed documentary, and has decided that filming will take place at AIW’s Gauntlet for the Gold 7. This time around, he is bringing two new friends with him, that being former WWE competitors Luke Gallows and “Mr 1859” himself Cliff Compton. Who knows what these 3 men have up their sleeves, though we know when these three are in the same room, good times and great memories will surely be created.

Finally, it’s important to note that one of the most special things about this show is that AIW will be making its debut to Turner’s Hall. For those that do not know, this venue was made popular by Cleveland All-Pro shows in the past, promoted by the late and great J.T. Lightning. It has been 5 years since wrestling has taken place in Turners, and Absolute Intense Wrestling is looking forward to bringing professional wrestling back to what some call ‘Cleveland’s ECW arena.”

Be apart of history as AIW presents one of their biggest shows in 2012. Tickets can be purchased right now in AIW’s store.