AIW presents
THE JT LIGHTNING INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT 2013
May 24th, 2013
Cleveland, OH
Website: http://aiwrestling.com/jlit2013.php
Credit: @OhioReport Podcast. Give them a follow and a listen

Round One Matches (5/24)

Main Event: Johnny Gargano def Matt Cross

Adam Cole def Tim Donst

Michael Elgin def Biff Busick

Ethan Page def Seleziya Sparx

Josh Alexander def ACH

Rickey Shane Page def Colin Delaney with help from Eric Ryan

Kimber Lee def Bobby Beverly

BJ Whitmer def Josh Prohibition via submission

Marion Fontaine def Veda Scott
- after the match The Batiri music hits and @eronica comes out to issue a warning to Gregory Iron and Veda Scott

Chris Dickinson def Nasty Russ

Davey Vega def Gary Jay

Louis Lyndon def TaDarius Thomas via submission

In a feel good moment, before intermission, the son of JT proposed to his girlfriend and she said yes. (Pic)

Reportedy World Champion Dolph Ziggler was seen at the event. He has tweeted many times about AIW.

Night 2 is tomorrow. Thanks for reading our results and we’ll have them up tomorrow as well.

The post AIW 05.24.13 JT Lightning Tournament Night 1 Results appeared first on PWPonderings.com.

With the 12th installment of Combat Zone Wrestling’s annual Tournament of Death around the corner, set for June 8th, 2013, it seems appropriate enough to rewind time and take a look back at the Tournament of Death 11 from 2012.

First Round – Three-Way Drunken Scaffold Match (Featuring the only three members of the Nation of Intoxication) – Danny Havoc vs. Devon Moore vs. Lucky 13: There is one scaffold that has been built at ringside. The object of the match is to climb to the top of the scaffold and upon a competitors accomplishment of that task, a shot of jaeger must be consumed before the competitor decides how insane, or un-insane their path down will be. Perhaps, that sounds like stupid enough stuff, but there is easily enough stupid, fun stuff that comes out of  this contest, removing it far, far away, from any dim-witted, unappreciated label. This puts a whole new spin on “big-bumps.” Perhaps due to the substance abuse the comedy was in more of a natural form, and therefore any typical or generic well-written wrestling comedy was itself consumed by alcohol. A great combination of high-spots via the scaffold and some vicious bumps in and around the ring. These matches are usually looked at as being odd and/or different, but they are not exactly unconventional for this type of show. Simply try to move past that idea and you will see some great professional wrestling, but with the Tournament of Death, ultraviolent touch. Perhaps a little less alcohol and a little more time and this match could have really taken off and even challenged for match of the tournament in my opinion. ***. Danny Havoc.

First Round – Ultraviolent Ladders Match (Dedicated to the memory of J.C Bailey and Chri$ Ca$h) – Drake Younger vs. Rory Mondo: The only plunder in play are ladders that have been customized in a very ultraviolent way. Straight to the point. This is the very best ultraviolent outing Mondo has been apart of since entering the combat zone on a “semi-full-time” basis. That memo, is by far the most impressive note that can be taken from this contest. Younger carried this bout on his back, but contrary to the beliefs of a large portion of the CZW faithful, Mondo did more than enough for me here to carry the load. The back color shows how much of the match he put on his back. In a rare occurrence, Mondo proved he can hang with the best of the best in the death match arts, and furthermore proved that he knows what it takes to deliver a memorable outing with one of the kings of ultraviolence. Not much psychology to the contest but there are crazy spots someone would/could/can “mark-out” for. A tedious drag-on to a fantastic finish, but I have no problem sitting through some stumbles and some pacing issues if the finish is going to be a Drakes Landing off the top rope, into a ladder. ***1/2. Drake Younger.

First Round – Pains in the Glass Match – MASADA vs. Scott Summers: Panes of glass surround the outside and the inside of the ring. This is the CZW debut for Scott Summers. He is well-known around the Independent Professional Wrestling scene in Texas. After this, he deserves to be well-known to the ultraviolent faithful on the east coast. I know I’m not the only one who wanted to see him included in the June 8th, 2013, Tournament of Death 12. Summers has had numerous encounters with MASADA inside Texas-based promotions, where he has come out on the winning end of things many times. Therefore, this match is not as random as it may appear. Some of the spots are definitely random, but random violence works here. If there is one particular match during this tournament, where the narrative was generated in a spot by spot manner, it is this bout that provides it. The end spot that sparks the three-count features a pair of concrete cinder blocks. The easy to predict loser of the contest absorbs the majority, actually, make that all of the brutality. A split open skull at that. What can be considered as one of the more unconventional matches of the tournament, perhaps, can also be considered as the most pleasantly surprising. ***. MASADA.

First Round – Ultraviolent Bats Match
 – Matt Tremont vs. BJW Death-Match Champion, Abdullah Kobayashi: This match is by far the most story-line driven contest in the tournament. To spoil things, giving a brief account of what all of us watching were expecting here, based on the dubs dedication to the progress of the Hyde/Tremont feud throughout a good chunk of 2011 and all of 2012, this match-up is incredibly far from what it could have been, and to be honest, it falls far short of what should be initially expected of an encounter such as this. However, with that said, for any fan of professional wrestling death matches, you can still likely find the value needed to take a peek at what these two had to offer against each other. I understand the necessity for key moments in story-line progression, especially when working towards a feud spanning over an entire year. However, for the followers of the product, these types of finishes are much too predictable and almost always leave viewers wishing they would have seen a little bit more between the competitors, before any sort of screwy blow-off finish occurs. With that said, yes, you guessed it, DJ Hyde goes ahead and ruins whatever magic these two death match giants had going. Therefore, the sweet taste at the opening bell becomes sour by the closing bell, but at least there was room for that, strictly based on how successful the first half of this show is. As I note quickly to myself, ultraviolent-bat matches are one of my favorite stipulations inside the world of ultraviolent-entertainment. This was nowhere near the slasher-like ultraviolent contest I wanted, expected, and have seen in the past underneath the ultraviolent-bat stipulation. I rest my case with my feelings on the outcome of the bout…DJ the douche-bag! My gripes are rather selfish though. **1/2. Abdullah Kobayashi.

Non-Tournament – Fans Bring the Weapons Grudge Match
 – Joe Gacy vs. Ryan Slater: These two just about stole the show, and the most impressive thing is that the most pop-worthy finish of the tournament is just a side note.  I deny any ignorance in this simplistic description of this contest. A ton of fun for any ultraviolent entertainment consumer. However, being in the shadows of a tournament dedicated to pure ultraviolence, a must-see grudge match like this may serve better, if featured and promoted as a more significant encounter, and not on a death match tournament show. Unfortunately, what is so much more than a side note of this show, had no choice but to become just a side note. Gacy and Slater were once a tag-team known as The Runaways.” So, for these guys to bump heads like this makes complete sense, but for a blow-off of this caliber to happen on this show, makes little sense. Nevertheless, this was a violent spectacle well worth investing time into. A powerbomb through a coffee table lined with thumbtacks proves that. ***. Joe Gacy.

Second Round/Semi-Final – Caribbean Spider-Pit Death Match
 – Drake Younger vs. Danny Havoc: Barbed-wire pitted/boxed-style contraptions surround the ring. Thus implying, someone better try and use them as a way to incapacitate their opponent. Tremendous back and forth, back and forth, back and forth wrestling action. A tremendous series of non-violent action, eventually leads to what these two do best, tremendous ultraviolence. This is the definition of ultraviolence done right.  If you are an inexperienced viewer of ultraviolent professional wrestling, this match may turn your head toward it, rather than against it. Case in point. ***1/2. Drake Younger.

Second Round/Semi-Final – Big Japan Wrestling Style Death Match – 
Masada vs. BJW Death Match Champion, Abdullah Kobayashi: MASADA has made a name for himself in Japan, as much as he has in the United States while carrying the CZW flag as the true ultraviolent beast of the combat zone. A BJW Style death match includes ordinary weaponry, while being upgraded with out of the ordinary weaponry via the additions of kenzans and a bed of nails. Also, how could an opening bell commence a contest featuring MASADA without a pack of bbq-skewers to yank out of his wrestling shorts, to then drive into the cranium of his opponent? Or in this case, into the back of his opponent. About half way through this ultraviolent encounter, featuring two of the most renowned death match superstars on the planet, MASADA places a pane of glass in front of Kobayashi who is up against the turnbuckle. This is followed up by running-forearms…until the glass shatters. This tactic by MASADA provides an unfortunate repercussion. A repercussion marking a sizable forearm gash. However, this incident for better or for worse, but most likely the latter, would play into the overall ideology of the tournament final. Much respect to MASADA for working through the injury and still being able to provide a very respectable outing against a death match legend. ***. MASADA.

The 2012 Tournament of Death Main Event Final – Non-Sanctioned, No-Rope Barbed-Wire, Double Hell Death Match – MASADA vs. Drake Younger: First off, the lackluster pace, in comparison to the rest of the tournament, is the fault of a legitimate injury to MASADA’s forearm suffered in his second round, semi-final outing against Kobayashi. DJ Hyde tries to spoil the main event party by shooting on MASADA’s injured forearm. The non-sanctioned aspect of this match, stems from Hyde’s managerial decision to thoroughly “disapprove” of the match based on MASADA’s condition. It is ultimately up to the viewer to decide how enjoyable the narrative of this match is, since the expectations for it have to be removed. At the fault of neither competitor, it moves at a snails pace for obvious reasons. The psychology is a little on the dull side, particularly the finish where Drake is choked out with a chair. However, the sheer brutality and violent imagery showcased comes in a strong enough form to compliment the contest and furthermore steer it away from a flat-out disappointing Tournament of Death Final. Light tubes, barbed-wire ropes and pits are cringe worthy enough, but add a beat-up Younger and a injured MASADA and the cringe worthy meter goes up. Other than having to forcefully remove expectations, this contest should give most ultraviolent consumers enough to sit through, but it most likely won’t give enough to earn a main event feel. Under the circumstances, the match was on par with what the rest of the tournament provided for the combat zone death match faithful. It takes the heart of a lion to do this type of work and both of these death match legends clearly bled enough to prove they have a heart that size. Subjective snowflakes mean next to nothing here. **1/2. MASADA.

This 2012 Tournament of Death victory for MASADA marks his second straight TOD win. There will not be a third straight tournament victory for MASADA this year, as a legitimate knee injury appears to have sidelined him indefinitely. 

Follow me @TheOleMatt

For more information on CZW, check out their website. To purchase DVDs and help support PWP go to Highspots. For live iPPVs go to http://CZWiPPV.com.

The post Rewind Review – CZW Tournament of Death XI (2012) appeared first on PWPonderings.com.

SHINE 10
May 24, 2013
Ybor City, FL
Website: http://shinewrestling.com/
Credit: RingBellesOnline.com

- Daffney came out to explain her frustration with the disrespect shown by members of the roster, including Jessie Belle, Mercedes Martinez and the Valkyrie stable. She also introduced new ring announcer Chasity Taylor.
1. SHINE Title Tournament Qualifier: Nikki Roxx pinned Allysin Kay with a discus lariat.
2. Ivelisse Velez defeated Amber O’Neal with the DDT to Distain. Made In Sin went after O’Neal after the match but Santana Garrett made the save.
3. SHINE Title Tournament Qualifier: Santana Garrett beat Kimberly with the Shining Star Press.
4. Sojo Bolt, Sassy Stephie & Jessie Belle beat Heidi Lovelace, Solo Darling & Luscious Latasha. Lovelace was pinned by Stephie with the Kiss My Sass.
5. SHINE Title Tournament Qualifier: Leva Bates defeated Taylor Made with a superkick into a chair.
6. SHINE Title Tournament Qualifier: Mia Yim pinned Mercedes Martinez with an inside cradle.
7. Jessicka Havok beat Portia Perez with an Air Raid Crash.
8. Angelina Love def Rain with a bicycle kick
- Rain beat Angelina Love after AK47 nailed Love with a bat but Lexie Fyfe comes out and suspends Kay for 90 days then restarts the match

The post SHINE 10 05.24.13 iPPV results appeared first on PWPonderings.com.

PRO WRESTLING EVO PRESENTS #REBIRTH
MAY 24TH, 2013
CONCORD, NC
Website: ProWrestlingEVO.com
Credit: Jer Polk & Brandy King

30 MIN. IRON MAN MATCH FOR THE EVO HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
COREY HOLLIS def CEDRIC ALEXANDER to become the new EVO Champion
- Alexander picks up the 1st fall w/ a schoolboy 6:30
- Hollis ties it at 1-1 with a snap mare rollup
- 30 minutes has expired & Cedric Alexander & Corey Hollis are still tied at 1 fall apiece. Owner Patrick Wright calls for sudden death
- Post match Trevor Lee, Chip Day and John Skyler come out and attack Corey Hollis
- Skyler says he’s on a plane to the UK in June & he’s taking the PrWrestlinEvo title with him. Alexander chases the trio out.

JOHN SKYLER def CALEB KONLEY
- Tyshion Williams hits Konley with a tennis racquet right away & a DQ is called. Konley asks for a restart & Ty is sent to the back.
- Skyler used the tennis racquet & hits sliced bread to win

SUPER HEX CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
CHIP DAY(champ) def JOE BLACK to retain

Marcellus King def Zane Dawson in a helluva fight.
- “The Man Servant” CIRCO appears & helped King
- King welcomes CIRCO home & details his list of accomplishments. King issues open challenge to KEVIN STEEN 6/28

Jake Manning def Zane Riley

Triple Threat: Mr. Elite def Robyn Golphin & Alton Terrell Lee

Trevor Lee def Anthony Henry

Andrew Everett def Raymond King

Arik Royal def Chase Brown

EVO returns 6/28 to El Patron with Marcellus King vs Kevin Steen & Corey Hollis defending the EVO title against Eddie Edwards

June 1 you want to check out ProWrestlingEVO.com and their new VOD service with tons of awesome wrestling. Be sure you check out our EVO reviews also (here http://goo.gl/P8BpY )

The post Pro Wrestling EVO 05.24.13 REBIRTH results appeared first on PWPonderings.com.

Kobe Sambo Hall, 17th of May 2013

We’re kicking off with another one of those supposed dark matches that totally isn’t a dark match since it made it to tv.

1) Jimmy Kagetora of the Jimmyz defeated Mondai Ryu of Mad Blankey (4:53, Ikkitousen)
Pretty much a standard squash. I was recently converted to Mondai Ryu fandom via Prime Zone, but his matches on Infinity evidently still do nothing for me. Kagetora is always fun to watch though, so this was still somewhat enjoyable.

2) Akira Tozawa, BxB Hulk & Uhaa Nation of Mad Blankey defeated Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee, Ryo “Jimmy” Saito & Mr Quu Quu Naoki Tanizaki Toyonaka Dolphin of the Jimmyz (10:26, Uhaa Combination)
This was really good. Uhaa continued to look dominant while the Jimmyz and Tozawa brought the excitement. I’m getting back into Mad Blankey after falling out of love with them for a while, mainly due to the more light hearted-and-hopefully-soon-to-turn-babyface Tozawa.

Uhaa attacks Shimizu afterwards, a rookie who is set to debut against him in Osaka this saturday! Shimizu fights back and they end up being separated by the Jimmyz.

Next up is the -akatsuki- training match. YAMATO continues the recent abuse of his rookie stablemates by dragging them to ring, beating them on the way. Shingo doesn’t seem impressed.

3) Chihiro Tominaga and Super Shenlong of -akatsuki- defeated YAMATO & Shingo Takagi of -akatsuki- (9:25, roll up after accidental Pumping Bomber from Takagi to YAMATO)
The story of Akatsuki falling to pieces is one of the best things in Dragon Gate at the moment. YAMATO was vicious with the rookies throughout, with Shingo having to stop him using a chair on Tominaga at one point. YAMATO went ballistic after the match, storming out and believing Shingo hit him with the lariat on purpose, but not before finally cracking Tominaga with the chair. The match itself was very well done. At this point I may be the last Tominaga believer on the planet, but I was again impressed with the fire he showed here, and amazed that we actually got to hear his music play for the first time in…ever? Shenlong was good too. To say he’s progressed a lot since becoming Super Shenlong III (about a year ago) would perhaps be an overstatement, but I definitely think he’s settled into his role and is one of my favourite people to watch at the moment. Well, saying he’s one of my favourites may be an overstatement too, but you know what I mean.

Also, since they beat the Twin Gate champions, Tommy and Shenlong should totally get a title shot. Champion Gate in Hakata maybe?

4) Naruki Doi & Rich Swann of World-1 International defeated Kotoka of Windows & HUB of Team Veteran (10:13, Die Sky)
Decent tag match that was of course highlighted by Kotoka’s sheer awesomeness. Ok, so he didn’t get to do a whole lot here, but his challenging of Doi (at the beginning) and his comeback were great.

Next we have another non Korakuen appearance from K-ness! Awesome.

5) CIMA, Masaaki Mochizuki & Don Fujii of Team Veteran, defeated Cyber Kong*, K-ness & Super Shisa of Windows (14:48, Twister)
* Cyber Kong is not affiliated with any unit.
Totally forgot that this was Mochizuki’s 2500th match. Good opening and good Mocchy/Shisa finishing stretch, but there wasn’t much else going on here, notably a distinct lack of K-ness involvement (I recall like, one kick). This didn’t really compare to the awesome matches these guys had on last week’s episode.

Afterwards, Team Veteran bring out the returning Gamma! I’m pleased he isn’t injured anymore, but he’s my least favourite Dragon Gate wrestler so I’m not exactly excited at the prospect of seeing him wrestle again.

Susumu is interviewed backstage in preparation for the main event. Dude doesn’t have blonde in his hair anymore. Heel turn??? Ok, probably not, but it’s what happened to Doi a couple of years ago.

More inter-unit fighting next as we get onto the King Of Gate quarter finals! Swann is backing his fellow gaijin while Doi seconds his Speed Muscle partner.

6) King Of Gate B Block Quarter Final: Ricochet of World-1 International defeated Masato Yoshino of World-1 International (15:18, Shooting Star Press)
Ricochet is on god-like form right now, while Yoshino is rejuvenated following his recent Brave Gate win, so naturally this was a blast. Yoshino impressed with some excellent dropkick counters, but as you can imagine this was all about DGUSA’s finest export. It’s suspected that this will ultimately set up a Ricochet/Yoshino Brave Gate match at World, which I’d be all for. I imagine that would blow away their last PPV match (Final Gate 2011). Swann is next in line for a shot though, he challenged after this. World-1 love fighting each other this year.

Time for a rematch from last year’s tournament. It was also the Dream Gate match at Kobe World 2006.

7) King Of Gate B Block Quarter Final: Jimmy Susumu of the Jimmyz defeated Dragon Kid of Team Veteran (21:24, KneSuka Liner)
THAT FINISH. Wow. The regular World Liner bends physics enough as it is, but immediately transitioning into K-ness’s Hikari No Wa?! Susumu, you are awesome. Main body of the match was solid (I loved the comeback lariat after DK had been targeting the arm (in an attempt to neutralise the Jumbo No Kachi))), then they delivered a pretty mega finishing stretch.

So, this set up Ricochet vs Susumu as the King Of Gate B Block semi final, a rematch from Dead Or Alive. Over in the A block, YAMATO and Shingo emerged successfully from the untelevised quarter finals set up on Infinity 295 (beating Don Fujii & Genki Horiguchi respectively), so they will meet in the other semi. Both of those matches, as well as the final itself, will take place in Osaka on the 25th (tomorrow!), which will be aired as Infinity 297 in a couple of weeks. I’ve changed my pick to win it twice in the course of the tournament, jumping from YAMATO to Ricochet to Susumu. So basically anyone could take it.

Closing thoughts: Again, a solid Sambo Hall show that didn’t touch upon the greatness of the recent Korakuens. This show was pretty newsworthy though with the two King Of Gate matches, Gamma’s return, the further Akatsuki turmoil and a couple of title challenges (I forgot to mention that Mochifujii announced their desire for a shot at the Twin Gate, in what will be a rematch from their 2012 instant classic). Also, I mistook Tanizaki for YAMATO twice in this episode. He needs to put the red back in his hair so I can tell them apart again. Never even noticed they looked similar until today.

Match of the night: It’s a tough call between the two King Of Gate matches. The finishing stretch of Susumu vs Kid (KneSuka Liner!) took that one to a level beyond, but the early going of Yoshino vs Ricochet was more entertaining than that of the main event. Actually, it’s irrelevant which of those was better because I’m a mark for drama and therefore I’m giving match of the night honours to the Akatsuki turmoil-fest (Tominaga/Shenlong vs YAMATO/Shingo).

Thanks to IheartDG for the match times and various notes on the show (the upcoming cards too). Without that site I would be totally unaware of golden quotes like “YAMATO said that losing to a total loser like Tommy would bring eternal shame to the Onodera family.”

Want to discuss the potential growth prospects of Chihiro Tominaga, the multiple hair colours of Naoki Tanizaki or the mind bending greatness of the KnesSuka Liner? Follow me on Twitter @HellionLee

The post Dragon Gate Infinity 296 Review appeared first on PWPonderings.com.

Pro Wrestling Battle Arts Ego Check
May 23, 2013
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Pro Wrestling Battle Arts fan page on Facebook
Credit: Sean Murley

Alex Vega & Brent B def The Empire (Marcus Marquez & Sebastian Suave)

Josh Alexander def Matt Cross

Johnny Wave def Mike Rollins

Tyson Dux def Michael Elgin

John Greed def Phil Atlas

Battle Arts Openweight Title Match
Ethan Page (c) def Kevin Steen
- Josh Alexander attacked Steen and when Steen went after Josh, Page grabbed Steen and back suplexed him and pinned him

The post Pro Wrestling Battle Arts 05.23.13 Ego Check results appeared first on PWPonderings.com.

Match #1: ROH World Title: Bryan Danielson © vs. Austin Aries (Enter the Dragon – 10/14/05)
This is an appropriate place to start, as this is Danielson’s first defense. They trade control of a wristlock and repeatedly wrestle to a stalemate. They both attempt to lock in japanese strangleholds and Aries uses the turnbuckles to free himself from the hold. Danielson connects with a dropkick but unfortunately tries to headscissors Austin Aries. Danielson starts working over the right arm and punishes the body part with a back suplex. Aries escapes an early Cattle Mutilation attempt. Danielson drapes him across the top rope and connects with a running knee strike. The champion takes control with a butterfly suplex. Aries makes a comeback with a slingshot corkscrew splash. He hits a scoop slam and drops an elbow. Aries hits a sudden side slam that looks much more effective than a regular side slam. He lands a frog splash and synchs in a crossface. Danielson catches him with a spin kick and both men are down. Danielson lays in repeated kicks in the corner and hits a gutwrench suplex. Aries misses a missile dropkick and finds himself in a surfboard. Danielson snaps his neck across the bottom rope but finds knees on a diving headbutt. Aries looks to hit the 450 but Danielson crotches him on the top rope. Danielson hits a back superplex and applies Cattle Mutilation. He turns it into a pin attempt for a nearfall. Aries counters the airplane spin into a crucifix bomb. They exchange strikes and Aries hits a brainbuster for a two count. Danielson avoids a 450 splash, hits a tiger suplex, and applies a crossface chickenwing to retain his title at 30:20. A strong submission victory to establish Danielson’s title reign. I think this match could have been shorter, though, as the early arm work from Danielson never went anywhere and the crowd’s interest weaved in and out during the thirty minutes. Still, this match set a solid foundation for the new champion and I don’t think the crowd would have bought epic nearfalls in Danielson’s first title defense anyway. ***½

Match #2: ROH World Title: Bryan Danielson © vs. Chris Sabin (Showdown in Motown – 11/4/05)
They start with a feeling-out process. Danielson’s cockiness soon comes to the surface. Sabin hurricanranas him to the floor and then comes off the apron with another hurricanrana. He throws Danielson into the barricade and hits a neckbreaker in the ring. Danielson successfully slows the match down with a backbreaker. He follows with a series of backbreakers and I assume this is a reference to his recent defense against Roderick Strong. Danielson continues to work over the back with a bow and arrow and an abdominal stretch. Sabin comes back with a running sit-out powerbomb. Danielson traps him in Cattle Mutilation and transitions into a surfboard. Sabin avoids a diving headbutt and hits a nice tornado DDT. Danielson responds with a german suplex and both men are down. Sabin elbows out of a crossface chickenwing but walks into a lariat. Sabin hits an arm-capture piledriver for a nearfall. Danielson finds an opening to hit a back superplex and applies the Stronghold to retain his title at 24:19. Sabin presented a unique challenge and the neck work on Danielson was intriguing because it came into play so often throughout the course of the match. Danielson’s digs at Strong were also a lot of fun to watch and for a showcase type of main event, this one delivered. ***¾

Match #3: ROH World Title: Bryan Danielson © vs. Rocky Romero (Steel Cage Warfare – 12/3/05)
They test each other by throwing out a few kicks. They have a nice battle over a knucklelock and Romero almost succeeds in applying an early cross armbreaker. Romero throws a headbutt but Danielson responds with various kicks in the corner. Danielson escapes yet another cross armbreaker attempt and takes out his frustration on Romero with more strikes. Romero escapes a surfboard and locks in an ankle lock. He starts targeting the champion’s left leg. Danielson wins an exchange on the mat and starts targeting Romero’s left leg in response. Romero applies a guillotine choke but Danielson powers out of the hold. Romero connects with a missile dropkick and hits a tiger suplex for a two count. Danielson fights back with palm strikes and they swing wildly at each other with strikes. Danielson traps Romero in a half crab to retain his title at 15:23. The story in this match was simple yet served its purpose on a card where the world title match was happening before intermission. Romero tried to overwhelm Danielson by being the aggressor and ending the contest early. Danielson was able to catch Romero in a moment of aggression and tap him out. Danielson looks dominant and Romero looks strong for being able to stick to a gameplan and almost succeed. ***¼

Match #4: ROH World Title: Bryan Danielson © vs. AJ Styles (Dissension – 1/28/06)
They trade control on the mat. Danielson offers a handshake but Styles just spits at him. Danielson returns the favor and retreats to the floor after Styles charges at him. In the ring, Danielson grabs onto a side headlock. Styles tries to back suplex out of the hold but Danielson doesn’t let go. Styles cartwheels out of a monkey flip. He connects with a stiff kick and hits a backbreaker. Styles follows with another backbreaker and synchs in a muta lock. Danielson escapes the hold and finds an opening to connect with a missile dropkick. Styles back suplexes Danielson over the top rope and to the floor. Danielson sends his challenger into the barricade. Styles uses the barricade as a springboard to connect with a forearm. Danielson cheap shots Styles in the ring and comes off the middle rope with a knee drop. Danielson takes over until Styles blocks a dragon suplex and connects with his pele kick. Danielson falls victim to a saito suplex but fights off a superplex. Styles hits his springboard inverted DDT. Danielson crotches him on the top rope and hits a back superplex. Styles survives Cattle Mutilation and slams Danielson out of a torture rack. Styles lands the Spiral Tap for a nearfall. Danielson fights out of the Styles Clash and goes back to Cattle Mutilation. Styles turns the hold into a pin attempt but Danielson transitions into a crossface chickenwing to retain his title at 31:21. After I watched their outing at Main Event Spectacles I felt as though I had just watched a very well-executed professional wrestling match and I felt the same here. They showcased many different aspects of pro wrestling and it’s highly enjoyable to watch two wrestlers who know their style so well do everything that they can to win a match. I wouldn’t say that these two have underrated chemistry together but for whatever reason, their matches don’t receive much discussion today. ***¾

Match #5: ROH World Title: Bryan Danielson © vs. Jimmy Rave (4th Anniversary Show – 2/25/06)
They battle over a knucklelock and Rave pie-faces Danielson after the exchange. Some would say not the best idea, but Rave continues to hold his own on the mat. Things eventually devolve into a strike exchange, as they take turns kicking each other. Rave takes a moment to regroup. Danielson starts dominating on the mat until Rave sneaks in a cheap shot to take control. Rave uses Danielson’s own surfboard against him. Of course, Danielson knows the way out of the hold and regains control. He comes off the middle rope with a diving uppercut. Rave hits a twisting neckbreaker. Danielson takes him down on a leapfrog attempt and locks in a surfboard. Rave fights off a superplex and attacks Danielson at ringside. He sends the champion into the barricade and tries to use Cattle Mutilation against him in the ring. Rave hits a superplex and goes back to Cattle Mutilation. Danielson reaches the ropes and connects with punches in the corner. Rave charge at him but eats an enzuigiri. Both men are down. Danielson wins a strike exchange and connects with a diving headbutt. He hits a german suplex. Rave avoids the crossface chickenwing and hits a saito suplex. Danielson counters a running knee strike into a half crab. Rave fights back with a sleeper hold and Danielson almost passes out. Danielson responds with Cattle Mutilation but Rave somehow gets his foot under the bottom rope. Danielson hits a back superplex and reapplies Cattle Mutilation. He transitions into a dragon suplex. Prince Nana pulls Todd Sinclair out of the ring. Danielson takes out Nana with a dive. Rave hits a spear along with a running knee strike for a nearfall. Danielson powers out of a pedigree and hits a regalplex. Danielson lays in MMA elbows to retain his title at 32:01. This was an incredibly well-executed match and really made Rave look like a threat. There were a lot of elements at work here, such as Rave trying to steal Danielson’s finishers to limited success and Nana only interfering when absolutely necessary. In fact, Nana’s selective interference made Rave look better and caused some genuine nearfalls down the stretch when Sinclair was pulled from the ring. Everything clicked here on one of the bigger shows of the year. ****

Match #6: ROH World Title: Bryan Danielson © vs. Alex Shelley (Arena Warfare – 3/11/06)
Shelley becomes incredibly preoccupied with the crowd early on and almost uses them as a way to not engage Danielson. The crowd eats it up. Danielson wins the first mat exchange and Shelley goes back to yelling at the fans. Shelley connects with a cheap shot forearm in the corner. Danielson slaps him in return, causing Shelley to take some time to regroup. Danielson applies an abdominal stretch and humorously uses the ropes for leverage. Todd Sinclair eventually figures out what’s going on. Shelley finds an opening to start working over the left leg. He synchs in an indian deathlock but Danielson reverses into a figure four. Danielson hits an overhead suplex and locks in his surfboard. He transitions into a figure four and connects with a diving headbutt. Shelley responds with an enzuigiri and hits a tornado DDT. They trade quick pin attempts to no avail and Shelley connects with a basement dropkick. Shelley adds a superkick and a neckbreaker. He hits a few more neckbreakers as he figures that working over the neck might be a good idea. Shelley really goes to work on the neck in some creative ways. He misses a dive an accidentally wipes out Prince Nana. Danielson throws them both into the crowd and lands his springboard dive into the second row. In the ring, Danielson connects with a missile dropkick. Shelley ducks a roaring elbow but misses Shellshock. Danielson hits a german suplex and applies Cattle Mutilation. Shelley reaches the bottom rope and lands a frog splash. Shelley hits a brainbuster and transitions into a fisherman neckbreaker. He applies the Border City Stretch. Danielson escapes and hits a back superplex. Shelly rolls through Cattle Mutilation for a nearfall. He hits Shellshock for a nearfall. Border City Stretch! Danielson reaches the ropes. Danielson locks in Cattle Mutilation and transitions into a backslide to retain his title at 32:28. This match was all about both men’s ability to adapt in the middle of a match and there was some truly astounding professional wrestling that happened here that easily holds up seven years later. Once Shelley saw an opening to attack Danielson’s neck, he worked the body part over like a madman. The point about adaptability came into play with the finish, as Danielson quickly turned a Cattle Mutilation into a backslide and caught Shelley off-guard long enough to win. There are so many intricacies that you can point out here, but it’s enough to note that this match is worth going out of your way to see. ****¼

Match #7: ROH World Title: Bryan Danielson © vs. Lance Storm (Better Than Our Best – 4/1/06)
They begin with a feeling-out process to establish that Storm can hang with Danielson after deciding to wrestle again. Danielson connects with a dropkick. Storm responds with one of his own and Danielson retreats. You can tell by Danielson’s chest that he had a recent match against Roderick Strong. They battle over a knucklelock in the ring. The crowd chants “you still got it” at Storm. He hits a delayed vertical suplex and goes to work on Danielson’s neck. Danielson finds himself in a half crab and immediately scrambles to the ropes. The action goes to the floor where Storm sends the champion into the barricade. Back in, Danielson is able to knock Storm off the top rope and take control. Storm comes back with a desperation leg lariat and both men are down. Danielson hits a butterfly suplex but Storm responds with an enzuigiri. They exchange strikes and Storm hits a tiger driver. He adds a powerslam and Danielson is in trouble. He catches Storm with a powerbomb and applies a bow and arrow. Storm escapes and connects with a superkick. They battle on the top rope and Danielson hits a back superplex. He locks in a crossface chickenwing but Storm reaches the bottom rope. Danielson misses a diving headbutt and falls victim to the cradle piledriver. Irony! Danielson counters the half crab into a small package to no avail. Storm misses a superkick and Danielson hits a regalplex for a two count. Danielson applies Cattle Mutilation to retain his title at 26:24. It’s no surprise that Storm came ready to impress everyone and the crowd’s willingness to buy into the nearfalls and action in general made this match a success. Though Storm would compete in ROH in the coming years, I think this is his most memorable match with the promotion. ***½

Match #8: ROH World Title: Bryan Danielson © vs. Colt Cabana (Chi-Town Struggle – 6/24/06)
They have an aggressive lockup and Cabana means business. They trade control on the mat and they remain even with each other. Cabana’s last title shot did not go well since he was recovering from a blood feud with Homicide. This match starts off a lot more tentatively as a result. Danielson connects with an uppercut and drops a knee across Cabana’s face. He starts brawling with Cabana at ringside and throws him into the barricade. Danielson takes over in the ring with a butterfly suplex. Cabana shrugs off a superplex attempt and connects with a missile dropkick. He follows with a flurry of strikes and sends Danielson to the floor with a crossbody. Cabana also goes over the top rope. Cabana lands a nice asai moonsault to the floor as the crowd comes alive. In the ring, Danielson hits a german suplex and hangs on for another one. They trade quick pin attempts to no avail. Danielson finds an opening for Cattle Mutilation. Cabana reaches the bottom rope. Cabana charges with a lariat. Danielson escapes the Colt 45 and connects with a roaring elbow. Cabana shrugs off MMA elbows and just punches Danielson. He hits a elevated overhead suplex and lands a top-rope moonsault. Danielson hits a back superplex and locks in Cattle Mutilation. Cabana counters into the Billy Goat’s Curse and transitions into Cattle Mutilation! Cabana hits the Colt 45 for a nearfall. Danielson immediately sneaks in a small package to retain his title at 28:34. The name of the show is appropriate, as Danielson did not have an easy time putting Cabana away. The first half of the match was what you’d expect, but the second half of the match featured an energized Cabana doing whatever he could to win the title. The whole thing was well-done and it was entertaining watching Cabana try to avenge his last ROH World Title shot. ***½

Match #9: ROH World Title: Bryan Danielson © vs. Samoa Joe (Fight of the Century – 8/5/06)
Danielson hits a suplex out of a knucklelock and harasses the crowd. He spends the next minute or so trying to dodge Joe’s various kicks. That doesn’t work out so well and Danielson retreats up the aisle. Danielson has a hard time reentering the ring because Joe keeps wanting to charge him. The champion becomes increasingly frustrated and throws a chair at ringside. Joe connects with an enzuigiri and punishes Danielson for trying to steal his facewash kick in the corner. Joe connects with punches and chops in the corner. Danielson finds an opening to connect with a diving headbutt. Joe responds with a dragon screw leg whip and locks in a figure four. Joe continues the attack by sitting back deep on a boston crab. He hits a samoan drop followed by a senton. Danielson fights off a Muscle Buster and comes off the middle rope with an uppercut. He chop blocks Joe’s left leg and slams it against the ringpost. Danielson even uses a chair until Todd Sinclair takes it away. He continues to work over Joe’s left leg in the ring. Joe fights back with his facewash kick in the corner. Danielson slows him down with another dragon screw leg whip. Joe lands a dive to the floor and connects with an ole kick against the barricade. Danielson returns the favor with an ole dropkick. They battle into the crowd. Danielson reenters the ring and lands a springboard dive into the crowd. In the ring, Joe hits an STO out of the corner. Danielson answers with a dragon suplex but finds himself in the Coquina Clutch. Danielson escapes and locks in Cattle Mutilation after a quick exchange. Joe counters with a half crab but Danielson counters into a small package for a nearfall. They trade strikes and Joe connects with a lariat. Both men are down. Danielson lays in a basement dropkick in the corner. Joe hits a powerbomb and transitions into an STF. Danielson escapes a Muscle Buster and sneaks in a crucifix for a two count. Joe comes off the middle rope with a flying knee for a nearfall. He follows with a lariat and hits the Muscle Buster for a two count. Danielson hits a back superplex and reigns down MMA elbows. Joe applies a Coquina Clutch out of nowhere with under a minute left in the time limit. Before Danielson can tap out, the time limit expires and Danielson retains his title at 60:00. As far as sixty-minute draws are concerned, this one at least made sense on a base level due to Joe’s toughness and both men’s familiarity with wrestling in longer matches. Many make the argument that they could have had a better forty-five minute match, but given how everything played out, this was still pretty great. The crowd being able to buy Joe winning the title in the last minute is a sign of the type of reputation ROH had built and the final minutes of this contest as a whole were epic. If you’re able to sink your teeth into matches like this, Danielson/Joe is definitely worth watching. ****

Match #10: ROH World Title: Bryan Danielson © vs. Roderick Strong (Anarchy in the UK – 8/13/06)
Danielson is coming off his absolute war against Nigel McGuinness at Unified. He begins this match by slapping Strong across the face. Probably not the best move. It does fire Strong up and cause him to get into a few predicaments on the mat. Strong finds an opening with a backbreaker and a belly-to-belly suplex. Danielson’s stitches in his head bust open. He starts applying various surfboards and actually wins a strike exchange. Strong comes back with a falcon arrow. He misses a plancha and Danielson wipes him out with a dive. In the ring, Danielson connects with a missile dropkick. Strong charges but finds himself in Cattle Mutilation. He’s able to escape the hold and hit a backbreaker. Strong hits the Gibson Driver for a nearfall. Danielson misses a diving headbutt but dodges the Sick Kick. Strong comes off the middle rope with a leg lariat and synchs in the Stronghold. Danielson reaches the ropes. They battle up top and Danielson hits a back superplex. He applies a crossface chickenwing. Strong escapes and hits a super gutbuster. Danielson counters the Stronghold into a rollup for a two count. Danielson reverses a gutbuster into MMA elbows and applies Cattle Mutilation to retain his title at 20:07. This was a shorter match but it complemented their previous encounters well. Danielson did not have the energy to wrestle a lengthy match after his war against Nigel, so he set out to goad Strong into making mistakes by being too aggressive. They also threw in some callbacks to their previous outings and the whole match had good energy and was the usual solid work from these two. ***¾

Match #11: ROH World Title: Bryan Danielson © vs. KENTA (Glory By Honor V Night 2 – 9/16/06)
They are not in the business of giving each other clean breaks. KENTA kicks at Danielson’s injured right shoulder and he immediately retreats to the floor. They trade kicks in the ring and Danielson stretches KENTA on the mat. Danielson connects with a dropkick. KENTA dodges a plancha and kicks away at the shoulder. He sends Danielson shoulder-first into the barricade. KENTA takes over until Danielson catches him with an uppercut. Danielson now settles down and showcases his offense while minimizing the work done by his right shoulder. He slams KENTA’s knees into the canvas instead of leaning back with the surfboard. KENTA fights back with a series of kicks and a springboard dropkick. He tries a cross armbreaker but Danielson reaches the bottom rope. Danielson applies a half crab and hits a superplex. He locks in a crossface chicken wing. KENTA reaches the ropes and blocks a diving headbutt. Danielson blocks a springboard maneuver with a dropkick and both men are down. They exchange strikes and suplexes. Both men are down after a discus lariat from KENTA. Danielson baseball slides KENTA into the front row and lands a springboard dive into the crowd. In the ring, Danielson connects with a missile dropkick but gets trapped in an armbar. KENTA hits an ace crusher and goes back to the fujiwara armbar. Danielson makes the ropes and hits a regalplex. Danielson hits a superplex and applies Cattle Mutilation. KENTA escapes and hits the Go 2 Sleep out of nowhere for a nearfall. Danielson tries a quick bridging rollup to no avail. He turns a Go 2 Sleep into a crucifix for a two count. Danielson lays in MMA elbows and synchs in Cattle Mutilation to retain his title at 33:01. It’s hard for me to remember the exact circumstances at the time, but it felt like everyone gave KENTA a real chance to win the title in this match. Danielson was nursing a shoulder injury and KENTA made no bones about going after the injured body part. The atmosphere and drama down the stretch is something that only comes along every few years and this is truly a special match in ROH history. Aside from a few selling issues, it’s extremely difficult to nitpick anything else that this match didn’t do well. ****¾

Match #12: No Disqualification: Bryan Danielson vs. Samoa Joe (Irresistible Forces – 10/28/06)
Joe lands a dive to the floor at the opening bell. He attacks Danielson around ringside and lays in some strikes in the ring. Danielson rolls out of the way of a facewash kick. He finds an opening to start working over Joe’s left arm. Joe catches him coming off the middle rope with an STO. Joe trips Danielson on the apron and swings him into the barricade. He connects with an ole kick and Danielson retreats into the crowd. Danielson cheap shots Joe with a chair and they brawl throughout the crowd while using various random weapons. They return to ringside where Danielson starts swinging wildly with a club. He starts targeting the left shoulder once again. Danielson applies a crossface chickenwing while choking Joe with the club. Joe fights out and hits a back suplex. He locks in an STF but Danielson almost catches him with a rollup. Joe connects with an enzuigiri but finds himself in Cattle Mutilation. Danielson steals Todd Sinclair’s belt and starts whipping Joe when he won’t submit. Joe quickly gets the belt and returns the favor. Danielson slips out of a Muscle Buster. Joe synchs in a belt-assisted Muscle Buster for the win at 21:10. The stipulations were a bit odd while making sense on a base level. After their draw at Fight of the Century, ROH wanted to ensure there was a winner. So the no DQ stipulation didn’t necessarily imply that we were witnessing a blood feud play out. Still, they worked in some weapons and brawling and I think it’s good to have this style of match in the main event to mix things up (perhaps comparable to the recent Steen/Kingston main event at Boiling Point). I like that this match was included along with the Fight of the Century contest. ***½

Match #13: ROH World Title: Bryan Danielson © vs. Homicide (Final Battle 2006 – 12/23/06)
They trade control on the mat and Homicide shows his willingness to play Danielson’s game with him. He makes Danielson retreat into the corner at one point. Danielson finds an opening to lock in a surfboard as the crowd gets on his case. They exchange uppercuts and trade control of a japanese stranglehold. The action goes to the floor where Danielson gets sent into the barricade. Homicide hits rolling suplexes in the ring. He goes for a diving headbutt but Adam Pearce and Shane Hagadorn attack him. They lay out Homicide with a spike shoulderbreaker as Danielson walks away with his title. Todd Sinclair rules that the match WILL NOT end in this way. The crowd pop is huge. Danielson’s reaction is priceless. Homicide connects with a facewash kick and hits an overhead suplex. Danielson hits a shoulderbreaker and starts going after Homicide’s previously injured body part. Homicide comes back by countering a diving headbutt into an ace crusher. Both men are down. Homicide suplexes Danielson to the floor and follows out with a dive. Danielson charges at Homicide but collides with the ringpost, hurting his shoulder as well. He creates some space by coming off the middle rope with an uppercut. Danielson connects with a diving headbutt and hits a german suplex. Homicide applies an arm submission out of nowhere. Danielson anticipates a dive and sends Homicide into the crowd. He lands a springboard dive onto Homicide in the crowd. In the ring, Homicide counters a back superplex with a crossbody for a nearfall. Danielson crotches him on the top rope and succeeds in hitting the back superplex this time. Homicide makes the ropes to escape a crossface chickenwing. Danielson tries to get disqualified but Sinclair won’t allow it. Danielson goes to Cattle Mutilation and reigns down MMA elbows. Homicide dodges a roaring elbow and hits the Cop Killa for a nearfall. He gets frustrated and grabs the ring bell. Sinclair takes the bell. Danielson low blows Homicide and small packages him for a two count. Homicide connects with a lariat to become the new ROH World Champion at 30:37. This match was the culmination of so many subplots. Danielson tried every trick he knew to leave with the title but for once none of them worked. You also had Homicide exploiting Danielson’s recent shoulder problems and fighting himself to not get disqualified. Given Homicide’s short title reign, I think the value was in his chase and as the payoff of his journey for the title, this match was quite the spectacle. This is worth watching for the storytelling alone as it remains once of the best moments in ROH history in my opinion. ****

Overall: Unless this compilation was a complete rehash of previous ones (which it’s not), I cannot see how a compilation documenting Danielson’s ROH World Title reign would not receive a recommendation. Not only is the match quality extremely high, but the match selection gives you a lot of unique opponents from Chris Sabin to Alex Shelley to Colt Cabana. Additionally, I think Danielson’s matches against KENTA and Homicide are required viewing not just for huge Danielson fans but for any fan who wants to better understand the history of Ring of Honor. As expected, this compilation earns a strong recommendation unless you already own most of the matches.

You can purchase this DVD at Ring of Honor’s store right here.

The post ROH: Bryan Danielson: World Champion Review appeared first on PWPonderings.com.

Jerome Cusson is back to preview the 2013 J.T. Lightning Invitational with three huge guests. RSP, Kimber Lee, and John Thorne are all here to talk about the significance of the tournament, memories of J.T. Lightning, the rise of AIW, and their own individual paths in professional wrestling. Some great insight from everyone as you get almost exactly two hours of hype for one of AIW’s biggest weekends of the year.

Note: There was an interview with Josh Prohibition recorded. Unfortunately, there were some hissing and microphone issues. We may release it as a bonus on iTunes, but we want to see if we can correct the audio first.

To get this and all of our weekly exclusive podcasts subscribe to us on iTunes right now by clicking here! Thanks.

We are also on Stitcher app for Droid phones. Just Download the Stitcher app and look up PWP Podcasts

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The post The Interview Show- J.T. Lightning Preview Show appeared first on PWPonderings.com.

One of the biggest issues I believe Wrestling is franchises face is consistency. Because so many of them are being cancelled or there is some questionable continuity among these companies and Chikara, it’s sometimes tough to really sink your teeth into what they have to offer. A really solid example of what is plaguing these Wrestling is promotions is the Wrestling Fun show from March 23, 2013. Not only were there a number of rehashed matches from recent Chikaraverse events, but there were also a number of questionable  finishes, which did nothing but attempt to forward non-existent storylines and ultimately hurt the quality of the matches.

From an in-ring perspective, nothing stood out. The only two matches I thought actively engaged the audience and delivered in the ring were Jaka versus Hallowicked and assailANT versus Mr. Touchdown, Mark Angelosetti. assailANT took the Banana championship since he is be unable to compete for the Young Lion’s Cup being that’s 28 years old. Although more of a sprint, the action was solid, and they built off what they did in the Tampa Chikara show pretty well. Jaka continues to be an impressive character, but I question the booking given the situation both of these men have been put in recently. Wicked was obviously on a roll in Chikara and was scheduled for a Grand Championship match. Why is he losing clean by submission to someone like Jaka, who hasn’t been booked strong lately and has in fact lost a number of matches to people like Saturyne. If Jaka is in line for a big push or coming to Chikara, I’m more than okay with him getting such a huge win. Otherwise, this didn’t make any sense despite the high quality of the match.

We might as well talk about Sidney Bakabella since he was all over this show from the beginning until the semi-main event. To start the show, Bakabella proclaimed his recent achievement of becoming the Thumb Wars champion of the world. He took on a staff member and photographer. After defeating them, he challenged a young child only to succumb his championship of best thumb war wrestler in the world. This was a cute segment live and at least lived up to the billing of wrestling being fun. Bakabella was also around for part of the Jaka match as there was some obvious scouting going on. I presume Bakabella will be managing him in the near future. Immediately following that match, he led Oleg against Dasher Hatfield. Hatfield had the victory until Bakabella pulled him out of the ring. Oleg hit a ridiculously hard forearm to the side of the head. Of all the various characters in this universe, Oleg is connecting with me the least. He’s just a guy who constantly thinks he’s won the match. He brings minimal intensity and is more of a comedy threat. I spoke about the continuity before, but I find it goofy Oleg gets put over against someone like Hatfield but then loses the next day. More on that in my Wrestling is Respect review. Finally, Bakabella led Devastation Corporation to victory as became involved once again. Poor Jervis Cottonbelly substituted for Fire Ant and took the Death Blow in a solid match. Green Ant has fairly good chemistry with this team and isn’t afraid to dole out punishment. None of the matches were particularly special, but they weren’t bad either. Not a fan of any of the finishes however.

Speaking of bad finishes, Kimber Lee and Saturyne had one for the record books.  Satuyne won their first match in February, but Lee stole one after introducing a hammer into the proceedings. She pretended Saturyne hit her with the hammer, and the referee disqualified Saturyne. There is a place for a finish like this to be executed well, and with someone like Eddie Guerrero, this could have come across humorously. Here though, there’s no heat. Saturyne won the first match. Why does it matter that Lee stole a match? This is a terrible way to build up a storyline or issue since Saturyne won the first contest clean. If Lee had won the first match, I can see this finish being somewhat defensible. I do like Lee’s princess character as she plays a brat quite well. My issue isn’t with the talent at all but the poor position they were put in courtesy of the booking. However, they didn’t get enough time to develop their match into anything, and the finish killed whatever remaining interest I had in the match.

In keeping with the theme of rematches, the Batiri of Kodama and Kobald defeated Baltic Siege of Estonian Thunderfrog and Latvian Proud Oak thanks to a roll-up. This was an acceptable match with lots of fun shenanigans involving dancing. Of course Bryce Remsburg was involved, and there was even A CONGO LINE!  Stigma lost once again in Wrestling is Fun to Lance Steel. This was the opener of the show and was completely missable. Stigma is roughly the same as he ever was in Chikara. Jolly Roger teased Stigma becoming Shane Storm post-match, but I don’t see that making much of a difference. Juan Francisco de Coronado was supposed to keep the rematch theme going against Mike Quackenbush, but he wrestled Jolly Roger instead. Thanks to Herbert shoving Roger into the post, de Coronado won another match in Wrestling is Fun. The heat was taken away immediately as Amasis won a quick four minute encounter. Just a big pile of meh. De Coronado has shown flashes of being something potentially good, but this evening, particularly being in two nothing matches and needing his servant to get the victory in one of them, did him absolutely no favors.

Even for five dollars, I can’t say this particular Wrestling is Fun was worth my viewing time. I’m not expecting big things, but good wrestling and finishes that make sense are practically mandatory. This show lacked in both.

Grade: D+

**********************************************************************************************************************

Taped from Allentown, Pennsylvania

Commentators: Gavin Loudspeaker, Mike Quackenbush, Ultramantis Black, Bryce Remsburg, Brendan O’Donnell, and Leonard F. Chikarason

Quick results, times, and ratings:

- Lance Steel defeats Stigma by submission with the Boston crab/5:38/*1/2

-Kimber Lee defeats Saturyne by disqualification/7:28/*

-Juan Francisco de Coronado (w/Herbert) defeats Jolly Roger by count-out/3:15/*

-Amasis defeats Juan Francisco de Coronado with a rolling forearm/3:50/*1/2

-The Batiri (Kodama and Kobald w/Ophidian) defeat Baltic Siege (Latvian Proud Oak and Estonian Thunderfrog) after Kobald rolls Thunderfrog up /13:42/**1/4

-Jaka defeats Hallowicked by submission/11:34/***1/4

-Oleg the Usurper (w/Sydney Bakabella) defeats Dasher Hatfield by pinfall after a forearm blow to the side of the head/13:01/**3/4

-Devastation Corporation (Blaster McMassive and Max Smashmaster) Green Ant and Jervis Cottonbelly via pinfall after the Death Blow on Cottonbelly/11:10/**

-Banana Championship: assailANT defeats Mark Angelosetti via submission with the Code Blue to become the new champion/9:58/**3/4

For more information, including upcoming events, check out their website. You can also find them on their Twitter. To purchase mp4s of their shows, check out my friends at Smart Mark Video (for only five dollars). For streams of this show, all the other Wrestling is franchises, and live iPPVs, check out, SMVOD.

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The post Wrestling is Fun 03.23.2013 MP4 Review appeared first on PWPonderings.com.

The event took place at the Corbin Civic Center on December 1, 2012. After 2 events at the same venue to enthusiastic & responsive crowds, the Little Indie Promotion that Could had their final event of the year. This event was performed in front of its largest crowd to date. As with every PWF show, new faces are introduced & familiar faces rise to stardom.

“Picture Perfect” Jordan Kage vs. Sean “Virus” Harddrive. In the first shows of PWF, this was one of the most intense rivalries which produced really good matches & got both guys over with the fans. It definitely showed that both individuals were familiar with not only professional wrestling, but with each other. Each move appeared to be a calculated strike met with an equally effective counterstrike with each act of offense playing to each man’s strength. In the end, it was a Picture Perfect counter to a hurricanrana into a sunset flip. Winner: Jordan Kage. Post match featured Virus demanding Kage shake his hand which Kage complied with spitting in Virus’s face.

“Real Deal” Derek Neal vs. Corey Statik. For those of you old enough to remember watching World Championship Wrestling (not WCW) on TBS at 9:05am & 6:05pm on Saturdays, you may remember what is called in the industry as the squash. This match definitely reminded me of one of those with Neal simply dominating Statik who managed to hit a decent cutter. The match ended 3 seconds after Neal hit his inverted tiger driver like maneuver. Winner: Derek Neal.

Mad Man Pondo vs. Jordan Christopher- Hardcore Match. Remember what I said earlier about squash matches? Its Pondo against some local guy who looks like he hit a growth spurt 6 weeks earlier. Imagine this: take a lawnmower, turn it on, lay it on its side. Then take a kitten & throw it into the moving blades. That’s what this match looked like it would be (before you start getting outraged, I don’t condone animal cruelty because I consider it barbaric & I love my pets). But, I have to say, this match was pretty ugly. It had a lot of stops & starts & really lacked any sense of excitement except for Christopher diving off the top onto Pondo on the ringside floor. In the end, the sledgehammer/cinder block vasectonomy & the stop sign were too much for the local. Winner: Mad Man Pondo.

Ryan Dookie vs. BJ Whitmer. Whitmer comes out wearing a ROH shirt while Dookie comes out wearing a PWF shirt. So it looks not only like an international star vs. a local guy but it was like watching Ring of Honor vs. Pro Wrestling Freedom. These 2 couldn’t look any more different: Whitmer being a hardened veteran who maintains fighting shape while Dookie looks like Wolverine after spending 4 hours at a buffet & hibernating in the vaults of Fort Knox. Match went very well with both wrestlers carrying their own weight & moving from one move to another like watching the passing of the tides. In the end, PWF- 1, ROH- 0. Winner: Ryan Dookie. Derek Neal attacked Dookie post match & placed a plastic bag over his head with Virus making the save.

In the Wolf Den the legendary Dutch Mantell is the guest. When you get a regional legend & an international legend, there’s always going to be conflict. Well, with Bobby Blade, there’s always going to be conflict (I would say it’s his middle name but it’s probably Cornelius or something). So as the Original Prankster exchanges barbs with The Man Soon to be Known as Zeb Colter, Sweet & Juicy come to ringside & want to have a few words with the Hairy Dutchman. After hearing all he was going to hear, Mantell called for the beginning of the next match with the beginning of Zodiak’s music.

Sweet & Juicy vs. Zodiak & JR Roc- Double Strap Match (Dutch Mantell special guest referee). Zodiak’s previous partner had to withdraw for unknown reasons, so he brought in his partner who makes up Nightmare, Inc which is their team in other promotions. If you’ve never seen him, J.R. Roc looks like a lanky version of a bass guitarist in a Celtic metal band. This match can best be described as a beatdown. The sound that resonated across the arena was familiar to those who misbehaved as children before social workers became highly annoying. Both teams left there with welts, but only 1 was the victor. Winner: Zodiak & JR Roc.

“The Human Devastation Device” Dustin Rayz (w/Father Fear) vs. “The Iron Demon” Shane Mercer. Before the match Mercer comes out & says a few words before calling out Rayz. Rayz walks out with his partner in crime like a lion sizing up a zebra before taking it down. As soon as the bell was sounded, Hell was unleashed. Rayz mounted the most offense with strikes & with so much ferocity that if Mercer didn’t have the muscle mass he has, then you’d probably hear his bones explode outside the Civic Center. Mercer did mount high impact offense himself, even hitting his finisher but the pin was stopped by Father Fear climbing up on the apron & interrupting the count. With Mercer distracted, Rayz attacked him & executed him finisher; a double underhook piledriver I learned he calls the Affliction Driver. Considering how hard he spiked him on the mat, you’d think the guy whom in many promotions is called Diablo would have fallen straight to Hell. But a weakened Iron Demon struggled to his feet but couldn’t recover before the Human Devastation Device knocked him out with repeated knees to his head forcing the referee to call for the bell. Winner: Dustin Rayz. After the bell, an enraged Rayz proceeded to demolish an unconscious Mercer with even more knees including the ones from the leg that is partially metal, which collided with Mercer’s skull, which is bone. After more strikes, John Bullard gets involved & warns Rayz to not hit Mercer with another knee; which Rayz ignores in an act of defiance with Father Fear smiling & even showing Bullard that he may have been a hippie in the past, but he broke off the index finger of his peace symbol. These actions left the owner no choice but to suspend both aggressors for the January show & throwing them out of the Civic Center.

Kyle Matthews vs. Jason “The Gift” Kincaid (w/Kole Layton King). This match can be described in one word: classic. The stars aligned that night as the match that many promotions have been trying to book for years comes to pass in a small venue just up the road from the first Kentucky Fried Chicken. The only blemish was the interference of KLK early in the match which caused the referee to promptly eject the Texas bully from ringside. After that magic ensued. Both men showed why accolades are heaped upon them as they threw every move they could at each other with precision. After a series of exciting near falls, it was The Gift who gave Matthews an early Christmas present. Winner: Kyle Matthews.

Hy Zaya vs. Lennox Norris- 2 Out of 3 Falls w/No DQ. The oldest rivalry in PWF is definitely The Hood Ninja vs. The Bronze God. This match started like a violent dance where there were many strikes & counters to the other’s moves. The first fall was scored in a controversial fashion as it appears the referee made a mistake in the count. Fall 1: Hy Zaya. The second fall was scored after a fast flurry of strikes & scored after a neckbreaker. Fall 2: Lennox Norris. Tied 1-1, both men go at each other with wreckless abandon as the crowd reaction starts to pick up in anticipation of the final fall. The victor goes back to The West Side of The Ville with a win in the PWF’s last match of 2012. Fall 3 & Winner of the match: Hy Zaya.

The new faces? The one that stands out is the ring announcer with Digger departing to concentrate on what’s important in his life (good luck & many blessings to you sir), & the debut of Brian Sizemore & his now famous bowtie; the moniker “The Bowtie Bandit” came later. On an side note, the chant of “bowtie” was apparent all through the evening even thought it wasn’t captured on the DVD. This was also the debut of BJ Whitmer who put over Ryan Dookie 2 weeks before being thrown head first through a table by Charlie Haas at Ring of Honor’s Final Battle 2012. Sizemore’s here to stay, as for Whitmer? Time will tell.

All in all, a show with a few good matches & 1 great one. It was a great way to close the year for PWF who had seen their fanbase grow exponentially in those 3 shows of 2012. The only thing that diminishes the experience is the DVD. Not the cover, that was rather well done (despite the fact that “devastation” is misspelled), but the format of the DVD. There is no play all selection on the disk & the main page is the match selection page. The camera work shows some static shots & you can tell the difference in the quality of the cameras used for this event. Of all the DVDs PWF has worked on to date, I’d like to see them so back & reedit this disk with a home page with more options. If possible, I would like to see them remix the audio because the commentary of Aaron Rose & Bobby Blade is hilarious. But like I’ve said before, even good companies have some growing pains.

Now go check out a local show.

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