IWA

[vtturk]

Well, I'm back into Legends after a break of a few months and thought that it might be time to report on the latest in my long time Legends Fed: the IWA. I should note that I'm still not sure what it stands for other than that it's international in scope meaning northeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada. The reason that I thought that this report was due is that I just completed the milestone of my 250th card which was a major PPV Event called Battleground I. My Fed had been heavily influenced by bootlegs until I decided that there were more than enough official wrestlers that I no longer needed to use them and have been in a process of fading them out.

My Fed currently runs two two cards per week, one on Tuesday at a small venue and one on Saturday at a larger venue. My current run is also being measured out in a calendar year so Battleground was held on the fourth Saturday in June at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. This special event was the culmination of some of the best feuds that I've ever run. It featured 13 matches and no fewer that 8 Championship matches. Commentary for all of my matches is provided by the team of Buff Bagwell and Jesse Ventura.

Battleground opened with the relatively new team, Desolation Angels (Giant Bernard & King Kong Bundy) using their superior size and strength to defeat the C&C Wrestle Factory. Match #2 featured the settling of a major grudge between the Corporation's ( a major faction headed by Paul Heyman) Chief of Security, The Mountie, taking on a disgruntled for Corporation security guard, John Pesek in a Shock Stick Match. Pesek was able to prevail in a closely contested and brutal match earning The Mountie a firing by Heyman. Heyman held high hopes that his stable would walk away with several belts as his wrestlers had consistently beaten the reigning champions in the weeks leading up to this event. He was able to achieve the start of his dreams when, in the inaugural Womens's Championship match, Sherri Martel defeated Athena to give the Corporation a 1-0 mark. Match #4 featured the culmination of a major grudge match between two warring factions: Dick Murdock's Redneck faction with him, Curt Hennig and Hacksaw Jim Duggan agreed to a 6 man tag team match with the faction of D-Lo Brown, 2 Cold Scorpio and Jerry Lynn. Lynn managed to pin Mr. Perfect for the win but Larry Hennig joined the Rednecks in an ambush of Lynn leaving him injured and on the canvas. So, a match that was destined as a conclusion is now simply another chapter in the ongoing story. Match #5 saw the inauguration of the East Coast Championship and the belt went to Bobby Shane who, with the help of his manager Jimmy Hart, defeated Johnny Saint. The first Can-Am Tag Championship say Eddy Creatchman's Ultimate Nightmares (Mad Dog Vachon & The French Angel) defeat rivals PG-13. Match #7 was a First Blood Match as William Muldoon defeated Kevin Sullivan handily. Muldoon had warned Sullivan that he was coming after him for his history of dirty tactics and brutalizing opponents: "If he wants to be out for blood, let him live with the consequences." In a Falls Count Anywhere Match Rick Rude settled his feud with Finlay once and for all. The U.S. Championship was Match #9 and saw the Corpaorations's Chief Financial Officer, Ted DiBiase, lose to defending champ Greg "The Hammer" Valentine despite his earlier defeat of Valentine in a previous non-title match. In the International Tag Team Championship Match, the Atomic Blondes (Freddie Blassie & Ray Stevens) defeated a clearly outclassed team of the Tolos Brothers. Match #11 was for the vacant Intercontinental Championship left open by injury to and subsequent retirement of Bret Hart. In a Last Man Standing Match the heated rivalry of Roddy Piper and the Corporation's George Hackenschmidt came to a head when a relentless Piper finished off a game Hackenschmidt to take the belt. The IWA Tag Team Championship was featured next and it saw the long time champs, The Fabulous Kangaroos go down to defeat after holding the title for 69 cards. The new Champions are the Blackjacks, Mulligan and Lanza. And, finally, the IWA Heavyweight Championship saw one more defeat for the Corporation when Rikidozan, who had bested the champ in their previous three non-title matches went down in a one sided loss to champion Randy Savage.

So, that's the update on my Fed. Card 251 is underway and we've seen several great interview segments from Dirty Dick's Dive with Dick Murdoch, the Lo-Down with D-Lo Brown and Piper's Pit as well as an interview from Mean Gene Okerlund. There are new wrestlers coming in, new tag teams forming, some familiar names leaving and I'm looking forward to building the anticipation for the next big event.

If folks are interested I'll provide updates and fill in some of the background on the current roster. Thanks for reading.

[vtturk]

The IWA recently returned to action after a long break. The Corporation, once a major story line for me, has faded into obscurity thanks to lack of success and Ted DiBiase's buying out of many of the wrestlers including Jimmy Hart's stable which included Intercontinental Champion rick Rude and East Coast Champion Bobby Shane. I'm currently gathering up some story lines as I progress through some matches. IT currently appears as if the Dick Murdoch's Redneck faction has dedicated itself to ridding the IWA of "foreigners and other inferior types." That faction includes Murdoch, The Blackjacks (Mulligan and Lanza), Larry Hennig and Jim Duggan with a promise to recruit more. The Blackjacks have had their hands full with the Fabulous Kangaroos and currently hod the IWA Tag Team Championship. Larry Hannig recently sent D'Lo Brown to injury list and they are compiling a list of potential targets.

Randy Savage and Roddy Piper are wrangling over the IWA Championship belt currently held by Piper who has systematically eliminated several top contenders.

[vtturk]

Back in action again after completing a full calendar year of 2 matches per week over 12 months. The big new Year's Eve card featured all championships up for grabs and the creation of 2 new titles to give opportunities up and down the roster.

The current IWA Champ is Randy Savage,the Intercontinental Champion is Edge and the US Champion is Kevin Sullivan all under the management of the mysterious Father James Mitchell who has exercised uncanny control over his wrestlers in ring performances and interviews. To start the new year he has announced the recruitment of a Tag Team consisting of Steve Williams and Terry Gordy to be called "The Miracle Violence Connection." Opposing Mitchell's champions are former IWA champ Roddy Piper, Rick Rude, Rikidozan, Harley Race, William Muldoon, Intercontinental challenger Bryan Danielson, former US Champion Finlay along with Eddie Gilbert, 2 Cold Scorpio, Tyler Black, Jon Moxley, Lord Zoltan, Johnny Saint and others.

The IWA also boasts an East Coast Champion who is currently Larry Zbyszsko and a TV Champion: Exotic Adrian Street managed by JJ Dillon. Zbyszsko will now appear in ring with a new manager: women's Champion Sherri Martel.

In the Tag Team Division the current IWA Champions are Bobby Heenan's Atomic Blondes (Freddie Blassie and Ray Stevens) challenged by The Blackjacks, Mr Fuji's "New Japan Alliance" of Giant Baba and Mr. Saito and Ted DiBiase's Intercontinental Champions: "Desolation Angels:" King Kong Bundy and Giant Bernard. Other teams include "Soul Patrol" (Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson), the Rock'N Roll Express, PG-13, "Law and Disorder" (The Mountie and Angelo Mosca), the Bushwackers and a couple of others that serve mainly as tests to new teams.

I've set up some of the major feuds by running a news show of interviews and keep segments of each card open to interviews in order to add background to any tensions.

There are other managers and teams featured: Jimmy Hart, Eddie Creachman, Nikita Breznikov, Rock Riddle and Dick Murdoch. I have several planned newcomers to the various managers and am actively running a Women's Division using simply the LWF cards. My second card of the year will by my 300th with this Fed and I am actively planning it as I work through the first broadcast of the year.

[vtturk]

My IWA just completed card #334 in it's lifespan. I completed a re-organization of my Fed to all-color with the exception of Freddie Blassie. We now run 5 individual championships and 3 tag team championships. The Fed runs two shows per week, one live on Saturday and one studio taped on Tuesday. Venues are throughout New England, Quebec and the Maritimes.

The latest Fed championship news: " Lightning" Rod Fenton defended his New England title by defeating former champion Tiger Conway,jr. The Canadian Championship belt was successfully defended by Paul "The Butcher" Vachon against Thunderbolt Patterson. Continuing to move up the ladder, Jackie Fargo (managed by Jimmy Hart) defeated "Mad Dog" Vachon to take Mad Dog's US Championship belt. The International Championship just changed hands when Frank Gotch bested both Don Muraco and his interfering manager Mr. Fuji to win the belt. The top belt, my IWA Championship just changed hands as well when Nick Bockwinkel beat Harley Race (managed by Bobby Heenan).

Over in the Tag Team division, the Powers of Pain under Lou Albano bested The Pitbulls decisively after a series of matches ending in DQ's to retain the Canadian-American Championship. The International Tag Team Championship was successfully defended again by The Valiant Brothers when they defeated The Killer Bees. The IWA Tag Team Championship remains the most hotly contested as The Rock N' Roll Express kept the belts via a DQ over The Blackjack Family (Blackjack Mulligan and Barry Windham).

There are a couple of hot feuds that have emerged as well: Johnny Valentine and Stan Hansen have had a series of matches all end in DQ's, same for Mr Hughes and The Sandman. There are also some Fed stars who have consistent success enough to scare off some of the champions: 2 Cold Scorpio has been avoided by both Max Dog Vachon and his successor Jackie Fargo and Roddy Piper remains the top contender for the IWA belt.

I'm not much of a fan of "gimmicky" wrestlers such as Al Snow or Abdullah The Butcher. I do like a mix of competitors from different eras but I've been watching wrestling since the 1960's so have a pretty wide group of familiar wrestlers to pick from. But I've also enjoyed adding in wrestlers that are just interesting to me. One favorite is William Muldoon who has been a top competitor for a long time with me. I currently have a roster of 28 individuals and 15 Tag Teams. I run 8 matches per event so that allows for a nice variety of appearances. Jimmy Hart, Lou Albano and Bobby Heenan each manage an individual and a tag team, Mr. Fuji, JJ Dillon and Jim Cornette are involved either with an individual a team. Teddy Long is the Commissioner and Gary Michael Cappetta is the ring announcer. I also keep a stable of jobbers to welcome the newcomers both individually and for tag teams.

There have been so many great recent releases that I've incorporated into my roster and so many still waiting an opportunity that I see my Fed staying frsh and interesting for a long time to came.

[vtturk]

With time off from my Fed due to my retirement and all the financial stuff around that, a little time off for illness and COVID and the starting of a new job it's about time to start things going again. With Paul Orndorff on the way that was a pretty good incentive.
What I wanted to ask everyone was a question about balance in your Fed between heels and faces. I feel like I've gone a little too balanced in the percentages.
How have you all handled that balance?
Bob

[vtturk]

Presuming that everyone is busy with their own Feds I'll just update and say that I've gone for introducing a new set of heels as my effort to re-balance.
I've held three cards since my last posting. Here's a summary of results:
Juventud Guerrera settled a lengthy feud by humiliating Lightning Rod Fenton and winning the New England Championship and promised that he would give other opponents a chance at the title.
Butcher Vachon and Eddie Gilbert traded DQ's before Gilbert defeated the Butcher in a Texas Death Match to win the Canadian Championship belt.
Vampiro and Jackie Fargo and their respective managers James Mitchell (Vampiro) and Jimmy Hart (Fargo) went at each other over a couple of matches before Vampiro took the victory and the United States Championship from Fargo when Jimmy Hart was caught with his pants down, literally, by MItchell and Vampiro allowing Mitchell's man to overwhelm Fargo for a decisive win. There is a rumor that Fargo is upset enough with Hart that he may fire him.
Frank Gotch and Mad Dog Vachon met in a pair of matches. Vachon complained that he won the first match 3 times but that slow counts by referee Joey Marella handed the match to Gotch. He got his revenge on the next card when he used the Mad Dog Pounce to crush Gotch and set up a match for Gotch's International Championship.
After a stunningly one sided defeat of IWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel William Mulddon was given a title shot and made good on it. He dominated Bockwinkel and finished him with a 3/4 Nelson to win the belt.
Over on the Tag Team side he new team of Mark Henry and Bad News Brown did battle with the Valiant brothers in a pair of matches. Henry and Brown won the non-title match but the Valiant Brothers turned it up in the Title Match bloodying Mark Henry and retaining their International Tag Team Championship. Angry at Bad News' rhetoric after the first match Jimmy and Johnny went after him after pinning him resulting in an arm injury to Brown.
At the top of the tag team ranks The British Bulldogs soundly defeated The Blackjacks (Mulligan and Barry Windham) in a non-title match to earn a shot at the belts. The Championship Match was all that and a bag of chips. Both the Dynamite Kid and Barry Windham are all but out on their feet when Davey Boy Smith rallies the team and uses the Tower of London to pin Mulligan and win the IWA Tag Team Championship.
The only belt that saw little action from the contenders was the Can-Am Tag Team championship held by the Powers of Pain. But the team of Don Curtis and Bob Roop with a win over top challengers The Blanchards seem poised to go for it all.
The Women's division has begun play and new challengers have had victorious debuts over some of the jobbers: Buddy Rogers, Big John Studd, Dirty Dutch Mantell, Playboy Buddy Rose, Dutch Savage, Stevie Richards and Tony Anthony are all entering singles competition and the new tag team calling itself The Nuclear Blondes is set to debut on the next card. Pat Patterson met Terry Gordy while he was rehabbing from an injury suffered when he was teamed with Freddie Blassie as The Atomic Blondes when they were IWA Tag Team Champions. He has a grudge out for Blassie's simply replacing him with Ray Stevens and moving on.
So, that's the latest from my fed.
Bob

[bookerbill]

Jul 18, 2023 7:17:04 GMT -5 vtturk said:

With time off from my Fed due to my retirement and all the financial stuff around that, a little time off for illness and COVID and the starting of a new job it's about time to start things going again. With Paul Orndorff on the way that was a pretty good incentive.
What I wanted to ask everyone was a question about balance in your Fed between heels and faces. I feel like I've gone a little too balanced in the percentages.
How have you all handled that balance?
Bob

Good question

My one week in Ontario fed roster is decided by the roll of the dice so any balance is out of my hands completely. I have had of plenty of cards where I have been short on faces especially when a face has earned a title shot against a face champion. Does make for some interesting booking.

[vtturk]

I've opted to introduce just heels into the Fed to balance things out a bit more. I have done some all face matches in the past but generally try to avoid them if possible. Before introducing the new guys I was going to be faced with doing several of those type of matches.
Over the past two cards there have been several exciting matches as I continue to introduce some new talent into the Fed.
The Nuclear Blondes team of Pat Patterson and Terry Gordy met the Cowboys team up of Sam Houston and Scott Casey and promptly humiliated themselves by barely winning the match. While Freddie Blassie took the time to grab the mike and laugh himself silly at their performance, they quickly scheduled a match against the Killer Bees on the next card and...lost. Blair and Brunzell cornered Patterson and were relentless in their win. An attempt to interview Patterson after the match resulted in a mic shoved in his face by Patterson for Gordon Solie.
Don Curtis and Bob Roop capitalized on their win vs the Blanchards to take on the Can-Am Champs Powers of Pain in a non title match that ended in a DQ of The Barbarian.
Frank Gotch and Mad Dog Vachon continued their feud in a match for Gotch's International Championship but the match ended in a double DQ when Dick Woehrle had enough of both of them brawling on the arena floor.
Just before the start of his match with Don Leo Jonathan, Jackie Fargo publicly fired Jimmy Hart after his humiliating performance that cost Fargo his title. But with no-one in his corner to distract the ref, Joey Marella DQ'd Fargo for pulling an object from his trunks and attacking Jonathan. It left Fargo with no option to face a a seriously pissed off Jonathan in a re-match.
In a stunner in a non-title match Joey Marella DQ'd William Muldoon when he pursued a fleeing Roddy Piper outside of the ring.
The Women's Division continues to produce exciting matches. Trish Stratus and Toni Rose battered each other silly before Stratus used a chick kick to get the hard fought win in a bloodbath. And Leilani Kai left Molly Holly bleeding as she took an impressive win.
All of the singles newcomers have won their inaugural matches and are now positioned to start challenging some tougher opponents.
Off to the Civic Center in Augusta, Maine for the next card.

[vtturk]

It's been a little bit since my last update but the IWA has been very active with some excellent matches and settling of some feuds. First of all I'm finding that the use of the referees card makes the matches much more interesting. Joey Marella's slow counts have led to much controversy over several cards. Dick Woehrle remains the steadying factor throughout and I've taken to giving him the assignments on my Saturday card while reserving the Tuesday night matches for Marella and James Beard.
Juventud Guerrera successfully defended his New England Championship against The Grappler in a close series of matches that will likely earn the masked man another shot.
The Canadian Championship changed hands at the last match in June. Champion Eddie Gilbert and challenger Playboy Buddy Rose met and Rose absolutely dominated the match for a second time taking the belt. Marella was likely guilty of an early slow count but Rose refocused his efforts and got the job done before rubbing it in Gilbert's face.
The Powers of Pain continue to hold the Can-Am Tag Team championship but are engaged in a serious feud with the Blanchards and have exchanged some matches ending in a DQ.
Vampiro, with manager James Michell's help, has continued to hold the US Championship but is in a series of DQ matches with Dirty Dutch Mantell.
The International Tag Team Championship seemed solidly in the hands of the Valiant Brothers. But they decided, for some reason to give the Killer Bees a championship match and the Bees responded by overwhelming the Valiants with their teamwork to take the belts.
The International Championship changed hands when Mad Dog Vachon took the measure of Frank Gotch over a couple of matches.
The top level IWA Tag Team Championship remains in the hands of the British Bulldogs who are currently under fire from the former champions: The Blackjacks (Mulligan and Windham).
The most unstable of the championships has been the IWA Championship itself. William Muldoon took the belt from Roddy Piper in a rematch but lost it to Bob Backlund when Backlund, barely hanging on from the damage suffered at Muldoon's hands, rallied to take the match and win the title.
The Women's Division finally has their champion as well when Trish Stratus defeated Leilani Kai in a stunningly quick match.
The next big piece of news is the upcoming 350th Card Anniversary Celebration. This is scheduled over two nights, the first to be held at the Montreal Forum this coming Friday followed by a Saturday evening card at Boston Garden.

[vtturk]

The IWA 350th Blast took place over two consecutive nights in two different venues appropriate for a Fed based in both New England and Maritime Canada.
The Friday night card was held at the Montreal Forum and began with hometown favorite Paul "The Butcher" Vachon earning a DQ for smashing The Sandman into an announcers' table at ringside.
The Nuclear Blondes team of Terry Gordy and Pat PAtterson finally earned a victory over a quality opponent when they defeated the team of Don Curtis and Bob Roop.
Dutch Savage finally lived up tohis early hype when he unleashed a vicious series of attacks on Big John Studd from the opening bell and left the big man bloody and barely able to stand while earning the victory.
Tony Anthony had little trouble in defeating the Grappler and, likewise ,Nora Greenwald easily defeated Malia Hosaka.
The Atomic Blondes team of Freddie Blassie and Ray Stevens viciously beat Ricky Morton to a bloody mess and turned on Robert Gibson leaving him injured at the end of their match.
Local heavy favorite Mad Dog Vachon put his International Championship on the line against Don Leo Jonathan in a rematch that highlighted their bad blood. This time it was the Mormon Giant who emerged victorious and even took out an interfering Butcher Vachon with a huge elbow on his way to victory and the belt.
In a tense and tight match Roddy Piper was getting the best of Buddy Rogers when the Nature Boy suddenly turned the tables coming off the turnbuckle and catching Piper with his signature Figure Four Grapevine to get the win.
In the Feature match The IWA Tag Team Championship changed hands when the Blackjacks defeated the British Bulldogs to reclaim the belts.
It was an evening full of blood and mayhem and referee James Beard played a role by letting the opponents go at each other. It set the stage for the second night of action at Boston Garden on Saturday.