Cory's IPW

[Cory Olson]

If you've been reading my USWA thread under the LOW Feds, you will see that I am starting my own Impact Pro Wrestling (IPW). As I write this, I have actually played through game year May 2019. Before I start posting results with storylines, I thought I'd give a behind-the-scenes look at things.

As I mentioned before, this will take place in the same universe as my USWA. IPW will recognize the USWA World Heavyweight and World Tag Team titles as their World titles while recognizing their own IPW Heavyweight and Tag Team champions. For the first year, I probably won't have a lot of crossover matches, as I want IPW to establish its own identity.

For those that used to read my Great Lakes Championship Wrestling results from the Uncharted Territory team's World-Wide Wrestling Alliance, the schedule of the cards will be similar. I will do a TV taping at the Vault (IPW's training center) at the start of a game month, followed by a card at the end of the month at one of the Iowa arenas where IPW runs or has run in the past. Since this is in the same universe as the USWA, I will try to play the cards according to their date. So if the USWA has a card on February 4, 2019 and IPW has an Action from The Vault TV taping on February 2, I would play the IPW taping first. For this first year, with little crossover, I won't be as strict but if I start having USWA stars come to IPW shows, I will be stricter to avoid any time inconsistencies with title changes, injuries, etc.

The TV matches will have time limits. For matches that I would have rated under three stars, I won't list that rating in my write-ups. The big cards at the end of the month will not have time-limit matches and I will do ratings for every match, as I do for the USWA. The monthly cards were smaller to start but I have already added a couple of matches in the later cards. I am going to keep a separate count of total cards for historical purposes of the TV shows vs. the monthly cards, mainly because the first month of TV won't have any first-run matches. Down the line, I can imagine that I might use certain TV episodes to recap and highlight recent cards and not have any first-run matches in the Vault, similar to how I do my USWA TV recaps.

January 2019 will start with TV shows of Action from The Vault without matches but videos hyping up the stars you will see. The first card took place in Des Moines on January 26. I will do short recaps of those shows to announce which wrestlers will join the roster.

The roster will consist of guys from the IPW sets, various indie sets, and even a few LOW guys who might fit the flavor of the fed. You will see that I'm not using all the IPW guys at once and you may be surprised by one name who won't debut until later. My goal is for the IPW guys to be regulars in the fed and be the ones winning the belts most often. But obviously, I can't control that and I'm happy if others are long-term champions. All IPW wrestlers, with one exception for the first year, will use the Indie Advantage Rules that Zeke Vegas came up with for the first IPW set. (Zeke and I have actually added a few more factors to those rules, which will eventually come out in the Ringside Companion, Volume 2.) If IPW wrestlers compete against each other, I will use their basic stats.

I have been having a blast playing with cards I have had for a while (Indies) but that I might not ever use in my USWA. And it's been a blast playing with cards for guys I have met and seen many times in action! I waited to start this until the second set came out, as there were some guys I wanted to have at the start of my IPW that didn't have cards in the first set. Christopher Axel Guest (Pariah) did a great job on his old IPW and you will see we had a few common ideas, ones that I had in mind but couldn't implement until I actually started playing my IPW! I want to thank my brother Chad Olson for helping compile a list of venues that IPW has run over the years and giving me a variety of great Midwestern locations to use.

I hope you enjoy reading this and I hope I can keep this going as long as I've been posting my USWA! I will try to get the first TV write-up done soon. Thanks for reading!

[TTX]

Will be looking forward to this fed, Cory. When I manage to get IPW 2, I have plans on revisiting it myself.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Troy for the comments!

IPW Action from The Vault
Episode #1
January 5, 2019

Midnight Guthrie and Luke Raven opened the show from The Vault in Collins. They welcomed IPW Owner Troy Peterson, who thanked the USWA for their support and thanked fans for tuning on KDSM or via YouTube. He said he is excited to bring great wrestling action back to the fans in Iowa! He explained that starting in February, fans will see first-run matches from right here in the Vault. But for the month of January, the shows will be highlighting some of the stars that fans will see in IPW, featuring footage from his previous promotion MPW (Midwest Pro Wrestling), as well as other great Midwestern promotions such as 3XW, MAW (Midwest All-star Wrestling), SDW (Steel Domain Wrestling) both from Minnesota, Metro Pro out of Kansas City, and more.

A video aired highlighting The Inhumane Society—Johnny Fitness, TS Aggressor, and Mr. Destiny! Midwest fans know the havoc these three have caused in wrestling in the last few years. While they started as rulebreakers, they quickly became cheered by many fans in MPW due to their dominance in the ring. The video with a brief promo where Fitness said that they are excited to compete in and dominate this new promotion!

Peterson brought out the IPW Heavyweight and IPW Tag Team championship belts to display. He said that once champions are crowned, they will be expected to defend their titles at least once per calendar month (similar to the USWA’s bylaws). He said that the brackets for the Tag Team title tournament are still being decided but the brackets to crown the first Heavyweight champion have been finalized! Peterson announced that the tournament will be an eight-man elimination format, with two first-round matches taking place on January 26 at the Forte Banquet & Conference Center in Des Moines and the next two taking place on February 23 at the Locker Room Bar & Grill in Algona. The two semifinal matches will headline the IPW card on March 30 at Newton High School. (Newton is west of Des Moines.) And then the championship bout will take place on April 27 at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo, a city with a lot of great wrestling history! Peterson then went through the brackets:
• See Card #1 preview below for details on the first two first-round bouts.
• The other two first-round bouts will be the co-main events for the February 23 card in Algona. Fans will see two members of the Inhumane Society in action. Firstly, Johnny Fitness will take on “The Monarch” Jeremy Wyatt! Formerly, nicknamed “The Rebel,” Wyatt is a former 3XW Heavyweight champion and has been around the Midwest for years. Loyal USWA fans will remember that Wyatt competed against eventually winner Brian Armstrong in the tournament to crown the inaugural USWA Mid-America Heavyweight champion back in 2011 in Nashville.
• The other semi-final will see Fitness’ ally Mr. Destiny take on The Big Picture in what will certainly be a hard-hitting match between two powerhouses! Picture has captured tag team and singles championships but has yet to win the top singles championship in any promotion. He will have a major challenge in Destiny!

Former Mid-America Heavyweight champion “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce was interviewed, flanked by his manager Stu Stone. Stone said that Pearce is the most talented wrestler in the world today and he knows that with his guidance, “Scrap Iron” can capture the IPW Heavyweight championship. Pearce told Midnight that he has already made a name for himself in the Midwest, as well as in the USWA, and now he’s back in the Midwest to dominate and rule. Midnight asked Stone if he would be managing any other wrestlers in IPW. The manager replied that he is planning to establish The Family Stone as the most dominant unit in IPW and that next week, he will announce more members!

Impact Pro Wrestling present its first card on Saturday, January 26 at the Forte Banquet and Conference Center in downtown Des Moines! See history made as the double main event will feature the first two matches in the tournament to crown the IPW Heavyweight champion!
• Nicky Free will take on “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce of the Family Stone! Free is one of the most popular wrestlers in the Midwest. A win over Pearce would not only get him recognition throughout pro wrestling but also take him to the semifinals of the tournament. But with Pearce being one of the first wrestlers announced as being on the IPW roster, he is looking to establish himself as the top star in the new promotion!
• Inhuman Society member TS Aggressor will battle Canadian Eric Young! Young has competed in Border City Wrestling (BCW) and has been a top star in that promotion for years. He is making his way to the U.S. and word has it, he’s not coming alone! We will hear an interview from Young on next week’s Action from The Vault! TS is a former MPW Heavyweight champion and wants to be the top star in IPW as well!
More matches for this debut card will be announced in the coming weeks on Action from The Vault!

Midnight and Luke ended the show by revealing that next week’s episode of Action from The Vault will focus on some of the tag teams that plan to compete in IPW! Thanks for watching!

[Cory Olson]

IPW Action from The Vault
Episode #2
January 12, 2019

Midnight Guthrie and Luke Raven started off the show airing a video from Eric Young, who will take on TS Aggressor on January 26 in Des Moines in the first round of the IPW Heavyweight championship tournament. Young said that Canada is the far superior nation when it comes to wrestling. And he will prove that when Team Canada dominates IPW! He introduced Petey Williams and AJ Smooth, two fellow Canadians who have competed in BCW. He said that they will defeat all Americans or any other nations represented in IPW!

IPW Owner Troy Peterson was joined via satellite by USWA Commissioner Teddy Long. Long was at the WMC-TV Studios in Memphis. The USWA commissioner announced that a few USWA stars have decided to join IPW. Peterson said that he is not trying to steal any USWA talent but these grapplers have made the decision to work primarily in Iowa, due to having wrestled in the Midwest in the past and he is happy to give them opportunities here. Those grapplers are Jake “The Milkman” Milliman, “Sodbuster” Kenny Jay, Nacho Barrera, and “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon! Long thanked these grapplers for their memorable matches and said they are welcome to compete in the USWA anytime! (This interview also aired on USWA Championship Wrestling on WMC-TV and other stations in the South on the same date.)

A video highlighting America’s Most Wanted—the tag team of “Cowboy” James Storm and “Wildcat” Chris Harris! This popular duo has competed in Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) and other promotions around the South. They are adept at double teaming and high-impact wrestling and are not afraid to brawl when needed! Storm often comes to the ring drinking a beer and has been known to use a beer bottle when things get ugly! You can bet that AMW will be one of the top picks to become the first IPW Tag Team champions!

Midnight was joined in the Vault by “Mr. Wonderful” Rock Riddle! Riddle has wrestled around the U.S, spending a lot of time in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (MACW), as well as the World Wrestling Association (WWA), which runs in Los Angeles, Indianapolis, and those cities’ surrounding areas. Riddle has also made his name in Hollywood, making guest appearances on The Gong Show and Fernwood 2 Night. Midnight asked Riddle what he was doing in IPW. After a long soliloquy that had to be interrupted by a commercial break for Kwik Star gas stations, Riddle said that he is taking a break from in-ring action to rest his injuries but he will use his illustrious skills to guide the careers of other talents. Midnight asked if this meant Riddle would be managing wrestlers. He said that he considers himself more of a talent agent. Midnight asked whom Riddle would be managing and “Mr. Wonderful” replied that his first acquisitions would be a tag team that has made a name in the WWF and other East Coast promotions—The Major Players of Matt Cardona and Brian Myers! These two cocky New Yorkers have picked up a lot of wins by hook or by crook. The Major Players walked into the Vault and Myers said that they have researched the talent coming to IPW and no one is in the league of the Major Players. Cardona said that they will easily top every other tag team coming into the area and win the IPW Tag Team championship. He then followed up with his catchphrase, “Woo, woo, woo, you know it!”

Another video aired, this time highlighting the tag team of Shane "Swerve" Strickland and "Limitless" Keith Lee! These two athletes started their careers separately, with Strickland working in the WWF and WWA, while Lee worked in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), as well as Western States Sports (WSS). The two met up while working on a card for MACW and started teaming. They combine a great set of skills with Strickland having a lighting-fast, high-flying offense and Lee consisting of 332.4 pounds of great power but also uncanny agility for his size. In their short time teaming, they have gelled as a team and could be a dominant combination in IPW!

Stu Stone of the Family Stone was back in the Vault this week. Midnight reminded him that he said he would announce other members this week. Stone responded by saying that “unlike Midnight,” he is an honest man and will do just that. He said that with this episode focusing on tag teams, it is fitting that he announce that he has signed two tough hombres to be a part of the Family Stone. They are rough, tough cowboys always looking for a fight. He introduced a man very familiar to MPW and 3XW fans—Justin Decent! As Justin came into the Vault, Stone introduced his partner—former Iowa Hawkeye football standout Steve Manders! Manders came into the Vault sporting cowboy gear and carrying a large bullrope. Manders said you can now refer to him as The 1 Called Manders! Justin said that he has been very impressed by Manders’ toughness and meanness and that their tag team, The Cowboys from Hell, will beat up and put down any tag team in IPW. Stone said that while he doesn’t typically associate with cowboys, he sees big dollar signs on their big cowboy hats and that’s why he has signed them to the Family Stone!

Impact Pro Wrestling present its first card on Saturday, January 26 at the Forte Banquet and Conference Center in downtown Des Moines! See history made as the double main event will feature the first two matches in the tournament to crown the IPW Heavyweight champion!
• In the first-ever tag team match in IPW history, America’s Most Wanted will do battle with Team Canada’s Petey Williams and AJ Smooth! The Canadians have a lot to prove against the established duo of “Cowboy” James Storm and “Wildcat” Chris Harris!
• Nicky Free will take on “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce of the Family Stone! Free is one of the most popular wrestlers in the Midwest. A win over Pearce would not only get him recognition throughout pro wrestling but also take him to the semifinals of the tournament. But with Pearce being one of the first wrestlers announced as being on the IPW roster, he is looking to establish himself as the top star in the new promotion!
• Inhuman Society member TS Aggressor will battle Canadian Eric Young! Young has competed in Border City Wrestling (BCW) and has been a top star in that promotion for years. He is making his way to the U.S. and wants the gold! We will hear an interview from Young on next week’s Action from The Vault! TS is a former MPW Heavyweight champion and wants to be the top star in IPW as well!

Next week on Action from The Vault, more IPW stars will be highlighted, more matches will be announced for Forte on January 26, and “Mr. Wonderful” Rock Riddle will announce another talent as part of his stable!

[~KB~]

Cory Olson , what are you doing my friend?!? You're making this fed feel TOO REAL and setting the bar way too high for the rest of us.

If this fed is half as good as your build up to its launch January 26th (2 days after my Birthday ) it's going to be fantastic!!

Your attention to detail is second to none sir, keep up the unbelievable work and the rest of us will keep running to try and catch up.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Kevin for the comments! See you this week!

IPW Action from The Vault
Episode #3
January 19, 2019

Midnight Guthrie and Luke Raven welcomed fans to the store from The Vault. They welcomed Arik Cannon to the Vault and to IPW. They asked “The Anarchist” what his plans were in IPW. Cannon reminded fans that he had competed in the Midwest before, particularly MPW, MAW, and F1RST Wrestling (another Minnesota promotion, headquartered at Prince’s First Avenue Club in Minneapolis). While he’s been wrestling in the South for the last four years, he kept in touch with a lot of Midwest wrestlers and one of his favorites was Darin Corbin. Into the Vault came Corbin, a former F1RST Wrestling Wrestlepalooza champion. He said the two want to compete for the IPW Tag Team championship. He said their team will be named after their initials—AC/DC! And Cannon assured fans that he will still be bringing PBRs to any arenas that allow alcohol!

“Mr. Wonderful” Rock Riddle was back in The Vault. Midnight warned him that he had a time limit for his interview and then asked who was the next wrestler to be utilizing Riddle’s talent agent skills. Riddle said that this superb athlete would be very familiar to fans in Iowa, as he has competed in both 3XW and MPW. His surname shows the luminary that he is and he is both a former ally and adversary of Johnny Fitness. Riddle introduced Matty Star! Star and Fitness were former MPW Tag Team champions, where Star portrayed himself as Fitness’ brother Matty Fitness! While few believed that the two were brothers, they were an effective tag team. The Fitness Brothers split when Johnny became popular among Iowa fans and Matty was jealous of the attention. Matty told Midnight in the Vault that Johnny betrayed the team and he feels betrayed by Troy Peterson by not being included in the tournament to crown the first IPW Heavyweight champion. He said he wants to be one of the first challengers to whoever the first champion is. And with Riddle’s knowledge in his corner, he feels that he will dominate IPW! Riddle ended the interview by saying that he will be in the Vault next week to announce one more acquisition!

A video package aired highlighting Curt Stallion! “The Lone Star” Stallion fights out of Crane, TX and is not intimidated by larger foes. His high-impact, hard-hitting offense has brought him victories, including his primary finishers Ode to Luigi (a running or lunging head butt) and the top rope reverse Spanish Fly! Stallion is set to make a big impact in Impact Pro Wrestling!

Nacho Barrera was interviewed in The Vault. He said that he is excited to be back in the Midwest, where he knows he can have great success. The Mexican grappler stated that he hopes to achieve tag team success. Midnight asked how he would do that without a partner. Barrera said that he has found a partner in Tom “Rocky” Stone! Stone has wrestled all over the Midwest, facing many of the top stars. Stone entered the Vault and said that with their experience, they can go far!

Another video aired, highlighting former 3XW and MPW superstar Sparrow! The Arizona native has become popular in Iowa and has seen success in both singles and tag team competition. His Eat Defeat finisher packs a knockout punch (or kick?) Sparrow will be competing in the first-ever IPW-sanctioned match in Des Moines! (See Card #1 preview below for more details!)

Troy Peterson took some time to introduce fans to some of the non-wrestling personnel of IPW. He introduced “The Voice of IPW,” his lifelong friend and fellow wrestling enthusiast Chad Olson, who will be the regular ring announcer for both Action from The Vault and the non-televised IPW cards. Chad said he is excited to announce the stars of IPW and thinks that fans will love the action so much that they will throw babies in the air! Troy then introduced the officials of IPW: Billy J., Adam Kennedy, and Joey JoJo. He said that Billy and Adam were both officials in MPW and were great at ensuring that the action stayed as controlled as possible. Troy said that one more referee will be joining IPW in a few months, as he is finishing up obligations in another promotion.

Impact Pro Wrestling present its first card on Saturday, January 26 at the Forte Banquet and Conference Center in downtown Des Moines! See history made as the double main event will feature the first two matches in the tournament to crown the IPW Heavyweight champion!
• Two well-known names in Iowa will kick off the new promotion, as Sparrow will battle Matty Star in the opener! These two have battled in the past. With Star being a part of Rock Riddle’s talent agency, what role will that play on the outcome?
• In the first-ever tag team match in IPW history, America’s Most Wanted will do battle with Team Canada’s Petey Williams and AJ Smooth! The Canadians have a lot to prove against the established duo of “Cowboy” James Storm and “Wildcat” Chris Harris!
• Nicky Free will take on “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce of the Family Stone! Free is one of the most popular wrestlers in the Midwest. A win over Pearce would not only get him recognition throughout pro wrestling but also take him to the semifinals of the tournament. But with Pearce being one of the first wrestlers announced as being on the IPW roster, he is looking to establish himself as the top star in the new promotion!
• Inhuman Society member TS Aggressor will battle Canadian Eric Young! Young has competed in Border City Wrestling (BCW) and has been a top star in that promotion for years. He is making his way to the U.S. and he's got Team Canada to support him! TS is a former MPW Heavyweight champion and wants to be the top star in IPW as well!

Next week on Action from The Vault, find out the last names that will be joining IPW and the final matches announced for the January 26 card at Forte in Des Moines!

[TTX]

Nice to see AC/DC involved.

[Cory Olson]

Thanks to Troy for the comments!

IPW Action from The Vault
Episode #4
January 26, 2019

Midnight Guthrie and Luke Raven opened up the show! They went through the format of what in-person matches at the Vault will be like starting with next week’s episode. Most matches will have a 10-minute time limit. If the time limit expires, the match will be declared a draw. Matches with a different time limit, or in rare cases, no time limit, will be announced ahead of time. Matches at non-televised IPW cards will in most cases not have time limits. Midnight announced that they are excited to welcome fans to the Vault and provide some great first-run matches!

A video aired highlighting Shane Hollister, who will be joining IPW! He is an Iowa native and has wrestled in 3XW. He has a fast-paced style and can knock out opponents with his Buzzsaw Kick!

Lenny Lane was interviewed in the Vault by Midnight. The native of West Hollywood, CA has spent a lot of time in the Midwest, particularly in MAW and F1RST Wrestling. Lane said that his goal is the IPW Heavyweight championship and to show Iowa fans that the best (in wrestling) comes from the West!

Another video aired highlighting a wrestler very well-known by Iowa fans and that’s UGLY! UGLY is a former MPW Heavyweight champion. He sports a partially-painted face and carries his UGLY Stick to the ring! He is primarily a brawler who’s not afraid of a fight. Midnight announced that fans will see UGLY in action tonight at Forte. (See Card #1 preview below.)

“Mr. Wonderful” Rock Riddle was back in the Vault. Midnight asked who the last member of his talent agency would be. Riddle said that he has never seen a physical specimen like this man anywhere in the world. He said that his muscles are statuesque and that helps his finishing maneuver that is unbreakable! Midnight asked Riddle who this man could be. Riddle said that he feels this man could be an IPW Heavyweight champion and could hold that title for a long time! He introduced “The Masterpiece” Chris Masters! Master has wrestled around the U.S., spending a lot of time in California, in Big Time Wrestling. Riddle said that Masters’ version of the full nelson is known as the Masterlock is and he challenges any IPW wrestler to try to break it! In fact, next week on Action from The Vault, Masters is going to have his first Masterlock Challenge, where he will apply the Masterlock to a wrestler willingly. If the wrestler can break the Masterlock, Riddle will pay him $10,000! Midnight said that this is a very confident challenge! Riddle responded that it was a certainty and that his money is safe with Masters!

Impact Pro Wrestling present its first card TONIGHT—Saturday, January 26 at the Forte Banquet and Conference Center in downtown Des Moines! See history made as the double main event will feature the first two matches in the tournament to crown the IPW Heavyweight champion!
• Two well-known names in Iowa will kick off the new promotion, as Sparrow will battle Matty Star in the opener! These two have battled in the past. With Star being a part of Rock Riddle’s talent agency, what role will that play on the outcome?
• Two wrestlers looking to move up the ladder in singles competition will collide when Shane Hollister takes on “The Lone Star” Curt Stallion! This could be one of the most exciting matches on the card!
• Midwest fans will see two more familiar faces, when UGLY does battle with Lenny Lane! It’s the rough, brawling style of the man from “Three Blocks East of Parts Unknown” taking on the cocky, fashion plate from West Hollywood. Who will walk out of Forte with a victory?
• In the first-ever tag team match in IPW history, America’s Most Wanted will do battle with Team Canada’s Petey Williams and AJ Smooth! The Canadians have a lot to prove against the established duo of “Cowboy” James Storm and “Wildcat” Chris Harris!
The double main event will feature the first two first-round matches in the tournament to crown the IPW Heavyweight champion!
• Nicky Free will take on “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce of the Family Stone! Free is one of the most popular wrestlers in the Midwest. A win over Pearce would not only get him recognition throughout pro wrestling but also take him to the semifinals of the tournament. But with Pearce being one of the first wrestlers announced as being on the IPW roster, he is looking to establish himself as the top star in the new promotion!
• Inhuman Society member TS Aggressor will battle Canadian Eric Young! Young has competed in Border City Wrestling (BCW) and has been a top star in that promotion for years. He is looking to capture gold "south of the boarder." TS is a former MPW Heavyweight champion and wants to be the top star in IPW as well!

Next week on Action from The Vault, find out the results from the first IPW card, and see first-run matches right here at the Vault!

[Cory Olson]

January 26, 2019
Card #1: Forte Banquet & Conference Center in Des Moines

1) Matty Star can claim that he won the first match in Impact Pro Wrestling history, as he defeated Sparrow after eight minutes of action. Star came out to “Way Too Far” and was accompanied by his talent agent “Mr. Wonderful” Rock Riddle. Sparrow got a big ovation from the Des Moines fans, as he entered to “Let It Rock.” The action was quick-paced between these two Midwestern stars, with each man knowing the other well and seemingly having counters for the other’s moves. After some intense exchanges, Star flattened Sparrow with his finisher—the superkick to score the pinfall. Star indicated to Chad Olson at ringside that he wants a shot at whoever wins the IPW Heavyweight title tournament! ***¼

2) “The Lone Star” Curt Stallion got a submission win over Shane Hollister. Stallion came out to the fitting “Outlaw Heart.” He dominated much of the action but Hollister hung in there with him. After about 10 minutes, Stallion caught Hollister in an octopus hold and forced him to submit. “The Lone Star” could definitely make an impact in Impact Pro Wrestling! **½

3) UGLY scored a pinfall over Lenny Lane after 16 minutes of wrestling action. Lane entered to his theme music, while UGLY came out brandishing the UGLY Stick, while Godsmack’s version of “Rocky Mountain Way” played throughout Forte. These two gave it their all and each scored some near falls. In the end, UGLY hit a full nelson facebuster, known as the Skull-crushing Finale, to pick up the 1-2-3. The Des Moines fans gave UGLY a big ovation for his win! ***¼

4) The first-ever tag team match in IPW history turned out to be memorable for being brief and not much of a tag team match, as America’s Most Wanted of “Cowboy” James Storm and “Wildcat” Chris Harris defeated Petey Williams and AJ Smooth. The Team Canada representatives came out waving Maple Leaf flags, as a rock guitar version of “Oh, Canada” played. Harris and Storm got a big welcome from the IPW faithful, as their music played. As AMW entered the ring, while Chad Olson was finishing his ring introductions, Williams and Smooth stormed the fan favorites and attacked them before they could remove their ring jackets. Billy J. called for the bell to start the bout. Storm and Williams brawled to the floor, while Harris and Smooth became the de facto legal men. Harris sent Smooth over the top rope and out of the ring with a clothesline, causing him to land on his own partner! Storm went to AMW’s corner, while Smooth and Williams regrouped. They decided to fight another day, as they returned to the locker room, drawing many boos from the Forte fans! Billy’s count hit 10 and he awarded the bout to AMW via countout! While it wasn’t the way they wanted to get their debut win, Harris and Storm thanked the fans for their great welcome! DUD

5) In the first main event of the evening, Nicky Free took on former USWA Mid-America Heavyweight champion “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce in the opening round of the IPW Heavyweight championship tournament. Pearce, accompanied by Stu Stone of the Family Stone, entered the ring to “Black Betty,” which is familiar to USWA fans, while Free came out to “Rockin’ in The Free World.” Both men had the advantage and looked on their way to advancing in the tournament when Free took control. He bounced off the ropes but got tripped by Stone, which Adam Kennedy did not see. Free turned his attention to Stone but got ambushed by Pearce with a jumping knee smash. Pearce hit a suplex on Free, then came off the top rope with a splash to pick up the victory after six-and-a-half minutes. Pearce seemed very confident in his actions and indicated he would be the first IPW champion! **½

6) The second main event, saw former MPW Heavyweight champion TS Aggressor face Team Canada’s leader Eric Young! Young had the initial control but with the fans behind him, TS took over. He wore down Young and hit his finisher Roll of The Gyphe (a spin-under neckbreaker). He went for a cover when suddenly Young’s teammates Petey Williams and AJ Smooth showed up at ringside, with Williams distracting Billy J. and Smooth jumping into the ring to boot TS in the face! TS went after Smooth outside the ring but Young followed. Young and Smooth rammed TS into the ring post, which busted him open. Young continued the onslaught inside the ring, hitting his spike piledriver for a two-count. Young followed up with a swinging neckbreaker a few moments later and made another cover. With Williams’ help, Young put his feet on the ropes and scored the pinfall after 18 minutes to advance in the tournament! Unfortunately for TS, his allies from the Inhumane Society, Johnny Fitness and Mr. Destiny, were not in Des Moines tonight to back him up. Young moved on to face Pearce in March in the semifinals in Newton! ****

[db1091]

Hmm, Team Canada have a lot to answer for here. Throwing my support behind Adam Pearce to be the first IPW champion