LOW - Legends of Wrestling

[cruefan68]

Thanks for the comments Pariah, Crimson and Kat Rana. That 8MW show was so much fun to roll out. I grew up in the 80's so I have fond memories of most of the pop culture from that time which I hope to inject into future shows. I always enjoyed the angst that Willie had in dealing with Alf and I tried to push that across here. Probably my favorite part to write was Alf knocking Willie out of his chair while celebrating Star Boy's win over Johnny Kobra sending the popcorn flying. Anyway, next up is action from SHIMMER featuring a very intense main event. Hope you enjoy the action...

SHIMMER - Women Athletes - Volume 34 - The Eagles Club - Berwyn, IL (Card #1007)

1) Saturyne & Delilah Doom vs. Mia Yim & Marti Belle was a Draw:
Tag team action opened things up as Saturyne & Delilah Doom took on Mia Yim & Marti Belle. It was the SHIMMER debut for Yim and Belle who have plenty of experience teaming up outside of LOW. Both teams looked great during this bout in particular Saturyne and Doom who used their speed to their advantage. Yim nearly pinned Saturyne with the Spinning Seoul Kick at one point but Doom made the save. Doom made a great counter when she caught Yim up top with a superplex and then executed the La Magistral cradle for a near fall. A big spot saw Saturyne missing with a dive out of the ring and Belle followed up with Hell’s Bells, a double underhook sitout facebuster, for a near fall. Doom was able to hit The Excellent Adventure, a casadora bulldog, on Belle for a near fall late but then the bell sounded to end the match in a time limit draw. The crowd gave all four women a standing ovation for their effort after the match.

2) Brittany Blake defeated Christina Von Eerie:
Brittany Blake out of Blackwood, NJ, made her SHIMMER debut taking on the returning Christina Von Eerie in singles action. Von Eerie has plenty of past experience in the SHIMMER ring and most expected her to dominate the newcomer. It didn’t turn out that way as Blake set the pace early and had Von Eerie on the defensive quite often. Blake scored the first near fall of the match when she nailed Von Eerie with the satellite DDT. A counter by Von Eerie saw her score a two count by hitting a knee strike. Von Eerie also used Dead Rising, a straightjacket lung blower, and the Graveyard Smash, a Cobra Clutch into a face plant, during the match. Blake really picked things up late and nailed Von Eerie with a running high knee followed by a Double Knee Facebreaker to score the pin.

Amber Gertner tried to get some words with Blake post-match but they were interrupted by Von Eerie and MsChif, also making her return to SHIMMER. The duo known as MsEerie tried to intimidate Blake until none other than Sara Del Ray came to her rescue. It wound up with challenges being issued back and forth and the four agreed to a tag team match at Volume 35. SHIMMER promoter Dave Prazak reminded both Del Ray and MsChif that they were in the Battle Royal later for a title shot at Volume 35 and both agreed to wrestle twice that night if necessary.

3) Davina Rose defeated Crazy Mary Dobson:
The popular Davina Rose out of Newark, CA, had a tough assignment as she took on “Crazy” Mary Dobson, billed as being from The Realm of Pain. The huggable Rose and the hardcore Dobson could not be any more opposite. The crowd rallied behind Rose early as she struggled to combat Dobson who stunned her with a wicked headbutt and also used the stomach claw. Dobson took great delight in punishing Rose but perhaps that led to her losing her concentration. Rose battled back staggering Dobson with the elbow strike and then hit a big flying shoulder tackle. Dobson appeared out of it as Rose moved in and caught her with a quick DDT to score the snake eyes pin. The crowd erupted in cheers as Rose picked up a huge win over “Crazy” Mary.

4) Thunderkitty defeated Mary Elizabeth Monroe:
It was something of a throwback battle here as Thunderkitty, known for being partial to a bygone era of women’s wrestling, took on Mary Elizabeth Monroe who was making her SHIMMER debut. Monroe may be better known for appearing as the “Bearded Lady” competing for Olde Wrestling Extravaganza. Monroe was beardless here and that may have had an affect on her performance. Thunderkitty opened up with a snap suplex and then locked on the Sleeper Hold nearly getting a submission win just moments into the match. Monroe had to regroup on the floor but things got no better when she returned as Thunderkitty trapped her in the Cornbread Clutch, a version of the Boston Crab. Monroe battled back briefly until Thunderkitty dropped her with a DDT and locked on the Sleeper Hold again. Monroe was unable to break out of it and she tapped out giving Thunderkitty an impressive submission victory.

5) Sassy Stephie & Nevaeh defeated Made In Sin:
Two teams that competed in a four-team match for the SHIMMER tag team titles during WrestleCade X weekend squared off as Sassy Stephie & Nevaeh, the S-N-S Express, took on Made In Sin (Allysin Kay & Taylor Made). There was a lot of hostility evident between the two teams during the introductions and that made for what was a pretty intense match. Made In Sin did a great job getting the heat on Nevaeh at one point and they hit the Eighth Deadly Sin, a wheelbarrow and cutter combo, for what looked to be a sure pin but somehow she kicked out just before the three count. A hot tag to Stephie culminated in her hitting Kiss My Sass, a falling neckbreaker onto the knee, on Made for a big near fall. Stephie also executed the Sass Squash, a running hip into the corner, scoring another two count on Made. Late in the bout it was Kay wearing out Nevaeh with submission holds like the horse collar stretch and the camel clutch. A tag to Made saw her continuing to punish Nevaeh including hitting the chinbreaker for a near fall. Nevaeh showed great resilience throughout this one and led her team to victory when she caught Made on the top rope picking her off with a bodyslam. Then as Stephie ran over and knocked Kay off of the ring apron it was Nevaeh nailing Made with the Backpack Stunner to score the pin.

6) 20-Woman Battle Royal for a shot at the SHIMMER title:
SHIMMER promoter Dave Prazak arranged this special Battle Royal to determine who would challenge Jessicka Havok for the SHIMMER title at Volume 35. It was a wide open field with some great names including Cheerleader Melissa, Madison Eagles, Sara Del Ray, Lufisto, and Barbi Hayden. Melissa, a two-time champion, was surprisingly eliminated in the early going when Jessica James sent her over the top rope with a Yakuza kick. Del Ray had a torrid exchange with Melanie Cruise which ended with Cruise surprising SDR sending her over the top rope with a big boot. Cruise was later eliminated by James who was very impressive battling her larger opponent. Hayden was considered another favorite to win but she got tossed out by her old Inspire Pro Wrestling rival Angelus Layne. Layne showed some great fire until she was dumped out by James, another Inspire Pro Wrestling rival, late in the match. The returning MsChif, another former two-time champion, was very impressive scoring several eliminations including both Lufisto and Candice LeRae in succession. MsChif nearly made it to the final four but was dumped out by Eagles. The final four were Eagles, James, Evie and Courtney Rush. The first to go was Evie who was dumped over by Rush after taking a T-Bone suplex. James then put up a strong fight against Eagles and nearly eliminated her. Eagles, however, struck back with a brainbuster and then tossed James over the top rope. Eagles then wasted no time in going after Rush and eliminated her to win the Battle Royal and earn the title shot against Havok.

Order of Elimination:

● Madison Rayne (by Lufisto)
● Malia Hosaka (by MsChif)
● Kay Lee Ray (by Candice LeRae)
● Cheerleader Melissa (by Jessica James)
● Cherry Bomb (by Rhia O’Reilly)
● Daizee Haze (by Madison Eagles)
● Sara Del Ray (by Melanie Cruise)
● Heidi Lovelace (by Evie)
● Athena (by Courtney Rush)
● Barbi Hayden (by Angelus Layne)
● Lufisto (by MsChif)
● Candice LeRae (by MsChif)
● Melanie Cruise (by Jessica James)
● Rhia O’Reilly (by Courtney Rush)
● Angelus Layne (by Jessica James)
● MsChif (by Madison Eagles)
● Evie (by Courtney Rush)
● Jessica James (by Madison Eagles)
● Courtney Rush (by Madison Eagles)
W) Madison Eagles

7) Jessicka Havok, Portia Perez, & Nicole Matthews defeated Mercedes Martinez, Kellie Skater, & Tomoka Nakagawa:
It was a champions based six-woman tag team match as the “Latina Sensation” Mercedes Martinez teamed up with SHIMMER tag team champions the Global Green Gangsters (“Rate Tank” Kellie Skater & Tomoka Nakagawa) to do battle with SHIMMER champion Jessicka Havok and the Canadian Ninjas (Portia Perez & Nicole Matthews). All six women were a big part of WrestleCade X weekend with GGG winning the tag titles from the Ninjas and Havok retaining her title in a torrid match with Martinez. “The Mountain” Vanessa Kraven, an ally of Havok, accompanied her team to the ring but the referee ordered her to the back before the match officially got underway. Martinez and Havok traded blows both in and out of the ring in the early going. Havok then gained control on Martinez hitting a standing lariat and choke slam. The Ninjas also worked over Martinez until she collided with Perez out of the corner and recovered first making the tag. Skater exploded into action and looked great even going toe-to-toe with the much larger Havok. The hostility between GGG and The Ninjas was also on full display whenever the four were in the ring together. A wild bout ended when The Ninjas laid out Skater with the double team side slam and tagged Havok who planted the “Rate Tank” with the Havokiller to score the pin. The Ninjas afterward informed GGG that they were invoking their tag team title rematch clause at Volume 35.

8) Falls Count Anywhere Match: Saraya Knight defeated Trish Stratus:
The main event saw the continuation of an explosive rivalry as Trish Stratus took on “Sweet” Saraya Knight in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. Knight has been on a crusade to take out Stratus who she feels has been given special treatment since the day she arrived in SHIMMER. Stratus, on the other hand, has more than held her own in battles with Knight and has proven that she is worthy of the legendary status she achieved prior to joining LOW. This was a total brawl from the opening bell as it was clear that both women were determined to walk away with a big win. Stratus quickly ducked a running kick by Knight and struck back with forearm smashes and a hanging choke in the corner. It wasn’t long before they fought out to the floor and traded runs into the ring post. Stratus also grabbed an umbrella from a ringside fan and jabbed it into the throat of Knight. Back inside it was Knight with a running Samoan Drop and then twice locking on the Bridled Rocking Horse going for the submission. Stratus refused to tap out and battled back again taking the match to the floor. Knight took over and slammed Stratus on top of the timekeeper’s table before again running her head first into the ring post. Stratus was busted open as a result and that seemed to turn the tide of the match. The blood loss left Stratus vulnerable and Knight took full advantage of that by again running her into the ring post. That was followed by Knight dragging Stratus back to the locker room area where the action was displayed on a video wall to the fans in The Eagles Club. Knight maintained control and delivered a crushing Bodyslam and press on the locker room floor to score the pin. Fortunately for Stratus many of her allies like Barbi Hayden and Cheerleader Melissa were in the area and they managed to drag her off to safety before Knight could inflict any post-match damage. Knight let out a primal scream following her win and declared herself the Queen of the Ring in SHIMMER.

[Kat Rana]

Delivering the action again, cruefan68! The main event was great, especially that brutal umbrella attack by Trish Stratus, but in the end Sweet Saraya was victorious. Queen of the Ring indeed! Although she wasn't in the Battle Royal surely a title shot can't be far from her mind...

[cruefan68]

Thanks very much for the comments Kat Rana, that Stratus-Knight match was brutal. I think Saraya will be getting a title shot soon based on that win. Next up is Night One of the IWA King of Trios tournament. I hope you enjoy it and with any luck I will have the full event posted by the end of the weekend...

IWA King of Trios - Night One - The Palmer Center - Easton, PA (Card #1008)

1) Da Soul Touchaz defeated Devastation Corporation by Count Out:
The sixth annual King of Trios tournament kicked off with a dynamic first round matchup pitting Da Soul Touchaz (Acid Jaz, Marshe Rockett &Willie “Da Bomb” Richardson, with C.Red & Dymond) against the Sydney Bakabella-led Devastation Corporation (Max Smashmaster, Flex Rumblecrunch & Blaster McMassive). The popular Soul Touchaz based out of Chicago, IL, showed some great offense throughout the early going keeping Smashmaster on the defensive. The big Richardson, checking in at near three-hundred pounds, nailed Smashmaster with the Pounce but the pin was broken up by Rumblecrunch and McMassive. The DC began mounting a comeback with Bakabella barking out orders from ringside. Things were looking good until it went outside and Jaz nailed Rumblecrunch with the Acid Trip on the floor. As the others battled it out it was Jaz alertly rolling back inside to score a count out victory for his team. Da Soul Touchaz advanced to the second round much to the dismay of Bakabella who yelled at his team afterward.

2) The Shield defeated Rule Britannia:
The World of Sport based trio of Rule Britannia (Johnny Saint, David Taylor & Zack Sabre Jr.) took on a new IWA team that everyone is talking about called The Shield (Jon Moxley, Tyler Black & Drew Galloway). Moxley and Black had been teaming together in the now defunct Global Wrestling Association and when they signed to join the IWA they recruited Galloway for what many feel could be a high impact three-man unit. The action was pretty intense from the opening bell with both teams looking to gain the upper hand. Saint used his great technical expertise to frustrate The Shield and even caught Black by surprise with the Johnny Saint Special when he went into the turtle up position after taking the Paroxysm. The crowd popped when Sabre Jr. went in against Galloway as the two young stars put on an excellent showing. Sabre Jr. hit a suicide dive and a corner European uppercut during that exchange. Galloway came back hitting a big boot on Sabre Jr. scoring a two count. Taylor also shined during his time in pounding on The Shield members with the European uppercut several times. Moxley hit Moxicity, a spinning side slam, on Saint late in the bout for a big near fall. The finish saw Black nail Sabre Jr. with a lariat before delivering Paroxysm, a spinning inverted implant DDT, for the pin.

3) Loaded For Bear defeated Jolly Old Chaps by DQ:
Perhaps the most endearing team in the tournament, Jolly Old Chaps (Jervis Cottonbelly, Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana & Dasher Hatfield), had the unfortunate task of taking on Loaded For Bear (Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe & Mikey O’Shea). Cottonbelly, a member of World of Sport who is called the “Worlds Sweetest Man”, used his sweet handshake on both Jay and Mark Briscoe and it surprisingly worked as he took the offensive each time. The Springboard Cesaro delivered by Cottonbelly on Mark resulted in a two count. Jay was pissed off on the ring apron yelling at Mark to get his head in the game. Mark came back using Redneck Kung-Fu on Cottonbelly who quickly tagged out to Cabana. The Jolly Old Chaps really had things going their way for a good stretch. That included Cabana and Hatfield combining on the Grandslam Dunk allowing Cottonbelly to cover Mark for a big near fall. Jay made the save there in what could have been a disastrous loss for his team. Cabana then used the Billy Goat’s Curse on Mark nearly getting the victory again. They wound up on the outside where a controversial ruling allowed Loaded For Bear to advance to the second round. As Hatfield was battling Mark it was Jay tossing a chair into the hands of the “Old Timey King of Swing”. Mark then went down like a shot and the referee, seeing Hatfield with the chair, called for the bell giving Loaded For Bear a disqualification victory. The Briscoes and O’Shea laughed their way to the back as Jolly Old Chaps looked on in disbelief. An appreciate crowd then gave Cottonbelly, Cabana and Hatfield a big round of applause for a solid effort.

4) 3.Ole defeated Bullet Club:
The extremely popular trios team of 3.Ole (Scott “Jagged” Parker, “Big Magic” Shane Matthews & El Generico) took on the controversial Bullet Club team consisting of Adam Cole and the Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson). The Bullet Club, headed up by AJ Styles, have been making life miserable for the stars of Kings Road United in Japan and were hoping to bring the KOT medals back to the Land of the Rising Sun. They did an awesome job dominating the early action by preventing Parker from tagging out. The Bucks hit the Meltzer Driver on him for a big near fall and then executed More Bang For Your Buck. Cole slid in to make the cover but the pin was broken up by Matthews. Cole followed with a superkick to the back of the head of Parker for another near fall. Parker finally countered out and made the tag and that set up an exciting finish to the match. Matthews pulled victory from the jaws of defeat as he blasted Nick with the Big Magic Spear. He then tagged in the wildly popular Generico who quickly caught Nick with the Brainbustaaahhh!!! and pinned him as 3.0 fended off Cole and Matt. The crowd erupted in cheers as 3.Ole pulled off a huge win over Bullet Club. Chants of “Ole, Ole, Ole!” were heard afterward as the three men celebrated their win. Cole, meanwhile, looked on disgusted and then signaled to the Bucks who dropped all three members of 3.Ole courtesy of a “Superkick Party”! It was too little too late as Bullet Club were bounced out of the tournament by 3.Ole.

5) Project VAL defeated Where’s The Beef?:
The underdog trio of Where’s The Beef? (Cheeseburger, Colin Delaney & Grizzly Redwood) took on the SoCal Val-led team of Project VAL (Jay Lethal, “A Double” Austin Aries & Moose). This is the second straight year for a Project VAL team in KOT but this time she is only managing one member, Lethal, while auditioning both Aries and Moose as potential clients. Moose is an interesting story as he signed an IWA contract on his own ditching both manager Stokely Hathaway and his now former partner in Moose Nation, Uhaa Nation. Cheeseburger surprised Lethal early when he trapped him in a cobra clutch prompting him to bail out of the ring. Lethal was upset and he reached in dragging Cheeseburger out to the floor whipping him hard into the guard rail. That set the tone for the match as Project VAL targeted him for a brutal assault. Aries hit a frog splash on Cheeseburger put pulled him up at the count of two. Val encouraged her men to continue dishing out the punishment but then Aries performed a mercy killing as he dropped Cheeseburger with the Brainbuster scoring a snake eyes pin. Project VAL advanced to the second round but Val had some words with Aries post-match for not following her directions on dishing out more punishment to the opposition.

6) The Baltic Siege defeated The Colony:
The struggles of The Colony (Fire Ant, Soldier Ant & Green Ant) in KOT events continued as they took on The Baltic Siege (Estonian Thunderfrog, Lithuanian Snow Troll & Latvian Proud Oak). Every year The Colony are considered favorites going into the tournament but have yet to win it or even make it to the finals. The trio of Ants were hoping to reverse course this year but they were met with the unique opposition of The Baltic Siege. Things looked good for the Ants early as they hit the Ant-apult and Solider Ant scored a near fall on the Snow Troll with a saluting headbutt. The Thunderfrog was pretty impressive leading his team by hitting such moves as the Shamrock Belly and the Estonian hammer. The Baltic Siege pulled out some of their tandem moves and scored a near fall on Green Ant after the Troll Launch by the Snow Troll. Green Ant bounced back and used the single leg grapevine on the Proud Oak for a submission chance. Fire Ant then nailed the Snow Troll with the Burning Hammer for what looked to be a sure pin but Proud Oak made the save. The finishing sequence saw the Baltic Siege execute the Tree of Latvia on Fire Ant with Soldier Ant trying to break up the pin but he was fended off. Proud Oak then hit the Baltic Edge on Fire Ant with Thunderfrog covering him for the pin. The win meant that The Baltic Siege advanced to the second round where they will face off against Project VAL.

7) Evolving Honor defeated We Are CHIKARA:
The crowd erupted in cheers as We Are CHIKARA (“Lightning” Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw & Hallowicked) hit the ring to face Evolving Honor (Nigel McGuinness, Johnny Gargano & Timothy Thatcher). Quackenbush recently ended an affiliation with the Pringle Dynasty and has gone back to his roots as a fan favorite and also as the founder of CHIKARA. He recruited longtime allies Jigsaw and Hallowicked in the hopes of going to the finals and winning the KOT but it wasn’t going to be easy as McGuinness, Gargano and Thatcher were equally as determined to get there. The early exchanges between Quackenbush and McGuinness had the crowd rocking as each man looked for an opening. Gargano found that opening for his team when he executed both the Crosston Crab and Hurts Donut, the latter resulting in a near fall on Quackenbush. After winning a battle on the floor it was Quackenbush rallying against McGuinness and hitting the Quackendriver II for a big near fall. Jigsaw looked good during his time in and survived a submission attempt by Thatcher on the cross armbreaker. The finish of a hard fought bout saw Gargano trap Jigsaw in the Gargano Escape but that was broken up by Hallowicked. Gargano then alertly reapplied the Gargano Escape on Jigsaw and got him to tap out giving Evolving Honor the win via submission. It was a disappointing loss for Quackenbush and his CHIKARA based partners but the crowd cheered them on afterward.

8) Fear The Beards defeated House of Truth:
The final match of the first round saw the House of Truth (Delirious, Rhino & Matt Taven, with their manager Truth Martini) looking to repeat as KOT winners as they took on the very strong looking team of Fear The Beards (“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, Matt Cross & Necro Butcher). The trio of Delirious, Rhino and Taven has been a solid unit for Martini dating back to their days in Ring of Honor. They continued that success by winning the KOT last year beating the Bullet Club team of AJ Styles and the Young Bucks in the finals. Things were going their way early until Delirious went for a deathjump and was picked off of the top rope with a bodyslam by Danielson. Without hesitation it was Danielson honing in on Delirious, a former IWA Heavyweight champion, and catching him with the Regalplex to score the pin as Cross and Necro prevented Rhino and Taven from making the save. Martini was furious as his team was eliminated in quick fashion allowing Fear The Beards to advance to the second round. The frustrated manager grabbed the mic and vowed to file a protest with IWA Commissioner David Marquez drawing jeers from the crowd. He attempted to continue his rant but ran off as Necro approached him carrying a chair. Delirious, Rhino and Taven grabbed their manager and took off as Fear The Beards celebrated their big win ending an exciting first night of action.

**********
The following is the scheduled lineup for Night Two of King of Trios at Goodwill Fire Association Hall in Reading, PA (Card #1009):

Rey De Voladores - Match One: Ricochet vs. Samuray Del Sol vs. Brian Kendrick vs. Sabu
Los Primos Rivera vs. The All Night Express
Rey De Voladores - Match Two: Paul London vs. Tiger Mask vs. ACH vs. Will Ospreay
KOT - Second Round: Da Soul Touchaz vs. The Shield
KOT - Second Round: Loaded For Bear vs. 3.Ole
IWA J-Crown title: Bobby Fish vs. Chuck Taylor©
KOT - Second Round: Project VAL vs. The Baltic Siege
KOT - Second Round: Evolving Honor vs. Fear The Beards

[Crimson Cross]

What a cool start to your IWA King of Trios and you have dome unique and cool trios. I like the name and team of Evolving Honor and I could see them winning it all, plus that's crazy cool the Bullet Club are booted by 3.Ole. Your version of The Shield could win it all and too bad we couldn't see them face The Bullet Club. I was somewhat surprised that Da Soul Touchaz won that opener over the Devastation Corporation, pretty fun stuff in that first round...

[cruefan68]

Thanks very much for the comments Crimson and like you I was very surprised that Bullet Club went out on Night One. I was also surprised that last year's winners the House of Truth went out as well. The Shield is looking pretty strong so lets see how they fare on Night Two as well as your other predictions. Hope you enjoy the action...

IWA King of Trios - Night Two - Goodwill Fire Association Hall - Reading, PA (Card #1009)

1) Rey De Voladores – Match One: Ricochet defeated Samuray Del Sol, Brian Kendrick and Sabu:
The sixth annual Rey De Voladores, or King of Flying, kicked off Night Two with the first of two four-way elimination matches as Ricochet (IWA), Samuray Del Sol (Free Agent), Brian Kendrick (IWA) and Sabu (CWA) battled it out to see who would advance to the finals. Conspicuous by his absence was Abdullah Farouk who is the manager of Sabu so that made it an even playing field. All four men had a chance to shove off their great skills throughout the bout. Ricochet impressed early but then missed with the 630 Senton on Sabu leading to him being on the defensive. Kendrick and Ricochet then had a great exchange that saw Kendrick nearly score the first elimination with a shooting star press. Unfortunately for Kendrick he was the first to go when Del Sol caught him with Rising Sun to score the pin. Del Sol, the popular U.S. based lucha star, did very well on offense until Ricochet countered him and hit the Rickrack. Ricochet then went up top and this time connected with the 630 Senton but Sabu broke up the pin. Sabu then took advantage and trapped Del Sol in the Camel Clutch eliminating him via submission. Ricochet then took over and after hitting an Over the Ring Post Dive he fired Sabu back into the ring and executed a cradle hold to score the pin. Ricochet advanced to the finals on Night Three by defeating a very impressive field of talent.

Order of Elimination:

● Brian Kendrick (by Samuray Del Sol – pinfall – Rising Sun)
● Samuray Del Sol (by Sabu – submission – Camel Clutch)
● Sabu (by Ricochet – pinfall – Over the Ring Post Dive and Cradle Hold)

2) The All Night Express defeated Los Primos Rivera:
Los Primos Rivera (Gino & Danny Rivera) impressed IWA Officials so much last year that the two were signed to full-time contracts and they took on another new IWA tag team in the form of The All Night Express (Rhett Titus & Kenny King, with manager Rock Riddle). As good as LPR have looked they unfortunately ran into a juggernaut in ANX as Riddle had them clicking on all cylinders. The arrogant manager strutted around ringside as his men dominated most of the way save for LPR hitting key moves like the Brooklyn Drive By and the frog splash. ANX hit their finisher, the One Night Stand, on Gino but Danny made the save. They then hit the legdrop and splash combo in Danny for a near fall followed by Kick You To Sleep by King. That set up the finish as King nailed Gino with the Royal Flush, a version of the fireman’s carry cutter, to score the pin. Riddle afterward boasted to IWA photographer Dr. Mike Lano that ANX were just getting started and that they have their sights set directly on the IWA tag team titles.

3) Rey De Voladores – Match Two: Tiger Mask defeated Paul London, ACH and Will Ospreay:
The second Rey De Voladores match featured another outstanding field of four as Paul London (IWA), Tiger Mask (Kings Road United), ACH (Free Agent) and Will Ospreay (IWA) battled it out to claim the other spot in the finals. A notable aspect of this match was that both Tiger Mask and ACH were returning as past winners of the event as Tiger Mask won the first one and ACH took the tournament last year. London and Ospreay, who is nicknamed the “Aerial Assassin”, had a great exchange in the early part of the match. Tiger Mask, meanwhile, showed off the great skills that made him a six-time LOW Junior Heavyweight champion, and even hit the Space Flying Tiger Drop on Ospreay at one point. The first man to be eliminated was ACH when London pinned him with a Leg Sweep DDT. Tiger Mask and Ospreay then had an amazing exchange coming off their recent one-on-one encounter at the Tokyo Dome. Ospreay missed with a dive off of the top rope and that was the turning point as Tiger subsequently planted him with a Tombstone Piledriver and scored the pin. London pounced on Tiger Mask quickly and both men took a hit courtesy of Please Don’t Die! London then went for a corner charge but Tiger Mask swung to the side and executed a lightning fast counter roll-up for a near fall. The finishing sequence saw Tiger Mask catch London with a high leg sweep takedown and follow up with the Tiger Suplex to score the pin. The crowd erupted in cheers as Tiger Mask made his way to the finals on Night Three where he will face Ricochet in what promises to be an incredible battle.

Order of Elimination:

● ACH (by Paul London – pinfall – Leg Sweep DDT)
● Will Ospreay (by Tiger Mask – Tombstone Piledriver)
● Paul London (by Tiger Mask – pinfall – Tiger Suplex)

4) KOT – Second Round: The Shield defeated Da Soul Touchaz:
Second round tournament action kicked off with the popular Chicago-based trio of Da Soul Touchaz (Acid Jaz, Marshe Rockett & Willie “Da Bomb” Richardson, with C.Red & Dymond) taking on the much talked about trio of The Shield (Jon Moxley, Tyler Black & Drew Galloway). There was a great spot in the early going when Black went for a running shooting star press but Jaz countered with the Jaz Mist. Black immediately bailed out of the ring and Rockett tagged in hitting him with the soaring suicide dive. Da Soul Touchaz went on a nice offensive including Richardson nailing Black with the corner avalanche. Rockett then hit the M-80 on Black but Galloway broke up the pin with a knee to the head. Black then reversed over on Rockett scoring a two count. The Shield mounted a comeback and Moxley nailed Jaz with Moxicity for a big near fall. Richardson mounted a comeback for Da Soul Touchaz but things took a turn for the worse when he and Galloway collided on a double clothesline out of the corner. Galloway was stunned but he managed to recover first and nail Richardson with the Double Arm DDT to score the pin as Moxley and Black prevented a save from being made. The Shield were the first team to qualify for the semi-final round on Night Three.

5) KOT – Second Round: 3.Ole defeated Loaded For Bear:
Next up it was the extremely popular 3.Ole (Scott “Jagged” Parker, “Big Magic” Shane Matthews & El Generico) taking on Loaded For Bear (Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe & Mikey O’Shea). Chants of “Ole, Ole, Ole!” rocked the building as Generico and his partners hit the ring. Loaded For Bear were less well received by the crowd following their very controversial disqualification win over Jolly Old Chaps on Night One. Jay Briscoe was dominant early hitting key moves like the Yakuza Kick and Military Press DVD. It helped set the pace of the match for Loaded For Bear and it looked like they might be advancing to Night Three. Things looked bleak for 3.Ole until suddenly El Generico caught Jay with an exploder suplex into the turnbuckles that resulted in a two count. Parker then tagged in and out of nowhere he caught Jay with the Flash Roll-Up and scored a snake eyes pin. The crowd erupted in cheers as 3.Ole snatched victory from the jaws of defeat but the Briscoes were not happy and they pounced on Parker post-match as O’Shea knocked both Matthews and Generico out of the ring. Dem Boys proceeded to put a hurting on Parker and ultimately laid him out with the Doomsday Device. Parker was hurt pretty bad and had to be carried out of the ring on a stretcher. IWA Commissioner David Marquez afterward announced a heavy fine on Loaded For Bear and then said that if Parker is able to compete he will give 3.0, who are not under IWA contracts, a match against Mark & Jay Briscoe on the debut broadcast of IWA On The Mat (Card #1019 in Revere, MA). As for Night Three he said that he would allow Matthews and Generico to pick a replacement partner to compete against The Shield in the semi-final round.

6) IWA J-Crown title: Chuck Taylor© defeated Bobby Fish to retain the title:
This grudge match for the IWA J-Crown title saw Bobby Fish, one-half of reDRagon along with Kyle O’Reilly, challenge newly crowned champion Chuck Taylor. The title win for Taylor over O’Reilly in Beaumont, TX (Card #999) saw the “Kentucky Gentleman” injure him with a post-match Awful Waffle on a chair. O’Reilly will be cleared to return to action soon but on this night it was Fish looking to gain revenge and take the championship from Taylor. Fish absolutely dominated the early part of the match assaulting Taylor with moves like Sleeps With The Fishes and the super falcon arrow. Taylor struck back hitting Awful Waffle for a big near fall. He then pulled up Fish and hit a second consecutive Awful Waffle but Fish again kicked out before the three count. Taylor vehemently argued with the referee and kicked the ropes in frustration claiming a three count. He also ran outside the ring and yelled at a young boy drawing jeers from the crowd. Fish recovered and came back with some more high powered offense but was unable to put Taylor away. Taylor managed to reverse the momentum outside the ring and then hit a third Awful Waffle to score the pin and retain the title in his version one defense. It was a disappointing loss for Fish but one can bet that Taylor hasn’t heard the last from reDRagon.

7) KOT – Second Round: Project VAL defeated The Baltic Siege:
The last half of the second round began with The Baltic Siege (Estonian Thunderfrog, Lithuanian Snow Troll & Latvian Proud Oak) taking on Project VAL (Jay Lethal, “A Double” Austin Aries & Moose, who were accompanied by SoCal Val). The crowd rallied behind the unique Baltic Siege trio but they had a rough go of it in the early going including Aries scoring a near fall on Thunderfrog with a Brainbuster. Moose then nailed Thunderfrog with the Spear but pulled him up at the count of two after listening to orders from SoCal Val. The Baltic Siege began mounting a counter attack and Proud Oak scored a two count on Moose with the Tree Top Drop. That was followed by a Croaklahoma Slam from Thunderfrog on Aries for a two count. Val was looking on nervously as the Baltic Siege members looked to pull off a big victory. Snow Troll was in against Lethal and attempted a deathjump but he was caught up top with a counter suplex. Lethal then smoothly transitioned into the Koji Clutch scoring a submission victory over Snow Troll to win the match for Project VAL. Any of the differences between the team at Night One were forgotten on Night Two as Project VAL advanced to the semi-final round.

8) KOT – Second Round: Fear The Beards defeated Evolving Honor:
The final second round match saw the popular team of Fear The Beards (“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, Matt Cross & Necro Butcher) take on Evolving Honor (Nigel McGuinness, Johnny Gargano & Timothy Thatcher) in what was a highly anticipated showdown. This may have been the best tournament match thus far as both teams came extremely close to victory. McGuinness nearly won it for Evolving Honor in the early going when he caught Cross with the Jawbreaker Lariat for a big near fall. Danielson helped rally his team and executed a Dragon Suplex on Gargano but he kicked out with authority and then hit the Baby Ace Crusher on the “American Dragon” for a two count. Thatcher excelled whenever he was in and nearly got a submission on Necro using the Fujiwara Armbar. Necro battled back taking the fight to the floor and then scored a two count on McGuinness after hitting the Necro Bomb. A brutal beatdown in the corner caused McGuinness to bail out of the ring where he was nearly counted out after taking a dive to the outside from Danielson. The finish of a hard fought bout saw Cross get the win for his team when he hit Death From Above on McGuinness to score the pin. The crowd cheered wildly for Fear The Beards as they advanced to the semi-final round to face Project VAL.

**********
The following is the scheduled lineup for Night Three of King of Trios at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA (Card #1010):

KOT - Semi-Final Round: The Shield vs. 3.Ole
KOT - Semi-Final Round: Project VAL vs. Fear The Beards
Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards
Table Match: Rob Van Dam vs. Adam Pearce
IWA tag team titles: Osirian Portal© vs. Kings of Wrestling
Rey De Voladores Finals: Ricochet vs. Tiger Mask
IWA Heavyweight title - Fight Without Honor: Michael Elgin© vs. Kevin Steen
KOT Final Round:

[/font]

[Crimson Cross]

I have to say it's good to see Chuck Taylor keep the J-Crown title and can he keep that momentum in his next defense, plus I'm picking The Shield and Project VAL to face off in the KOT Finals and The Shield will take the overall win in the end...

[Pariah]

King of Trios has been an absolute blast so far... Would love to see The Shield vs Fear the Beards in the final... As stated already by our friend Crimson Cross, it was very shocking to see the Bullet Club go out in the first round... But, unpredictable outcomes is just another reason why this game is so awesome...

Was hoping that Fish (one of my favorites) could avenge his tag team partner and defeat Taylor for the IWA J-Crown... But, Chuck-T made the right moves at just the right times... I doubt reDRagon will allow sins of the past to go unanswered...

Really looking forward to Night 3... Elgin vs Steen is gonna be vicious... Great stuff, as always!

[bookerbill]

amazing results so far.

[cruefan68]

Thanks very much for the comments Crimson, Pariah and Bookerbill. Chucky T showed a lot in retaining the IWA J-Crown title against Bobby Fish but I agree that reDRagon are likely not done with him. Next up is Night Three and the finals of King of Trios and it looks like Crimson hit the nail on the head. Read on and I hope that you enjoy the action...

IWA King of Trios - Night Three - The 2300 Arena - Philadelphia, PA (Card #1010)

1) KOT – Semi-Final Round: The Shield defeated 3.Da Mack-Ole:
Due to the injury suffered by Scott “Jagged” Parker at the hands of Mark & Jay Briscoe on Night Two, IWA Commissioner David Marquez allowed 3.Ole (“Big Magic” Shane Matthews & El Generico) to pick a replacement partner for this match with The Shield (Jon Moxley, Tyler Black & Drew Galloway). The crowd was already at a fever pitch with their “Ole, Ole, Ole!” chants when they erupted with cheers as 3.Ole transformed into 3.Da Mack-Ole as the popular Willie Mack made his way to the ring. This one got off to a quick start and you could tell that The Shield was running on all cylinders as they dominated most of the way. Matthews was in deep trouble late as Black caught him with the buckle bomb and superkick followed by the Paroxysm for a big near fall. The fans rallied around Matthews but he was caught with a flying bodypress from the top rope by Galloway requiring Generico to make the save. The finish came a short time later as Moxley and Black fended off Generico and Mack while Galloway hit the Double Arm DDT on Matthews to score the pin. The Shield claimed a spot in the finals in very impressive fashion.

2) KOT – Semi-Final Round: Project VAL defeated Fear The Beards by DQ:
The popular team of Fear The Beards (“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, Matt Cross & Necro Butcher) took on Project VAL (Jay Lethal, “A Double” Austin Aries & Moose, with SoCal Val) in the other semi-final round match. Danielson won this event four years ago, teaming with CM Punk and Colt Cabana, and was hoping to lead Cross and Necro to the finals. SoCal Val, the manager of Lethal, was hoping to do the same while also viewing Aries and Moose as potential recruits. Danielson was on the defense early as Lethal caught him with a low blow and locked him in the Koji Clutch going for the submission. Aries then went for the 450 Splash but that was avoided by Danielson. Cross tagged in and took the battle to the much larger Moose including catching him with the Space Flying Tiger Drop. Moose struck back with a variety of slams tossing Cross all over the ring. Cross finally escaped and Necro tagged in going after Moose with a vengeance. The size difference didn’t matter to the hardcore star who quickly fired Moose out of the ring to continue his attack. That proved to be the downfall for Fear The Beards as Necro used anything that was not nailed down to assault Moose. A series of chair shots resulted in the referee calling for the bell and Project VAL advanced to the finals against The Shield winning via disqualification. The crowd jeered that decision and both Danielson and Cross had to calm Necro down afterward as the Project VAL team left for the locker room.

3) Eddie Edwards defeated Davey Richards by DQ:
The blood feud between former American Wolves partners “Die Hard” Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards took center stage on Night Three with another anticipated showdown. Richards, who was accompanied by his manager Truth Martini, won their initial meeting during WrestleCade X weekend so Edwards was looking to even the score. Edwards went for a lariat early but Richards avoided it and hit a handspring enzuigiri followed by a multiple suplex assault. Martini shouted instructions to Richards who looked confident on offense. He went for a folding power bomb but Edwards countered out and hit a snapmare and kick to the back. Richards went back on offense and attempted a backdrop but Edwards surprised him with a counter sunset flip for a two count. A nice offensive by Edwards culminated in him going for the Achilles Lock but Richards escaped and bailed out of the ring. Edwards followed but a distraction by Martini allowed Richards to gain control. Richards then ran Edwards head first into the ring post several times and the referee called for the bell ordering a disqualification. The battled didn’t stop there as Richards held him in place for a Book of Truth swing by Martini but Edwards ducked out of the way. Richards went down from the book shot and Martini took off as Edwards grabbed a chair. He delivered several shots across the back before Richards staggered to his feet and stumbled down the aisle. Edwards attempted to pursue him but was cut off by House of Truth members Delirious, Rhino and Matt Taven in the aisle leading to IWA officials getting in between the two sides to prevent any further action.

4) Table Match: Adam Pearce defeated Rob Van Dam:
The heated rivalry between Rob Van Dam, the “Whole F’N Show”, and “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce resulted in the two meeting in a Table Match. The object was to put your opponent through a table in order to achieve victory. Pearce has held the upper hand in the feud thus far so it was RVD hoping to get one in the win column under extreme rules which he is very proficient at. RVD was on fire early including blasting Pearce with a roundhouse kick to the head. He then put Pearce on a table outside the ring and dove off of the ring apron but it backfired. Pearce rolled off in the nick of time and RVD went crashing through the table. The match continued since RVD put himself through the table instead of Pearce doing it. Pearce took full advantage of it, though, and began dominating the action. With RVD laid out it was Pearce that put him on top of a table set up in the ring. Pearce then drew surprise reactions from the crowd as he climbed up onto the table as well and proceeded to put RVD through it with a devastating Jumping Piledriver. The referee immediately called for the bell ruling Pearce the winner while paramedics rushed to the side of RVD to check on his head and neck. Fortunately he was not seriously injured but Pearce once again got his hand raised in victory meaning that RVD is going to have to deal with another big loss to his rival.

5) IWA tag team titles: Kings of Wrestling defeated Osirian Portal to win the titles:
Next up was a battle for the IWA tag team titles as the Osirian Portal (Amasis & Ophidian) put the belts on the line against former champions the Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli). Both teams are two-time IWA tag team champions and this was a rematch from WrestleCade X weekend where the Portal won the belts from KOW in Beaumont, TX (Card #999). The rivalry between the two teams has resulted in some incredible battles and this one was no exception. Amasis and Hero had a great exchange in the early going that had the crowd going crazy. Hero struck with his Rolling Elbow Smash during the course of that battle but Amasis was able to kick out at two drawing a big pop from the crowd. Ophidian got the tag but found himself on the defensive for a good stretch against KOW. Castagnoli nailed him with a piledriver to set up Hero delivering the running elbow strike for a two count. The Portal managed to turn the tide but were unable to put KOW away and after blasting Amasis with a European Uppercut it was Castagnoli hitting the Ricola Bomb for a big near fall. That would build to the finish as KOW executed Kings Reign Supreme Two, a corner flip into a double release power bomb, on Amasis with Castagnoli covering him to score the pin. Just like that KOW were crowned the new IWA tag team champions becoming the first team to hold the belts three times.

6) Rey De Voladores Finals: Tiger Mask defeated Ricochet:
The highly anticipated Rey De Voladores finals saw IWA star Ricochet take on Tiger Mask of Kings Road United, a former winner of RDV and a six-time holder of the LOW Junior Heavyweight title. This was an incredible battle of two true high flying stars and a description would really not do it justice. Tiger Mask controlled much of the early action including executing the Tiger Suplex for a two count. He also used his lightning fast kicks and daredevil moves like the Space Flying Tiger Drop that had the crowd cheering. Ricochet had trouble getting offense in but when he did he executed Chocolate Rain, a top rope double diving kneedrop to the shoulders of a standing opponent, resulting in a near fall. Tiger Mask struck back with a Tombstone Piledriver and again executed the Tiger Suplex for a big near fall. The crowd went wild as Ricochet kicked out of that finishing move for a second time in the match. Another offensive by Ricochet saw him going for the 630 Senton but an alert Tiger Mask rolled out of the way in the nick of time. Tiger Mask sensed an opening and nailed Ricochet with a missile dropkick followed by the twisting moonsault resulting in a two count. Ricochet had one last gasp of offense left in him hitting the over the ring post dive and the Rickrack scoring a two count. Tiger Mask bounced back and after a series of lightning fast kicks he nailed Ricochet with a Jumping Spin kick to the jaw and covered him to score the pin. Tiger Mask became the first two-time winner of the RDV and received a rousing standing ovation from the crowd. Ricochet was extremely disappointed but showed great class by presenting Tiger Mask with the trophy and then holding his arm up in victory.

7) IWA Heavyweight title – Fight Without Honor: Michael Elgin© defeated Kevin Steen to retain the title:
The IWA Heavyweight title was on the line as the “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin defended the prized championship against “Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare” Kevin Steen in a rematch from WrestleCade X weekend. IWA Commissioner David Marquez ordered this rematch to be held under Fight Without Honor rules which brought both men back to their roots in Ring of Honor. This was a war from the opening bell to the closing one with both men fighting all over ringside and even into the crowd at various points. Steen was busted open and a bloody mess by the end of what was a real war. Both men used chairs, runs into the ring post and even a suplex onto a ladder propped from the apron to the guard rail as they dished out the punishment. Elgin looked to have it won when after a suplex on the ladder he fired Steen back into the ring and hit the Elgin Bomb for a big near fall. Steen was fortunate to escape that and he followed with a nice stretch of offense including hitting the high-angle senton bomb for a two count. Elgin struck back using the cravate with knees and then locked on the crossface submission but Steen fought out of it. Steen thought he had it won when he nailed Elgin with the Package Piledriver but somehow the champion kicked out just before the three count. Steen was livid and shoved the referee down arguing that he should be the new IWA Heavyweight champion. A fisherman buster onto the knee resulted in another near fall and another crazed reaction from Steen as he couldn’t put Elgin away. Following a double clothesline off of the ropes it was Elgin recovering first and firing Steen out of the ring. He then grabbed a chair and blasted the bloody Steen with it nearly knocking him out. Elgin then rolled Steen back into the ring and waited for him to stand up before nailing him with a brutal Lariat to score the pin. The crowd erupted in cheers as Elgin survived the war with Steen and made a successful version two defense of the title.

8) KOT Final Round: The Shield defeated Project VAL to win the tournament:
The main event was the final round of King of Trios as The Shield (Jon Moxley, Tyler Black & Drew Galloway) took on Project VAL (Jay Lethal, “A Double” Austin Aries & Moose, with SoCal Val). Both teams made an impressive run through the tournament to reach this point but only one team would walk away with the medals awarded to the winners. Lethal looked solid early as he caught Moxley in a figure four leglock for a submission chance. Aries followed up nailing Moxley with the Brainbuster scoring a two count. Project VAL got the heat on Moxley for a good stretch until he caught Moose with Moxicity, a spinning side slam, for a two count. He then made the hot tag and Black quickly caught Moose with God’s Last Gift resulting in a big near fall. A follow up Tree of Woe diving stomp had Moose in trouble until he rallied back against Galloway nailing him with the Avalanche. The match picked up at a frantic pace from there with all six men getting involved. The finish of a wild bout saw Galloway get the better of Lethal on a shoulder tackle and then plant him with the Double Arm DDT to score the pin. The crowd erupted in cheers as The Shield captured the King of Trios tournament much to the chagrin of SoCal Val who was near tears at ringside. The Shield members were then presented with their tournament medals as Val attempt to regroup her team on the floor. That didn’t play out too well as both Aries and Moose walked off leaving Lethal and Val in the dust so it looks like her attempts to recruit them have failed. Lethal then slammed a chair against the ring post and grabbed the hand of Val before storming off. The Shield, meanwhile, soaked in the applause of the crowd and their win no doubt served notice to everyone in the IWA that they will be a force to be reckoned with.

[Vegas]

Congrats to the Shield. I like how you are using Drew Galloway as the third member.