IWA - Blitzkrieg Bop - Hammerstein Ballroom - Manhattan, NY (Card #1059)● IWA Commissioner David Marquez welcomed an SRO crowd to the Hammerstein Ballroom and said he had some major announcements to make. He opened with the news that the upcoming IWA Survival of the Fittest event (Card #1069 in Nashville, TN) would determine the next challenger for the IWA Heavyweight title held by Jay Lethal. He said that more than half of the field had already been determined by the board of directors and that following IWA On The Mat the rest of the field would be decided in five qualifying matches. The men already announced as Survival of the Fittest participants are Diamond Dallas Page, Roderick Strong, Michael Elgin, last year’s winner Eddie Kingston, Rob Van Dam and Adam Pearce. He said that after listening to a request from RVD it was decided that he will face Pearce in the opening match of the tournament, a match RVD requested due to being 0-5 against Pearce in their one-on-one matches in order for him to have a chance to avenge those defeats on a big stage.
He then added that one more man has been named to the current field and that man is “Die Hard” Eddie Edwards who has been cleared to return from his ankle injury. Edwards joined Marquez in the ring and thanked him for the great opportunity and that with Davey Richards behind him he was now looking forward to this next phase of his career. That led to them being interrupted by Truth Martini, the head of the House of Truth, who tore into Edwards verbally. He called Edwards a “coward” and said that his “cheap win” over Richards which forced him out of the IWA at Supercard of Honor II has cost him and the House of Truth untold amounts of money. He said that Richards was going to be the cornerstone of his stable but now Edwards had ruined that and he would pay for it. Edwards laughed it off and went to make a move on Martini when suddenly Roderick Strong, Delirious, Rhino and Matt Taven hit the ring. They surrounded Edwards with Martini taunting him that they would break his other ankle. Things got tense until suddenly Mike Quackenbush and The Colony (Fire Ant, Soldier Ant & Green Ant) hit the ring to help Edwards out. Marquez quickly called for IWA officials to assist him and convinced Edwards to leave the ring area. Marquez then said that the eight-men were already scheduled for a tag team match so the match was going to start immediately and kick off the television broadcast of IWA On The Mat…
IWA On The Mat:
1)
Roderick Strong, Delirious, Rhino & Matt Taven defeated Mike Quackenbush, Fire Ant, Soldier Ant & Green Ant:
The Atomicos match pitting Mike Quackenbush and The Colony (Fire Ant, Soldier Ant & Green Ant) against House of Truth members Roderick Strong, Delirious, Rhino & Matt Taven couldn’t have gotten off to a more explosive start. David Marquez joined announcer Gavin Loudspeaker and new color commentator Larry Dallas at the broadcast table to watch things play out. During the match the IWA Commissioner announced that Eddie Edwards would now face Strong in the opening round at Survival of the Fittest and also announced that the LOW Tex-Arkana Television title, currently held by Blackjack Mulligan, would be defended on the big event. The early action saw Quackenbush stun Strong with a Quackendriver setting up Fire Ant trapping him in a Torture Rack. Strong came back with the Argentine Backbreaker on Solider Ant and tagged in Delirious.
The heat built up from there and Green Ant nearly won it by submission over Delirious with CHIKARA Special Green but that was broken up setting off an eight-way brawl. It wound up on the outside where Taven took the Book of Truth from Martino and hit Quackenbush with it. That set up Rhino nailing Quackenbush with the GORE! to score the pin bringing the House of Truth another big multi-man match victory. It wasn’t over there as Will Ospreay, the “Aerial Assassin”, ran in afterward attacking Rhino as the others battled it out. Taven then jumped in assisting Rhino before Quackenbush broke away going after his rival. IWA officials were needed to clear the ring and Marquez, after commercial break, announced that he was signing Quackenbush & Ospreay to face Rhino & Taven at Survival of the Fittest.
2)
Eric Watts defeated Cheeseburger:
The popular Cheeseburger out of Trenton, NJ, had the tough task of taking on IWA newcomer “Big Nasty” Eric Watts who was accompanied to the ring by his manager Ty Matthews. The eccentric Matthews, the self proclaimed “First Progenitor of Hyperoptimism”, stopped by the announce table and found a kindred spirit in Dallas who had glowing praise for his fellow manager. Watts hit the D.N.R., a fireman spinebuster, in the early going but Cheeseburger kicked out. Cheeseburger then staged a comeback and scored a big near fall with the Shotei Palm Strike drawing the attention of Matthews. Cheeseburger maintained control until a counter by Watts led to him hitting the devastating Murder Bomb, a crucifix power bomb into a pop-up knee, for the pin.
3)
Brian Cage defeated Ron Hutchison:
Journeyman wrestler Ron Hutchison out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada took on Pringle Dynasty member “The Machine” Brian Cage. Manager Percy Pringle III, who was joined by his bodyguard Big Duke, went over to the announce table where Dallas relayed some big news. He said that he got the scoop from Marquez that Cage was named the challenger for the LOW Tex-Arkana Television title at Survival of the Fittest. Pringle beamed saying that his “Machine” was going to bring gold to the Dynasty. Cage, meanwhile, dismantled Hutchison in a pretty one sided bout. He hit him with a discus lariat and pinned him with a Backbreaker/Neckbreaker Combo.
4)
Jon Moxley & Drew Galloway defeated Wild Bill White & George Gatton:
The Shield, represented by Jon Moxley & Drew Galloway, were in tag team action taking on Wild Bill White & George Gatton. Tyler Black, the architect of the group, joined Loudspeaker and Dallas on commentary. This one was over pretty quickly as Moxley countered a backdrop by White with a Cradle Hold for the pin. Black was impressed by the performance of his teammates and vowed that The Shield was just getting started in the IWA. He said that his match later on against Randy Savage, one of the true legends of LOW, would be the biggest test of his career. With a spot in Survival of the Fittest at stake a determined Black vowed to defeat Savage and claim his spot in the tournament and ultimately a shot at the IWA Heavyweight title. Loudspeaker thanked Black for his time and reluctantly congratulated Dallas on his new announcing job before bringing another memorable edition of IWA On The Mat to an end.
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5)
Survival of the Fittest Qualifying Match: Trent Barreta defeated Moose:
The non-televised part of the card, available on a live stream on the IWA website, kicked off with the first of five Survival of the Fittest qualifying matches as Moose took on Trent Barreta. The powerful Moose from Baltimore, MD, dominated most of the early action including scoring a near fall with corner shoulder thrusts. Barreta stormed back scoring consecutive big near falls with a top rope Frankensteiner and a leg lariat. He also hit the Gob Stopper, a single running high knee to the head, but Moose powered out at the count of two. Moose struck back with a brutal lariat and the Pounce shaking up Barreta. They wound up out on the floor where it was Barreta connecting with a suicide leap. He quickly rolled back in and as Moose staggered back through the ropes it was Barreta executing a surprise Cradle Hold to score the pin and claim a spot in the tournament. The crowd cheered the big win by Barreta as Moose held his head in his hands knowing he had lost a great opportunity.
6)
Survival of the Fittest Qualifying Match: Kevin Steen defeated Lance Hoyt:
A most interesting matchup saw Pringle Dynasty member the “American Psycho” Lance Hoyt take on “Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare” Kevin Steen. Manager Percy Pringle III was in the corner for Hoyt but Steen cared little about his presence and remained focused on Hoyt. This was an all out war from the opening bell. Steen hit the Package Piledriver in the early going but Pringle got up on the ring apron to break up the pin. Steen then decked Pringle knocking him out to a big pop from the fans but Hoyt took advantage attacking him from behind. Big Duke, the bodyguard of Pringle, raced down to ringside and doused him with a cup of water to wake him up. Hoyt then scored with the Texas Tower Bomb and a chokeslam scoring a two count on Steen. He continued his assault until Steen avoided a legdrop (ch) and then hit a high angle senton bomb for a two count. The two fought out to the floor a few times and both men were busted open exchanging blows. Steen then hit the power bomb onto the ring apron and rolled Hoyt back in going for the pin but Pringle provided another distraction. Hoyt was able to fight back and hit a big boot for another near fall. Steen regained control and, after a second power bomb on the ring apron, he shoved Big Duke into Pringle knocking them down. He then dragged Hoyt back into the ring and delivered a Fisherman Buster onto the Knee to score the pin. Steen advanced to the tournament with a hard fought double juice victory over Hoyt.
7)
Survival of the Fittest Qualifying Match: Johnny Gargano defeated Nigel McGuinness:
Two evenly matched stars, who are allies in the IWA, squared off next as Nigel McGuinness took on Johnny Gargano. They had to put their friendship aside in order to go after the opportunity to compete in Survival of the Fittest. Gargano scored early with the Baby Ace Crusher and then applied the Gargano Escape but McGuinness got to the ropes for a break. McGuinness countered the attack of Gargano hitting the corner to corner forearm and Guvnor’s Crumpet, a hammerlock into a kneeling facebuster. Another application of the Gargano Escape nearly resulted in a submission but McGuinness was able to escape from the punishing hold. A battle on the floor saw Gargano nearly win it by count out but McGuinness made it back into the ring at nine. The two had a nice exchange building to the finish which saw Gargano again apply the Gargano Escape (+2) and this time McGuinness was unable to escape it or counter out resulting in him tapping out. Gargano won it by submission and earned a spot in the tournament. McGuinness was upset over the loss but shook hands with Gargano afterward drawing cheers from the crowd and chants of “Johnny Wrestling” for the winner.
8)
Survival of the Fittest Qualifying Match: Bryan Danielson defeated Sami Callihan:
The “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson was hoping to qualify for the tournament but first he had to go through the double tough Sami Callihan. It was Callihan who dominated for a good stretch early including blasting Danielson with the Forearm 2 Remember. A headlock driver resulted in a two count before Danielson managed a counter and hit a Dragon Suplex. That move also resulted in a two count and Danielson built on that to reverse the momentum. He floored Callihan with a discus elbow smash and then executed a Tiger Suplex for a near fall. The two then exchanged dives to the outside which took something out of both men. Callihan made a comeback another Forearm 2 Remember followed by an exploder suplex for a near fall. Danielson recovered and after another Tiger Suplex he set Callihan up on the top rope and laid him out with a Back Superplex. Both men were stunned on the mat but Danielson managed to roll over and get an arm over Callihan to score the pin. Danielson was able to qualify for the tournament but was taken to the limit by Callihan in what was a great match.
9)
Survival of the Fittest Qualifying Match: Randy Savage defeated Tyler Black:
The final qualifying match was also the most anticipated one as Randy “Macho Man” Savage took on Tyler Black, the leader of The Shield. Black was accompanied by Jon Moxley and Drew Galloway causing Savage to circle the ring attempting to come up with a plan of attack. The referee conversed with Black and then ordered both Moxley and Galloway to leave ringside so it would be a strictly one-on-one match. The unhinged Moxley had some words with Savage as he left the ring drawing the ire of the “Macho Man” and forcing Galloway to get in between them preventing a physical confrontation. It was a tense moment for sure but then Savage hit the ring engaging in a stare down with Black as the referee went over the rules of the match. The impressive speed of both men was on display early as they executed moves with quick precision. Black took control striking with Paroxysm, a spinning inverted implant DDT, and an F5. He then went for a tree of woe diving stomp but Savage countered that and struck with a neckbreaker clothesline and a vicious piledriver. It was pretty much give and take from there until Savage caught Black with an elbow to the head that dropped him to the mat. That led to Savage coming off of the top rope with his trademark Flying Elbow Smash to score the pin. Savage qualified for the tournament much to the dismay of Black and afterward both Moxley and Galloway returned to the ring. The Shield members stood tall and surrounded Savage for what looked to be an attack but instead Black offered a hand shake breaking up the tension. Savage thought it over for a second but then accepted it while simultaneously staring at Moxley remembering their earlier confrontation. Black and Galloway gathered up Moxley and left the ring while Savage soaked in the cheers of the crowd.
10)
Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe & Ricochet defeated Jay Lethal, Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli by DQ:
The main event was a full on championship display as IWA tag team champions Jay & Mark Briscoe joined forces with IWA J-Crown champion Ricochet to do battle with IWA Heavyweight champion Jay Lethal and record three-time IWA tag team champions the Kings Of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli). SoCal Val was at ringside representing Lethal giving his team something of an advantage. Rig announcer Gavin Loudspeaker, who had played his guitar for the crowd in between matches, barely got his introductions in when all six men began brawling. The crowd went crazy as Lethal grabbed the guitar and snuck up on Jay but that backfired as Mark jumped in. Jay wound up getting the guitar and breaking it over the head of Lethal to a big pop from the crowd. Jay then hit the Jay Driller on a stunned Lethal and quickly covered him for a two count. If that weren’t enough he grabbed one of the tag title belts and struck Lethal with it knocking him out of the ring. As the two took their fight to the floor Mark and Ricochet went at it with the Kings of Wrestling on the inside setting off a chaotic scene. The referee managed to see Lethal hold Jay for a slap from SoCal Val and then spear him head first into the ring post which resulted in a snake eyes disqualification decision. The crowd groaned at the quick ending but got extra action as all six men battled it out for several minutes afterward until IWA officials cleared the ring area.
IWA Commissioner David Marquez thanked the crowd for attending and said that he was adding a match to Survival of the Fittest and it would be Jay Briscoe going up against Jay Lethal in a non-title No DQ Match. That drew cheers from the crowd as Marquez turned it over to Loudspeaker to announce the full lineup for Survival of the Fittest (Card #1069 at the Fairgrounds Arena in Nashville, TN):
Qualifying Matches:
Rob Van Dam vs. Adam Pearce
Diamond Dallas Page vs. Trent Barreta
Kevin Steen vs. Johnny Gargano
Eddie Kingston vs. Bryan Danielson
Michael Elgin vs. Randy Savage
Eddie Edwards vs. Roderick Strong
Paul London & Brian Kendrick vs. Los Primos Rivera vs. All Night Express
Mike Quackenbush & Will Ospreay vs. Rhino & Matt Taven
LOW Tex-Arkana Television title: Blackjack Mulligan© vs. Brian Cage
Non-Title No DQ Match: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal©
Survival of the Fittest Finals - The Fray Match – Winner receives a future shot at the IWA Heavyweight title
