LOW - Legends of Wrestling

[cruefan68]

Thanks for the comments Pariah, Crimson, Aceldamas, gabe72 and Joebreakdown. The SHIMMER action always stands out to me as the ladies seem to bring it on every show I roll out. The two title matches were especially fun. I was surprised when Taeler Hendrix beat Trish Stratus but it helps set up a new rivalry which is great. Crazy Mary, Rhia and Rush - enough said. Talk about a crazy crew and even though Rhia is not completely crazy she does carry that glass bottle and is a protégé of Saraya Knight so she fits right in.

I finally got a new computer today, after about twelve years of using my old one lol, and was able to successfully bring my files over to the new comp. I am very happy about that so coming up next is a big night of IWA action, I hope that you enjoy it.

[cruefan68]

IWA - Survival of the Fittest - The Fray Match - Fairgrounds Arena - Nashville, TN (Card #1069)

● IWA Commissioner David Marquez welcomed the SRO crowd to Survival of the Fittest – The Fray Match explaining that the winner would be in line for a shot at the IWA Heavyweight title. He attempted to run down the qualifying matches when he was rudely interrupted by IWA Heavyweight champion Jay Lethal and his manager SoCal Val. Lethal demanded to know why the winner would get a shot at his title since no one competing in the event was “worthy” of challenging him for it. He also ran down his opponent Jay Briscoe, one-half of the IWA tag team champions, who he would be facing later on in a non-title No DQ Match. He said that Briscoe had done nothing to earn a match with him and that he might even just go home and take a forfeit loss. The crowd jeered and Marquez, who was already irate over the interruption, told Lethal that if he no showed the match with Briscoe he would be stripped of the title. Val stepped in and threatened to slap the commissioner but Lethal pulled her back and told Marquez that he couldn’t do that. Marquez said he had the power to do so but now he was going to up the ante and award Briscoe a match for the IWA Heavyweight title and if Lethal failed to show up he would forfeit the belt and be fired from the IWA. Lethal went crazy kicking the ropes while Val pleaded with Marquez to change his mind but the IWA Commissioner instead wished Lethal luck in his No DQ title match with Briscoe drawing cheers from the crowd.

1) Qualifying Match: Adam Pearce defeated Rob Van Dam by DQ:
A big night of action kicked off with Rob Van Dam taking on “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce with a spot in the Survival of the Fittest finals at stake. RVD and Pearce have engaged in a torrid feud in the IWA but a one-sided one as RVD had yet to win a singles match over his rival. Pearce had it going his way early including scoring a big near fall with the Last Ride Lariat. RVD battled back furiously and had Pearce in trouble blasting him with the Van Daminator. He would then hit the Five Star Frog Splash but was late in making the cover allowing Pearce to kick out just before the three count. Pearce made a comeback before RVD nailed him with the controversial Van Terminator, a turnbuckle to turnbuckle diving dropkick into a chair, and that resulted in the referee calling for the bell. Pearce won it via disqualification dropping a frustrated RVD to 0-6 against him in singles matches.

2) Qualifying Match: Trent Barreta defeated Diamond Dallas Page:
Former IWA Heavyweight champion Diamond Dallas Page from the Jersey Shore was looking to earn another crack at the belt but first he had to get through the promising young star Trent Barreta, a native of Long Island, NY. DDP looked great during the early action which saw him execute the Diamond Dream for a two count. Barreta went on a great offensive around the midway point striking with key moves like the double foot stomp and corkscrew senton. DDP cut off his offensive and went for a swinging neckbreaker but that was countered by Barreta. Moments later he caught DDP with a Top Rope Frankensteiner and cradled his legs to score the pin. The crowd erupted in cheers as Barreta earned a huge win over DDP and claimed his spot in The Fray Match.

3) Qualifying Match: Johnny Gargano defeated Kevin Steen:
A tense battle saw the popular Johnny Gargano take on “Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare” Kevin Steen, a former ROH Heavyweight champion. Steen boldly predicted a quick victory in a pre-match interview with official IWA photographer Dr. Mike Lano but Gargano had other idea. He exploded on offense early and caught Steen with key moves like the Crosston Crab and Hurst Donut. Steen was nearly counted out after taking a running dive from Gargano. Steen managed to reverse the momentum and hit a fisherman buster onto the knee and a high-angle senton bomb. Gargano, however, got the better of Steen after another outside dive and then trapped him in the punishing Gargano Escape, a chickenwing crossface submission. Steen flailed about trying to escape but Gargano had him tied up and got the submission victory. Steen went crazy post-match tearing up the ringside area even going after Lano but he managed to escape as IWA officials intervened.

4) Qualifying Match: Bryan Danielson defeated Eddie Kingston:
The “War King” Eddie Kingston, a former IWA Heavyweight champion, took on the “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson with a Fray Match spot at stake. Kingston held the upper hand early winning a pair of Chop Battles against the popular Danielson. His roughhouse tactics seemed to be working until a counter by Danielson led to him hitting a running dropkick off the ropes. He then trapped Danielson in the Crossface Chickenwing with the “War King” barely getting to the ropes for a break. It was a hard fought final exchange before Danielson executed a back superplex followed up by a Regalplex to score the pin.

5) Qualifying Match: Michael Elgin vs. Randy Savage was a DDQ:
The “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin had his hands full as he took on Randy “Macho Man” Savage in a tournament bout. There was a disturbance in the aisle as Savage made his way to the ring. Jon Moxley, the unhinged member of The Shield, jumped over the ring barrier and confronted Savage drawing a number of IWA officials into the scene. They managed to keep the two apart but Savage was clearly upset with Moxley getting in his way. Savage, who defeated Shield member Tyler Black to claim this spot in the qualifying round, then stormed into the ring and stared down Elgin who did not back off. Once the action got underway it was a great battle of the power of Elgin against the intensity and quickness of the “Macho Man”. Both men hit their finishers, Elgin with the Elgin Bomb and Savage with the Flying Elbow Smash, but were unable to put the opponent away. More near falls followed before it ended up outside the ring where both men were disqualified exchanging blows while ignoring the referee. That decision unfortunately meant that both men were eliminated and would not be taking part in The Fray Match.

6) Qualifying Match: Roderick Strong defeated Eddie Edwards:
The highly anticipated in-ring return of “Die Hard” Eddie Edwards saw him take on Roderick Strong, the longest reigning LOW Tex-Arkana Television champion in history and the cornerstone of the House of Truth. Edwards was put out of action with an ankle injury by his former American Wolves partner Davey Richards after he was responsible for sending Richards packing from the IWA. Manager Truth Martini has vowed to take out Edwards as a result of costing him the services of Richards and he was hoping to see Strong keep him out of The Fray Match. Martini involved himself in the action saving Strong at one point as Edwards had him pinned after he hit Die Hard. The actions of Martini aside this was a sensational match with both men coming close to victory several times. In the end it was Strong securing the win when he caught an equally fatigued Edwards with the Sick Kick to score the pin. Strong advanced to The Fray Match much to the delight of Martini.

7) Triple Threat Match: All Night Express defeated Paul London & Brian Kendrick and Los Primos Rivera:
Three teams in contention for the IWA tag team titles squared off as Londrick (Paul London & Brian Kendrick), Los Primos Rivera (Gino & Danny Rivera) and the All Night Express (Rhett Titus & Kenny King, with manager Rock Riddle) took part in a Triple Threat Match. The first team to score a pinfall or a submission would be declared the winners. The action was all over the place in this one with all six men getting in some nice offense. Kendrick hit Sliced Bread #2 on Danny at one point but Titus broke up that pin. LPR had some nice offense including catching London with the double hip toss and double dropkick combo. ANX, however, would prevail when after a near fall with the legdrop and splash combo it was King planting Gino with the Exploder Suplex to score the pin. Riddle bragged on the mic afterward that ANX would be the next IWA tag team champions and they will, in fact, face Mark & Jay Briscoe for the belts in Taylor, MI (Card #1080).

8) Rhino & Matt Taven defeated Mike Quackenbush & Will Ospreay by Count Out:
Grudge tag team action featured Mike Quackenbush & Will Ospreay taking on House of Truth members Rhino & Matt Taven. The rivalry between Quackenbush and Taven has been on fire and Ospreay, the “Aerial Assassin”, offered his assistance to Quackenbush due to him being outnumbered by the House of Truth. Things looked bad for the fan favorites early on particularly due to Rhino and Taven jumping them during the ring introductions. They got the heat on Quackenbush for an extended stretch until he made the hot tag. Ospreay impressed as he nailed Taven with the Essex Destroyer resulting in a big near fall. Taven then found himself on the receiving end of an assault by Quackenbush and Ospreay resulting in him being busted open. Manager Truth Martini made a key distraction save for the bloody Taven when Ospreay had him pinned after a handspring rebound enzuigiri. This one ended up out on the floor where Rhino nailed Quackenbush with the Gore and managed to beat the ten count back into the ring for an unpopular victory for the House of Truth members.

9) LOW Tex-Arkana Television title: Blackjack Mulligan© defeated Brian Cage to retain the title:
The rugged Blackjack Mulligan out of Eagle Pass, TX, put the LOW Tex-Arkana Television title on the line against “The Machine” Brian Cage who was accompanied by his manager Percy Pringle. There was nothing pretty about this bout which saw both men trade blows in and out of the ring. Cage hit Weapon X early for a big near fall but Mulligan rebounded with a strong attack. He managed to trap Cage in the Claw Hold prompting Pringle to get involved. Mulligan took care of that by decking the manager knocking him out. Pringle collapsed off of the ring apron to the floor leading to Pringle Dynasty bodyguard Big Duke running out and assisting the manager to the back. Mulligan fended off another assault from Cage and locked on the Claw Hold again but this time it was Big Duke running out and breaking that up hitting Mulligan with a foreign object out of view of the referee. Cage would then hit the Discus Lariat for a big near fall. Mulligan managed to dig down deep and won it when he hit a Back Elbow Ram on Cage for the pin. It was a successful version five defense of the title for Mulligan against a strong challenge by “The Machine”.

10) IWA Heavyweight title - No DQ Match: Jay Lethal© defeated Jay Briscoe to retain the title:
The IWA Heavyweight title was at stake in this No DQ Match as Jay Briscoe, one-half of the IWA tag team champions, challenged Jay Lethal, who was accompanied by his manager SoCal Val, for the belt. The earlier ruling by IWA Commissioner David Marquez infuriated Lethal who was hesitant to get into the ring to defend the title. That was remedied when Mark Briscoe ran down and tossed Lethal into the ring to get this one officially underway. Briscoe held the early advantage, including hitting Lethal with the IWA Heavyweight title belt, as he looked to win the gold. Lethal struck back with Lethal Injection for a two count before hitting both Hail to the King and Diving Dynamite. Briscoe fought back and hit the Jay Driller for a big near fall drawing a look of worry from SoCal Val. She then ran to the back as Briscoe continued his offensive. Lethal fought back and locked on the Koji Clutch but Mark broke that up leading to the referee ejecting him from ringside. Val then returned with fellow manager Rock Riddle and the All Night Express (Rhett Titus & Kenny King) leading to a controversial finish. ANX took advantage of distractions of the referee by both Val and Riddle and assaulted Briscoe on the outside. Briscoe was busted open and Lethal took full advantage delivering a Smash into Ring Post and rolling him up to score the pin. Lethal retained the title in his version three defense as a bloody and angry Briscoe chased after ANX and Riddle.

11) Survival of the Fittest Finals – The Fray Match:
IWA Heavyweight champion Jay Lethal and his manager SoCal Val remained at ringside to observe The Fray Match, the finals of the Survival of the Fittest tournament awaiting who his next title challenger would be. One by one the contending group of Adam Pearce, Trent Barreta, Johnny Gargano, Bryan Danielson and Roderick Strong made their way to the ring staring down both Lethal and Val. IWA Commissioner David Marquez grabbed the mic and ordered Strong’s manager Truth Martini to return to the back as he wanted no outside interference in the finals. Martini protested that and refused to leave but was then carried off by a host of IWA officials drawing cheers from the crowd. A random draw led to Barreta and Gargano starting the match with another wrestler joining in every three minutes. Eliminations could take place by pinfall, submission or disqualification.

Barreta was very impressive controlling early until Gargano, just before the three minute period ended, caught him in the Gargano Escape. Barreta tried to escape but could not get to the ropes and was forced to tap out just as Pearce joined the fray. Pearce and Gargano had a heated exchange but were unable to eliminate each other as Strong hit the ring. The three way battle between Gargano, Pearce and Strong was explosive as Gargano found himself in a double-team situation. Gargano survived as Danielson joined in making it a four-way battle to the finish. The next man to be eliminated was Strong when Gargano caught him in the Gargano Escape. Strong tried to escape but was unable to and like Barreta he was forced to tap out. Pearce impressed in the remaining three-way including nearly pinning Danielson after hitting the Jumping Piledriver. Gargano took advantage of Pearce being dumped out of the ring and caught Danielson in the Crosston Crab. Danielson almost escaped the hold but Gargano fell back on it resulting in a submission. Gargano was doing the unthinkable of eliminating the entire field but still had Pearce to contend with. Both men would execute their finishers, the Gargano Escape and the Jumping Piledriver, but neither move secured the win. Instead it was a Swinging Reverse STO by Gargano that led to a clean sweep victory as he scored the pin on Pearce. The crowd erupted in cheers as Gargano capped off a huge night and earned himself a shot at the IWA Heavyweight title in Chicago, IL (Card #1079). Lethal entered the ring afterward staring down Gargano while raising the belt overhead ending a great night of action.

Order of Entry:

● Trent Barreta
● Johnny Gargano
● Adam Pearce
● Roderick Strong
● Bryan Danielson

Order of Elimination:

● Trent Barreta (via submission – Gargano Escape by Johnny Gargano)
● Roderick Strong (via submission – Gargano Escape by Johnny Gargano)
● Bryan Danielson (via submission – Crosston Crab by Johnny Gargano)
● Adam Pearce (via pinfall – Swinging Reverse STO by Johnny Gargano)

[Vegas]

Congrats to Johnny Gargano who even scored all 4 eliminations in the finals!

[aceldamas]

A big night of action in the IWA with Survival of the Fittest. Gargano ran the table starting with his impressive qualifying win against Kevin Steen. Jay Lethal better come up with a good game plan because Johnny is on a roll!

[Crimson Cross]

The highlight for me is Rhino and Matt Taven winning their tag team grudge match, but that's a huge accomplishment for Johnny Gargano...

[bookerbill]

Amazing night of night of action.

[cruefan68]

Thanks for the comments Vegas, Aceldamas, Crimson and Bookerbill. Johnny Gargano went into beast mode in that Fray Match. I was hoping after his first two eliminations someone else would sneak one in but Gargano eliminated everybody. I was very happy with that card overall and Gargano vs. Lethal should be a good one. Up next is CEWA action with some history being made. Read on...

LOW Capitol Wrestling Alliance - Mid-South Coliseum - Memphis, TN (Card #1070)

1) Rain defeated Krissy Vaine:
Ring Angels action opened things up with Krissy Vaine out of Greensboro, NC, taking on Rain, a native of St. Paul, MN. Rain, who is one-half of the Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew along with Lacey, blasted Vaine with a dropkick at the bell. She then launched a lengthy offensive punishing Vaine with moves like the Lung Blower and Inverted STF. A brief comeback by Vaine led to Rain making a counter and hitting the Rain Drop, a falling inverted DDT, for the pin.

2) The Fantastics defeated The Mongols by Count Out:
The popular team of The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers) had their work cut out for them as they battled Abdullah Farouk’s team of The Mongols (Bepo & Geeto). The Mongols tried to jump The Fantastics at ringside as they greeted their fans but that backfired. Fulton and Rogers took control early and used double-team attacks to keep their larger foes on the defensive. That changed when Bepo made a counter and Fulton and scored a big near fall with a Croatian Suplex. The Mongols went on a solid offensive of their own using powerful moves like the Oriental Spike and Bearhug to dominate. This one ended up where it began on the outside with all four men trading blows. Fulton then avoided a charge by Bepo with a backdrop and dashed back into the ring scoring a count out win for The Fantastics.

3) Bobo Brazil defeated C.W. Anderson:
Benton Harbor, MI, native Bobo Brazil, a three-time LOW World Heavyweight champion, was greeted with great applause as he took on C.W. Anderson. Nicknamed “The Enforcer”, Anderson joined the CWA after a good run in Japan for Kings Road United where he survived the tough KRU dojo. Anderson has shown great promise but here he was overmatched by his larger foe. Brazil used a bearhug to punish Anderson late before blasting him with the Coco Butt to score the pin.

4) The Warlord defeated George Steele:
The managerial rivalry between Captain Lou Albano, representing George “The Animal” Steele, and Abdullah Farouk, representing The Warlord, continued with this grudge match. Albano has let Farouk get the better of him as Farouk secured the services of The Warlord right out from under him. Albano has also had some problems with his other charge, the “Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff, likely due to losing direction thanks to Farouk getting into his head. There was nothing pretty about this bout which was over quickly. After a brief brawl The Warlord hit a falling forearm smash for a two count and then trapped Steele in the Full Nelson. Albano tried to interfere but Farouk held onto his leg from the outside. Steele succumbed to the powerful hold and The Warlord got the victory via a snake eyes submission. It wasn’t over there as The Mongols hit the ring and joined The Warlord in an attack on Steele leaving him lying. A furious Albano grabbed the mic and dared Farouk to give him a tag match with Steele and Koloff facing The Mongols. Farouk insisted on Albano competing as well in a six-man tag with The Warlord joining in and Albano, not in any position to negotiate, agreed with the match scheduled to take place on the next CWA card in Dallas, TX (Card #1074).

5) Big John Studd & Rick Rude defeated Midnight Rockers:
The popular Midnight Rockers (Stan Lane & Marty Jannetty) took on Big John Studd & “Ravishing” Rick Rude in a grudge tag team match. J.J. Dillon, the manager of Studd and Rude, was at ringside with his head bandaged up after taking a beating from the Rockers in tag team action at MSG (Card #1065). Dillon signed Rude to a contract that night and was hoping for an immediate payoff from that deal. He got it as his men outmuscled the Rockers from the opening bell and did a great job getting the heat on Lane as a frustrated Jannetty awaited a tag. Studd really roughed up Lane late including delivering the double arm suplex. That set up Rude hitting the Rude Awakening on Lane to score the pin. The crowd jeered the decision as an alert Jannetty pulled Lane out to safety preventing a post-match attack. Dillon was pleased with the victory and told local reporters post-match that whether as a team or as singles wrestlers he vowed that his stable of men will dominate the CWA.

6) PWI Invitational Cup Tournament - Qualifying Match: Dutch Savage defeated Curt Hennig:
The qualifying round continued as Dutch Savage of Pacific Coast wrestling took on Curt Hennig of the CWA in a battle of fan favorites. Savage, however, reverted to an aggressive style drawing the ire of the crowd. He used the thumb to the throat several times and scored a near fall with brawling punches and kicks. Hennig battled back and blasted Savage with a standing dropkick resulting in a two count. The latter stages of a hard-fought bout saw Savage gain control and, after scoring a big near fall with the Running Piledriver, he caught Hennig with a Double Ax Handle to score the pin. The win allowed Savage to join George Hackenschmidt and Jushin Liger in the tournament which takes place during WrestleCade 11 weekend.

7) PWI Invitational Cup Tournament - Qualifying Match: King Kong Bundy defeated Danny Hodge:
Golden Age Wrestling star Danny Hodge had his powerful hands full as he took on 446-pound World of Sport star King Kong Bundy in the qualifying round. Hodge did a good job of battling the size of Bundy and even nearly won it by count out after both men fell through the ropes on a sleeper hold. Back inside he caught Bundy with the Oklahoma Side Roll but only got a two count. Bundy went on a strong offensive late delivering moves like the running powerslam and elbow drop off the ropes. Hodge showed great resiliency but in the end it was Bundy hitting the Avalanche to score the pin, even getting a five count on demand. Hodge fought hard but it was Bundy that advanced joining George Hackenschmidt, Jushin Liger and Dutch Savage in the tournament during WrestleCade 11 weekend.

8) LOW World tag team titles: Steve Williams & Terry Gordy defeated Road Warriors to win the titles:
The main event saw the Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk, with manager Paul Ellering) defend the LOW World tag team titles against the Miracle Violence Connection of Steve “Dr. Death” Williams & Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy. It was all Road Warriors early including them hitting the Doomsday Device on Williams for a big near fall. Animal followed up with a Powerslam on Gordy scoring a two count. Gordy, who was busted open during the match, took a strong beating at the hands of both Animal and Hawk but he fought through it. Williams took control late and hit the Oklahoma Stampede on Hawk but Animal made the save setting off a four-way brawl that nearly resulted in a double disqualification. With the referee distracted it was Gordy using the tag rope to strangle Hawk leaving him in a near unconscious state. A tag from Williams saw Gordy lock the Sleeper Hold on Hawk who quickly dropped down unable to escape. Williams cut off another save attempt by Animal as the referee called for the bell. History was made in Memphis as Gordy and Williams won it via submission and captured the LOW World tag team titles for the first time. It was also the end of a record setting reign for the Road Warriors who had successfully defended the belts nineteen times.

[Crimson Cross]

Too bad Hennig lost to Dutch, I was wanting Curt in the PWiT and WOW! the Road Warriors fall and fall to a very top team, fun stuff and the LOD were one shy from a 20 title defense, that's a shame...

[bookerbill]

LOD drop the gold . . . things should start to heat up in the tag team ranks again now the dominate champions have fallen.

[Vegas]

History was definitely made in your fed on this show cruefan68 with the MVC ending the Road Wariors reign as tag champions after 19 defenses, wow!

impressive victory for Dutch Savage over Curt Hennig

I also like how you are pairing Marty Jannetty with Stan Lane and using Abdullah Farouk as the manager for both the Mongols and the Warlord.

looking forward to the PWI Invitational Cup Tournament

great stuff!