Mattsdmf

I really enjoyed this match. Dick Togo was really going at an incredible pace and loved seeing him bust out all of those moves. Super Delphin was also very good in this. Osaka Pro is one of my favorite promotions from this time period.

Just finished this match as I'm going through my own Crockett/NWA project. This was an incredibly fun TV match in which they worked a different tag structure than normal as it starts with FIP, shine, another FIP, shine and finish. I really loved how fired up Flair was and Dewey Robertson (who would become The Missing Link) help up his end. Roddy Piper was a bumping maniac in this. I really wish we had more arena footage of this time period as I would love to see Flair and Piper go at in front of a nuclear Carolina crowd. Flair really picked up the pace in this as he switched into "house of fire" mode and dropped a lot of what his schtick was. A fun match everyone should check out.

I know that no one is really following this which is kind of disheartening but I really want to continue with this project as I still have plenty of ideas. I also really want to see this evolve through the 1990s and into the post-MNW era. So this is more for my entertainment and using it as a practice tool for writing. Anyone reading this, I will have some big twists and turns coming. Right now, the main goal is to get through the September PPV and set up the main rivalries for the rest of 1991 going into 1992.

After re-listening to the IWA MS episode of Exile on Badstreet, I decided to order the 2001 King of the Deathmatch and Best of 2002-2004 Ted Petty Invitational. Watching these DVDs brought back a lot of memories of when I binged watched so much US indie wrestling from the 2000s. ROH was my favorite promotion at the time but I find myself really enjoying these IWA MS shows more from top to bottom and the sheer variety of the shows. I also love the seedy atmosphere of it all!

IWA on WGN (taped on September 9, 1991) [aired on September 11, 1991] ⦁ Bob Caudel and Scott Hudson welcome the audience back to another episode of IWA on WGN. They run down the card for the show as the big matches are that Sabu will defend his TV tite against Norman Smiley and there will be a big six-man tag team match with Brad Armstrong teaming with Jerry Lynn and Gentleman Chris Adams against Tully Blanchard, Eric Embry and Hot Stuff Eddie Gibert. Caudel makes a big announcement that The Fabulous Ones will defend their tag team titles against The Fanastics at FALL SLAM. ⦁ Cheryl Rusa defeated Bambi by submission with a figure four in their debut match in the IWA. Cheryl won the crowd over as being very energetic with Bambi gaining boos as she cuts a promo before the match. She says she's too high class for the crowd but has debts to pay off. ⦁ Bob Caudel brings out Brad Armstrong for an interview over what happened at the conclusion of last week's episode. He said it's typical of Blanchard and his crew to come to his save when he's in trouble. The bright side is he will get a shot at Nature Boy Ric Flair at Fall Slam! Ric Flair along with Blanchard comes out to contront Armstrong. Flair: Well, well, well. Look at this hot shot. You think you can take on The Man? Look kid, I respect your family, even your no good father. Your family has always had a ton of guts but from me to you, you better prepare for the biggest beating of your life Armstrong: You can insult me all you want but don't disrespect my family. *Blanchard steps up* Blanchard: What do you think you're doing? Armstrong: I will prove that I'm the top wrestler in the IWA and beating the so called Man will definitely cement me a shot at that title you have on your shoulder. Flair: Well, ain't that cute? You're not the first to take shots at me. Look at this suit, these shoes, this watch. You think you can match this? We'll see in a couple weeks! ⦁ Caudel gives another run down on the big September 15th Lucha Clash card in Chicago. ⦁ El Dandy, Javier Llanes & Negro Navarro defeated The Villanos as Javier Llanes and Negro Navarro hit a double dropkick on Villano IV while El Dandy hit a splash from the top to gain the pinfall victory. ⦁ After the break, Bob Caudel makes another announcement. As a result of the tension in the women's division here in the IWA, a match has been made for Fall Slam. Medusa and her new partner Monster Ripper will take on the new comers Miss Texas and Luna Vachon in tag team action. Medusa and Monster Ripper come out to the announce booth. Medusa told Caudel that people have wondered why Monster Ripper and her have joined up together when just a month ago, they were battling each other. It's simple, Medusa says. When you gain the respect of someone for their toughness and skills, you want to team up with them especially with how much of a force of nature she is. Plus, when you have an annoyance like Miss Texas and Luna Vachon that needs to be taken care of as there's no room for so called wrestlers like them. ⦁ TV Championship: Sabu defeated Norman Smiley with a well concealed attack with a spike that he hid in his boot. The audience is upset with the result but since the referee was distracted by trying to get Al Snow out of the ring area. Al Snow came out because Sabu was mercilessly cheating and beating down Smiley and Snow came out to try to get it to be a fair fight but backfired on him as Sabu hit a springboard dropkick to knock him off the ring apron. ⦁ Brad Armstrong, Jerry Lynn & Chris Adams vs. Tully Blanchard, Eric Embry & Eddie Gilbert ends in a double DQ as all six men end up brawling around the studio. Jerry Lynn was the FIP in the match as the heels took turns beating him down and nearly getting a win until he tags in Chris Adams to clear the house. Armstrong and Blanchard ends up brawling into the crowd while the others brawled up to the announcer's table as Caudel and Hudson tried to get out of the way. Ric Flair comes out to help beat down Armstrong with Blanchard but the faces take control and end up in the ring and the heels run to the back. The faces stand tall as the show goes off air. IWA on ESPN (taped on morning of September 14, 1991) ⦁ The Can-Am Express defeated Buddy Landel & Brian Lee with Doug Furnas hitting a devastating German suplex on Buddy Landel for the pin. ⦁ Pirata Morgan defeats Black Terry with the Pirata Lock. ⦁ Akira Taue defeated Jeff Gaylord with a chokeslam. ⦁ Al Snow & Wayne Shamrock defeated Sabu & Chris Candido with Al Snow submitting Candido with a Texas Cloverfield. ⦁ Debbie Combs defeated Desiree Peterson with a brainbuster. ⦁ Lightning Kid vs. Chris Adams ends in a 15 minute draw. Lucha Clash [september 15, 1991] ⦁ Apolo Dantes, Felino & Javier Llanes vs. The Villanos ⦁ Miss Texas, Luna Vachon & Candi Divine vs. Medusa, Monster Ripper & Cynthia Moreno ⦁ Art Barr vs. El Dandy ⦁ Norman Smiley & Steven Regal vs. Al Snow & Wayne Shamrock ⦁ Sabu vs. Pirata Morgan ⦁ Tag Team Championship: The Fabulous Ones vs. Black Terry & Emilio Charles Jr. ⦁ Brad Armstrong & The Fantastics vs. Eric Embry & The Wild Bunch ⦁ Cage Match: Jerry Lynn vs. Lightning Kid ⦁ El Hijo del Santo vs. Negro Casas ⦁ IWA Championship: Tully Blanchard vs. Blue Panther

IWA on WGN (taped on September 2, 1991) [aired on September 4, 1991] ⦁ Bob Caudel and Scott Hudson welcome the viewers to another exciting episode of IWA wrestling on WGN! The main event will pit the IWA Champion Tully Blanchard against Brad Armstrong in a non-title match to face Ric Flair at Fall Slam. ⦁ El Dandy defeated Al Snow with a tornado DDT after a longer bout that almost went the 15 minute time limit. It was more of a grounded bout as both worked intricate mat work and as the time was growing closer, it heated up as Dandy hit a plancha on Snow on the outside and Snow also hit a moonsault off the guardrail onto Dandy. ⦁ Announcement of special event on September 15th in Chicago. It'll feature all the major IWA stars along with many major stars in the world of lucha libre in Mexico. Some of the matches announced: IWA Championship: Tully Blanchard vs. Blue Panther Stars such as Apolo Dantes, Art Barr, Black Terry, El Dandy, Emilio Charles Jr., El Hijo del Santo, Felino, Javier Llanes, Negro Casas, Norman Smiley, Pirata Morgan and the Villanos will be appearing as well! ⦁ Thrill Seekers defeat Tom Prichard & Chris Candido as Jericho hits a springboard moonsault onto Prichard for the pin. ⦁ Caudel brings out The Fabulous Ones and Jim Cornette for an interview to ask them who is the masked man that has been coming out with them to interfere and basically be their backup. Cornette corrected Caudel by saying that The Fabs do not need backup or anyone to interfere on their behalf. That said, they won't turn down any help from supporters. ⦁ After The Fabs talk, Caudel speaks to The Fantastics on their take of the situation. Bobby Fulton said that they will get to the bottom of this and will unmask and get rid of the masked man so that they can take care of the nuisance that is The Fabulous Ones. ⦁ After the commercial break, Ric Flair is on the camera with a microphone. He announces that he is back in Chicago and an area that was a big part of the early part of his career. Besides that, he is here to show the world that he is the true world champion and doesn't matter whether the IWA or whatever wrestling company wants to recognize it or not. He is here to issue a challenge to either Tully Blanchard or Brad Armstrong, who are both strong wrestlers, to a match at the upcoming Fall Slam show to see just who is "The Man." ⦁ Medusa & Monster Ripper defeated Desiree Peterson & Debbie Combs via submission as Medusa made Peterson tap from a figure four. ⦁ Brad Armstrong defeats IWA Champion Tully Blanchard via DQ after Eddie Gilbert and Eric Embry interfere when Armstrong nearly had Blanchard defeated after a very near count after a crossbody from the top rope. Flair comes out to taunt Armstrong and stand by Blanchard's side. IWA on ESPN (taped on morning of September 7, 1991) ⦁ The Masked Avenger vs. Jackie Fulton ends in a double count out as both wrestling brawl around ringside. ⦁ The Wild Bunch defeats Billy Joe Travis & Brian Lee with Billy Black hitting a backdrop suplex on Billy Joe Travis for the pinfall victory. ⦁ Monster Ripper defeats Reggie Bennett with a monstrous DDT for the victory. ⦁ Wayne Shamrock submits Steven Regal with a Fujiwara armbar after the battle goes nearly the 15 minute limit. It was a fantastic mat based match. ⦁ The Miracle Violence Connection defeats PG-13 with the MVC hitting a lariat/backdrop driver combo on Wolfie D for the pin. Gordy and Williams continue the beatdown on the young tag team by delivering thunderous powerbombs on both men.

IWA on WGN (taped on August 26, 1991) [aired on August 28, 1991] ⦁ Our hosts Bob Caudel and Scott Hudson welcome the viewers back to a new episode of IWA on WGN. They run down the card for the show as well as the major interview with "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair. ⦁ Bob Caudel brings out "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy for their first interview in IWA. He said that they have become very successful in Japan in recent times and have big reputations here in the U.S. and asks what they want to achieve here. Dr. Death said that he wants to do what they did in Japan, complete and total domination. Gordy said that they've come from Freebird Mountain to drop a bomb on the IWA. They then go out to the ring to face their opponents. ⦁ Miracle Violence Connection defeated Jeff Gaylord & Billy Joe Travis as they hit a combination of lariat from Gordy and a back drop driver from Williams on Travis for the pinfall. ⦁ The Fabulous Ones & Masked Avenger defeats The Fantastics & Jackie Fulton as Stan Lane hits a superkick on a distracted Jackie Fulton after Jim Cornette had the ref and faces at his attention. The match had a southern style tag in which Jackie Fulton was the face in peril and tagged in his brother Bobby who came in like a house on fire attacking all of the heels. Jackie ends up tagged back in only for Cornette to create a distraction for the heels to pick up the win. ⦁ Commissioner Les Thatcher comes out once again to address the tag teams. He said that since The Fabulous Ones can't seem to win a match on their own, two things can be done. The first, he will be signing a cage match between the two tag teams at Fall Slam on September 21st with the tag titles on the line. The second, Jim Cornette will have to put up his managerial license in IWA if The Fabs lose. Cornette and the Fabs lose it at the announcement as the show goes to a commercial break. ⦁ Medusa comes to the announce booth with Monster Ripper. Medusa says in this business, you need insurance and Monster Ripper is such an insurance. She has had her hands full with Miss Texas and Luna Vachon. She is going to show Vachon and Miss Texas what to expect in the future. ⦁ Monster Ripper completely squashes a local jobber and pins her after a massive powerbomb. Medusa enters the ring to help celebrate Ripper's victory. ⦁ Bob Caudel welcomes the TV audience back from the commercial break and said the wait is over, we finally get to see the one, the only "Nature Boy" Ric Flair! Ric Flair comes out to thunderous applause while carrying "The World Title." He said it's good to be talking to Bob Caudel once again and being back in this part of the country that was his old home area before going to the Carolinas. When asked what he's looking forward to here in IWA. He said that he's not here to build his way from the bottom as it's not necessary and a waste of time but to take on the absolute top talent that they have. Commissioner Les Thatcher comes out and says it's an honor to have a talent as big as Ric Flair in their company. He said that next week's main event will be a four-way elimination match pitting IWA Champion Tully Blanchard against Brad Armstrong, Gentlemen Chris Adams and Lightning Kid. The winner will go on to face Ric Flair at FALL SLAM. Flair interjects and says he will even put up his "World Title" in order to see if anyone is man enough to beat The Man. ⦁ IWA Championship: Tully Blanchard defeats Chris Adams to retain the IWA Championship with a pin after the slingshot suplex. It was a nice back and forth affair. Afterwards, Ric Flair comes out and congratulates Blanchard for his hard fought victory, shakes his hand and leaves as the show goes off the air. IWA on ESPN (taped on the morning of August 31, 1991) ⦁ PG-13 defeats The Pitbulls with Wolfie D hitting a bulldog on Pitbull 2 from the top rope. ⦁ Aja Kong defeats Candi Devine after a dangerous looking lariat. ⦁ Jerry Lynn vs. Norman Smiley goes to a 15 minute time limit as they give a really great technical performance. ⦁ The Miracle Violence Connection defeats Brian Lee & Buddy Landel with Terry Gordy landing a big powerbomb on Landel and getting the pinfall victory. ⦁ Brad Armstrong & Miss Texas defeats Tully Blanchard & Medusa w/Monster Ripper when Miss Texas pins Medusa after a failed attempt of Monster Ripper getting involved but getting knocked off the ring apron and Miss Texas hitting Medusa with a DDT for the victory.

IWA on WGN (taped on August 19, 1991) [aired on August 21, 1991] ⦁ Our hosts Bob Caudel and Scott Hudson welcome us to a new episode of IWA on WGN. This week we will see the IWA champion, Tully Blanchard in action. The main event will be the Tag Team Championship match with The Fabulous Ones against The Fantastics with Jim Cornette being banned from ringside. ⦁ Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert comes out to talk to Caudel and Hudson while carrying a video tape with him. He says that he is on his way to the top and they need to show the world that he is the golden boy of the IWA and not Brad Armstrong. So before his match with Jerry Lynn begins, they show a music video. ⦁ Music Video: Hot Child in the City [Eddie Gilbert clips] ⦁ Eddie Gilbert defeats Jerry Lynn with a DDT. ⦁ Bob Caudel gives a rundown of the upcoming live events for IWA and where people can get the tickets. He then brings out Luna Vachon and her tag partner Miss Texas who will be wresting next against Medusa and Cynthia Moreno. When asked about their latest problems with Medusa, Miss Texas said that she needs to show Medusa what humility is and they will have to keep pounding the point in. ⦁ Luna Vachon & Miss Texas defeats Medusa & Cynthia Moreno by count out as the faces have Medusa & Moreno on the run after a very impressive combo attack on Medusa and she runs out of the ring and to the back while the referee counts to 10. ⦁ Tully Blanchard defeats Sabu with a rollup but with his foot on the rope. Blanchard nearly survives Sabu's barrage of attacks until he cheats to get the upper hand long enough to squeak out a cheap victory. ⦁ Bob Caudel makes an announcement with Blanchard that he will be defending his IWA championship next week against Gentleman Chris Adams! Blanchard said that this goes against tradition of the champion defending the title on television. Bob Caudel then said that this is a different place and the in studio audience and the television audience demand to see the best matches they could see and a championship match is what people would like to see! ⦁ Bob Caudel announces that "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair will make an appearance on next week's show! ⦁ Tag Team Championship: The Fabulous Ones defeats The Fantastics after a masked man attacks Bobby Fulton who had just got in a hot tag but the referee was down. The masked man laid out Fulton and drapped an unconscious Stan Lane onto Fulton and the ref was revived and made the 3-count. The match itself began with The Fantastics getting the edge on The Fabulous Ones who were psyched out by the absense of their manager Jim Cornette. But once they got control, they cut off the ring and wore Tommy Rogers down until he got to tag in Fulton. ⦁ After the match, the 3 men including Jim Cornette began to beat down the Fantastics until Bobby's brother Jackie came to the rescue and the heels left the ring. IWA on ESPN (taped on the morning of August 24, 1991) ⦁ Steven Regal, Norman Smiley & Felino defeated Negro Navarro, Villano III & Villano IV with Regal using the Regal Stretch on Villano IV for the win. ⦁ Reggie Bennett defeated Cynthia Moreno by hitting a big splash to gain the pinfall victory. ⦁ Brad Armstrong defeated Chris Candido by hitting a diving crossbody from the top rope. ⦁ The Miracle Violence Connection (Steve Williams & Terry Gordy) defeated Brad Rhenigans & Doug Somers when Terry Gordy hit a devastating lariat onto Rhenigans to get the pinfall. ⦁ TV Championship: Sabu defeats Lightning Kid with the triple moonsault.

IWA on WGN (taped on August 12, 1991) [aired on August 14, 1991] ⦁ Bob Caudel and Scott Hudson welcome us to another edition of IWA on WGN. We will see tag team action from some established stars that we see every week and some newcomers. As well, later in the show, we will see The Fantastics challenge The Fabulous Ones for the IWA Tag Team Championship. But the main story is that Brad Armstrong will have to come back from the beat down he received from Embry, Gilbert and Lightning Kid last week. The trio of heels come out to talk to Caudel. They gloat about beating down Armstrong and that maybe he should have just stayed home where his daddy would keep him safe instead of being in their den of wolves. Caudel says that what they did was uncalled for, unsportsman like and dispicable. Gilbert laughed and replied, "And that's supposed to make us feel bad? Bob, you of all people have been in this business for a very long time and know that it's a dog eat dog world. Let's face it Brad, you're just a chew toy and we're rottweilers." Caudel then says that we will here from Armstrong later in the show and there will be a six-man tag with these gentlemen. ⦁ PG-13 defeats Doug Somers & DJ Peterson after JC Ice hits a buldog from the top rope onto Peterson for the win. ⦁ Bob Caudel then introduces Medusa to come up to the announcer's table for an interview. He then asks Medusa how she felt about her loss last week against the newcomer Luna Vachon. She then goes on to blame her tag partners not to be around to help keep them from losing the match. Then Miss Texas comes out to defend herself from being bad mouthed by Medusa. The two get heated and Medusa then challenges Miss Texas to a match and she agrees. ⦁ Medusa defeats Miss Texas after getting a rollup pin. The match goes on for about 5 minutes in which Miss Texas dominates for the most part but Medusa gains the upper hand with a lariat, lands a thunderous suplex, goes for a pin but gets a nearfall. Miss Texas makes a quick comeback but Medusa rolls her up for a decisive three count. ⦁ Next up, Bob Caudel has the IWA tag team champions, The Fabulous Ones with their manager, Jim Cornette to the announcer's table. Cornette says that they will defend against two chumps that he has dealt with too many times in the past but he knows how to beat them. They will run through them like a hot knife through butter. ⦁ Brad Armstrong, Jerry Lynn & Blue Panther come out to have an interview before their match against Eric Embry, Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert and Lightning Kid. Asked about being attacked by his three opponents last week, what will Armstrong do? Brad said that you can't keep an Armstrong down and with his two partners, they will take care of business and show that those guys can't win a battle without even greater numbers and a face to face. ⦁ Brad Armstrong, Jerry Lynn & Blue Panther vs. Eric Embry, Eddie Gilbert & Lightning Kid ends in a double DQ. Both sides could not stay to their seperate corners and brawled around the ringside. ⦁ Tag Team Championship: The Fabulous Ones vs. The Fantastics. The Fantastics defeat The Fabulous Ones by DQ. The Fantastics had The Fabulous Ones so close to being beat as Tommy Rogers got a major hot tag and just as they were about to hit their team move, Jim Cornette came rushing in to blindside them which caused the ref to disqualify the tag champions. The champs tried to take advantage of them but The Fantastics had chased them off. Commissioner Les Thatcher comes out and says that they can't be having these type of cowardly results to the matches. It cheats the opponents and most importantly, the fans. So next week, The Fabulous Ones will once again defend their titles against The Fantastics but this time around, Jim Cornette will be banned from ringside. Jim Cornette throws a tantrum as the champions are obviously upset as the show goes off the air. IWA on ESPN (taped on morning of August 17, 1991) ⦁ Jeff Gaylord defeats Jackie Fulton with a clothesline off the top rope. ⦁ Al Snow & Wayne Shamrock defeats Billy Joe Travis & Buddy Landel as Shamrock puts on an Fujiwara arm bar on Travis to make him submit. ⦁ Luna Vachon defeats Cynthia Moreno with a tornado DDT. ⦁ Chris Adams, Jerry Lynn & Steven Regal defeats The Villanos as Jerry Lynn hits a victory roll on Villano IV. ⦁ TV Championship: Sabu defeats Pirata Morgan. It was a near brawl around the studio but it ends in the ring as Sabu hits a double springboard moonsault to gain the victory and retaining the TV title.

Since I don't watch nearly enough current wrestling to do a list, here are my Top 30 First Time Watches of 2017: 1. Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Jun Akiyama [AJPW 2/27/00] 2. Aja Kong vs. KAORU [GAEA 2/13/00] 3. Marty Jones vs. Terry Rudge [Joint Promotions 11/30/76] 4. Giant Baba vs. Billy Robinson [AJPW 7/24/74] 5. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Keiji Mutoh [AJPW 6/8/01] 6. CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar [WWE SummerSlam 8/18/13] 7. Trevor Lee vs. Chip Day [CWF Mid-Atlantic 4/26/17] 8. Carlos Colon vs. Stan Hansen (Cage Match) [WWC 3/14/87] 9. Dirty White Boy vs. Tracy Smothers (Tennessee Chain Match) [sMW Bluegrass Brawl 4/2/93] 10. Terry Funk vs. Mark Lewin [Houston 4/27/79] 11. El Hijo del Santo vs. Blue Panther [Monterrey 4/9/00] 12. Kenta Kobashi vs. Yoshihiro Takayama [AJPW 5/26/00] 13. Nobuhiko Takada vs. Akira Maeda [uWF 11/10/88] 14. El Hijo del Santo & Negro Casas vs. Bestia Salvaje & Scorpio Jr. [CMLL 3/19/99] 15. Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan [WWE Fastlane 2/22/15] 16. Barry WIndham vs. Ron Bass [CWF 11/19/83] 17. Verne Gange vs. Billy Robinson [iWE 11/20/74] 18. Shinya Hashimoto & Takashi Iizuka vs. Naoya Ogawa & Kazunari Murakami [NJPW 1/4/00] 19. Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda vs. Tomoko Watanabe & Kumiko Maekawa [AJW 3/4/00] 20. Takehiro Murahama vs. Naohiro Hoshikawa [Osaka Pro 3/25/00] 21. Harley Race vs. Andre the Giant [Houston 1/7/79] 22. Negro Casas, Atlantis & Rayo de Jalisco Jr. vs. Villano III, Pieroth Jr. & Fuerza Guerrera [CMLL 4/14/00] 23. Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar [WWE Hell in a Cell 10/23/15] 24. HHH vs. Chris Jericho [WWF Backlash 4/17/00] 25. Ric Flair & Barry Windham vs. Ricky Steamboat & Eddie Gilbert [WCW 1/21/89] 26. Yuki Ishikawa & Naoki Sano vs. Alexander Otsuka & Kazunari Murakami [battlARTS 3/25/00] 27. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins [WWE Royal Rumble 1/26/15] 28. Atlantis, Mr. Niebla & Rayo de Jalisco Jr. vs. Dr. Wagner Jr., Bestia Salvaje & Scorpio Jr. [CMLL 2/25/00] 29. Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Kenta Kobashi [AJPW 4/11/00] 30. Lioness Asuka & Sonoko Kato vs. Sugar Sato & Chikayo Nagashima [GAEA 2/13/00]

I really dug this match and thought that if it was longer it would rank much higher for me. As it stands, its still a great match. I really loved the grit that Liger showed in the match and CIMAs fiery comebacks that almost showed he could pull off a huge victory against Liger.

This had that big fight feel that I love and felt like it could have main evented a WrestleMania. While I agree Ogawa was awful, Hashimotos performance was so great he carried him to a fantastic match. It felt like every strike or throw that was executed had weight behind it and the match could come to an end. I didnt mind the use of 4 STOs as they seemed to get more devastating each time. I thoroughly loved this match. It was a great spectacle.

This match was a lot of fun to watch. Asari has become another wrestler for me to keep an eye on during this project as shes really risen up there for me. Yagi had some incredible use of the armbar submission. Im really happy that I have seen this.

I thought this was so very awesome! This is really up there with the best character work of 2000. I loved how Villano III was still technically a rudo but gave his respect to the tecnicos and refused to do anything dastardly against them which put him at odds with Pierroth and Fuerza. I liked one moment after the first fall where the rudos were talking about what to do with Villano as he seemed to be on the side of the tecnicos which made 4 vs 2. They really stuck with the plan and even though the match went 2 straight falls for the tecnicos which I thought was smart, and what cemented the full face turn for Villano was the post match with the rudos electrocuting Villano which Ive never seen in lucha. This is one of my favorite matches of 2000. As far as the work went, pretty much everyone was good to great with the exception of Pierroth which kept it from being a truly top tier match of the year. That said this is very highly recommended!

IWA on WGN [taped on August 5, 1991] (aired on August 6, 1991) ⦁ Bob Caudel and Scott Hudson welcome us back to the this new episode of IWA on WGN, we will see some great action with a 6 woman tag match, Sabu will defend the Television championship against Art Barr, the new tag team of Al Snow and Wayne Shamrock will show the audience what they're made of and Brad Armstrong will be in action on this show. ⦁ After showing clips from the main event of the ESPN show, they bring out the very first IWA champion, Tully Blanchard. He told Caudel that this was a practice in inevitability. He will show that he will be a true world champion and will take on all comers. Caudel asked if he will give a rematch against Brad Armstrong from the finals of the title tournament, Blanchard said that since he is no longer in the top 10 rankings, he will not recieve a title shot. Just as they shift into another round of questions, Brad Armstrong comes up to the announce table and wanted to make a correction. "Unless my ears are decieving me, I swore I heard you say that you will take on all comers but then you said only those in the top 10. So which is it?" Bob Caudel interjects and mentions that in the IWA title bylines, Tully is correct in that he will defend against those in the Top 10. Tully grins and told Armstrong to enjoy being in the preliminary matches and walks away signifying the end of the interview. ⦁ Luna Vachon, Monster Ripper & Akira Hokuto defeated Miss Texas, Medusa & Bull Nakano with Vachon hitting a DDT on Medusa for the win. ⦁ Bob Caudel congratulates Luna, Monster Ripper and Akira Hokuto on their win tonight as well as their win from the big ESPN show. Luna says that she will continue her family's tradition of kicking butt and taking names and will prove she, along with the two she's with, are the toughest women in wrestling. Women aren't just prissy valets who just follow the men around and not do anything of their own. This is just the beginning of women showing that they can also be top stars in the wrestling world. ⦁ TV Championship: Sabu defeated Art Barr with a moonsault into a pinning combination. ⦁ The Fabulous Ones with Jim Cornette walk out to the announcers table as the new IWA tag team champions. Cornette said that he told everyone that The Fabs would come into this ramshackle part of the country, win the titles and beat everyone that there is to beat here. You will see these two superstars hold the straps for a very long time around their gorgeous waists. He will admit that those two Canadian punks, The Thrill Seekers, were scrappy and had some fire but at the end of the end of the day, they weren't even in their league and got treated as such and everyone should see the tape of the ESPN show for proof. ⦁ Al Snow & Wayne Shamrock defeated The Villanos with Al Snow landing a German Suplex on Villano III for the win. ⦁ Bob Caudel then makes a special announcement that they will be making their debut on PPV on September 21st called FALL SLAM. ⦁ Lightning Kid defeated Brad Armstrong as Eddie Gilbert and Eric Embry come out and interferes with Embry distracting the referee and Gilbert throwing a chain to Lightning Kid for him to knock out Armstrong and get the 3-count. All 3 beat down Armstrong and then pose as a unit as the show comes to a close. Live Show [August 5, 1991] ⦁ Buddy Landel vs. Brian Lee ⦁ Pirata Morgan vs. Art Barr vs. Javier Llanes vs. Felino ⦁ Sabu & The Wild Bunch vs. Tom Prichard & The Elminators ⦁ Chris Adams vs. Norman Smiley ⦁ Eric Embry & Eddie Gilbert vs. Jerry Lynn & Brad Armstrong Live Show [August 6, 1991] ⦁ PG-13 vs. The Eliminators ⦁ Scott Levy vs. Negro Navarro ⦁ Bobby Fulton vs. Chris Adams ⦁ IWA Tag Team Championship: The Fabulous Ones vs. Al Snow & Wayne Shamrock ⦁ Battle Royal: Aja Kong, Akira Hokuto, Candi Divine, Cynthia Moreno, Debbie Combs, Desiree Peterson, Leilani Kai, Luna Vachon, Medusa, Miss Texas, Monster Ripper ⦁ Eric Embry & Eddie Gilbert vs. Jerry Lynn & Brad Armstrong ⦁ IWA Championship: Tully Blanchard vs. Sabu Live Show [August 7, 1991] ⦁ PG-13 vs. The Eliminators ⦁ Billy Joe Travis, Doug Somers & DJ Peterson vs. The Villanos ⦁ Chris Adams vs. Tommy Rogers ⦁ Aja Kong vs. Miss Texas ⦁ Eddie Gilbert vs. Tom Prichard ⦁ Brad Armstrong vs. Eric Embry ⦁ IWA Tag Team Championship: The Fabulous Ones vs. The Thrill Seekers Live Show [August 8, 1991] ⦁ Pirata Morgan & Black Terry vs. Art Barr & Jimmy Del Ray ⦁ Billy Joe Travis vs. Brad Rhenigans ⦁ Luna Vachon, Monster Ripper & Akira Hokuto vs. Medusa, Miss Texas & Bull Nakano ⦁ PG-13 vs. The Thrill Seekers ⦁ Lightning Kid vs. Bobby Fulton ⦁ Brad Armstrong & Jerry Lynn vs. Eric Embry & Eddie Gilbert Live Show [August 9, 1991] ⦁ Steven Regal vs. Norman Smiley ⦁ The Villanos vs. Los Brazos ⦁ Battle Royal: Art Barr, Billy Joe Travis, Brad Rhenigans, Brian Lee, Buddy Landel, Chris Candido, Dean Malenko, Doug Somers, Iceman King Parsons, Jackie Fulton, Jimmy Del Ray, Jeff Gaylord, Negro Navarro, Scott Levy, Tom Prichard ⦁ Medusa vs. Monster Ripper ⦁ IWA Tag Team Championship: The Fabulous Ones vs. The Fantastics vs. The Wild Bunch ⦁ Brad Armstrong vs. Eddie Gilbert ⦁ IWA Championship: Tully Blanchard vs. Chris Adams IWA on ESPN (taped on morning of August 10, 1991) ⦁ Pirata Morgan defeated Dean Malenko by submission with the Saka Otoshi into the Pirata Lock. ⦁ Aja Kong & Akira Hokuto defeated Bull Nakano & Cynthia Moreno as Aja Kong hits a thunderous powerbomb on Cynthia Moreno for the win. ⦁ Black Terry, Felino & Javier Llanes defeated Brad Rhenigans, Brian Lee & Tom Prichard with Felino using La Casita on Brad Rhenigans. ⦁ TV Championship: Sabu defeated Wayne Shamrock by countout after hitting a tope suicida on Shamrock on the outside and crawling back in before the 10 count. ⦁ The Thrill Seekers defeated The Wild Bunch with Jericho hitting a brain buster on Billy Black for the win. Injury Report: Scott Levy was injured during a live show and might not return to action until February of 1992.

Top 10 Ranking: 1. Tully Blanchard [8-0-2] IWA CHAMPION 2. Eric Embry [7-3-3] 3. Eddy Guerrero [6-1-1] 4. Lightning Kid [6-4-2] 5. Stan Lane [4-2] TAG TEAM CHAMPION 6. Steve Kiern [4-2] TAG TEAM CHAMPION 7. Blue Panther [4-3-1] 8. Bobby Fulton [4-3-1] 9. Chris Adams [4-3-1] 10. Sabu [4-3-1] TV CHAMPION 11. Brad Armstrong [4-3-4] 12. Tommy Rogers [4-4-1] 13. Jerry Lynn [4-6-2] 14. Akira Hokuto [3-0] 15. Bull Nakano [3-2] NEWS UPDATE: ESPN is upset with the excessive use of blood in the tag title match and the monthly live show will probably be coming to an end but IWA will have a big announcement at the next airing of the WGN show about the future of big televised shows.

Ran Yu Yu is becoming one of the more interesting wrestlers of this project. I'm almost always intrigued by the matches she's in and they deliver for the most part too. I thought the venue was an interesting touch as it was pretty intimate with about 100 people in attendance. The matwork was pretty good and the striking was stiff. It was a very hard fought match as it seemed like every strike or submission had a sense of struggle to it which I really like in matches. I loved the ending with the forearm strike to Tsubasa as she was coming off the ropes.

IWA on WGN [taped on July 27, 1991] (aired on July 31, 1991) ⦁ Bob Caudel and Scott Hudson welcome us to another episode of IWA wrestling on WGN and we are 3 more days until we will finally get an IWA Heavyweight Champion and the first IWA Tag Team Champions on the live edition of the ESPN show. Tonight we'll see an 8 man tag match and a return match of the new TV champion, Sabu, defending his title against former champion Eric Embry. ⦁ Just as they are running the rest of the card down, Tully Blanchard and Medusa make their presence known at the announcers booth. ⦁ The Fabulous Ones & The Wild Bunch defeats The Fantastics & The Thrill Seekers when Billy Black hits Lance Storm with a moonsault for the pin. ⦁ Interview: Eddie Gilbert ⦁ TV Title Match: Sabu vs. Eric Embry ends in a 10-minute time limit. ⦁ Tully Blanchard & Medusa vs. Brad Armstrong & Monster Ripper ends in a Double DQ. Both teams end up in a brawl around the studio and as both are using chairs, the ref throws the match out and several refs come out to try to break them up. IWA on ESPN August 3, 1991 ⦁ 10-Women Elimination Match: Akira Hokuto, Aja Kong, Desiree Peterson, Debbie Combs & Luna Vachon defeats Bull Nakano, Candi Divine, Cynthia Moreno, Miss Texas & Leilani Kai with Luna Vachon being the sole survivor. ⦁ Order of Elimination: Candi Divine by Aja Kong, Lelilani Kai by Luna Vachon, Desiree Peterson by Bull Nakano, Cynthia Moreno by Bull Nakano, Bull Nakano and Aja Kong both counted out, Akira Hokuto by Miss Texas, Miss Texas by Luna Vachon. ⦁ TV Championship: Sabu defeats Tom Prichard with a tornado DDT. ⦁ Bob Caudel tries to get a chance to interview Sabu but Sabu walks to the back. ⦁ Medusa defeats Monster Ripper after Medusa uses a chain to hit Monster Ripper with and puts her feet on the ropes. Tully Blanchard comes out to celebrate with Medusa and helps her to the back ⦁ Bob Caudel interviews Brad Armstrong about his tournament finals match against Tully Blanchard later this evening. Armstrong said he will become the first champion of the IWA. ⦁ Eddie Gilbert, Eric Embry & Lightning Kid defeats Jerry Lynn & The Fantastics when Gilbert hits a DDT on Bobby Fulton to get the pinfall. ⦁ IWA Tag Title Tournament Finals: The Fabulous Ones defeats The Thrill Seekers in an incredibly action packed and bloody match. Chris Jericho gets slingshotted into the ringpost by Stan Lane and is busted open and bleeds a ton throughout the match. Steve Kiern also gets busted open after being tripped into the crowd barrier. The crowd really gets behind the Thrill Seekers and they valiantly try to finish the match with Lance Storm hitting a dropkick and Jericho landing a moonsault on Lane but getting kicked out at 2 3/4. Steve Kiern then hits an inverted DDT and picks up the win. ⦁ Interview: The Thrill Seekers. As Jericho has a bandage being put on his forehead before getting stitches, they were asked what they thought went wrong in the match. Lance Storm says that they will have to be much more aggressive the next time and if it's a fight the Fabulous Ones want, a fight is what they'll get. ⦁ IWA Title Tournament Finals: Tully Blanchard defeats Brad Armstrong to become the first IWA Champion. The crowd has been buzzing for this and the atmosphere had a big fight feel. The action was very mat based through a good portion of the match until Armstrong got the best of Blanchard until Blanchard slid out of the ring to slow the pace down. Blanchard got the best of Armstrong with running him shoulder first into the crowd barrier. Action returns to the ring as Blanchard works over Armstrong's arm and cuts him off any time he tries to make a comeback. Armstrong makes a comeback as he hits a series of punches and clothesline on his opposite arm but when he hits a near knockout Von Eric style discus punch with his bad arm, he collapses in pain. He eventually covers Blanchard but he kicks out at 2 1/2. Eric Embry and Eddie Gilbert come out to be by Tully's side. Armstrong has Tully tied up in the ropes and goes to rush towards him but Gilbert grabs him by the foot to distract him as Tully gets loose and hits a devastating backdrop suplex and gets the pinfall. The heels celebrate in the ring until Armstrong gets up and tries to fight the 3 of them until they overtake him. The Fantastics come out to help chase off the heels as they celebrate at the arena entrance.

I thought this was quite a refreshing match to watch. Ogawa is a wrestler that Ive come to really enjoy watching as hes so different from his peers at the time. I really enjoyed the use of counters that Ogawa used and forcing Misawa to rethink his strategy. With the time restraints on the match, I think it really helped from going overboard.

Unfortunately, I didn't get much out of this match. While I do like a surly bloody hair match, this was much too slow. It was like Salvaje and Perro were moving in slow motion. I didn't understand why they kept showing the kid and older woman (I'm assuming they're relatives). Not a bad match but disappointing.

I thought this was an incredibly fun match to watch. I was really won over by SUWA and Ricky Marvin. SUWA was such to everyone in the building from the fans to the referee to his opponents and even his team mates. Ricky Marvin was especially great in this as he was doing some really impressive high flying. I thought Champinger was pretty awful in the time he was in this match but thankfully it wasn't very long. The pacing of this was really great and not a slow or boring spot in this one.

IWA on WGN [taped on July 16, 1991] (aired on July 19, 1991) ⦁ Bob Caudel and Scott Hudson welcomes us back to another action packed week of IWA on WGN. We will have Eric Embry on board to defend the Television Championship against Villano III. Jerry Lynn will team up with the Thrill Seekers to take on The Fabulous Ones and Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert. In the main event, we will finally have the beginning of the semi-finals to the IWA Championship as Brad Armstrong faces off against Lightning Kid. ⦁ Before the first match, Bob Caudel brings Miss Texas out for an interview. This will be her second match on television for the promotion as she debuted on the ESPN show. Caudel asks her how she feels about the level of competition of women's wrestlers in this company and how she will fit right in. Miss Texas replies that everywhere she goes, she wins championships and this is no different. Since she has a bigger platform to work on, she's going to show the world that her attitude and talent is as big as Texas. ⦁ Miss Texas defeats Debbie Combs after hitting a tornado DDT from the corner and gets the pin. ⦁ Eric Embry comes to the announce booth to be interviewed by Bob Caudel. When asked about his ties to Eddie Gilbert and his loss in the title tournament, Embry reassured Caudel and the audience that their favorite Texas-Tennessee connection will remain and dominate the IWA, simple as that. Asked about his opponent tonight, Villano III, Embry says that he knows that the Villanos always have a trick up their sleave but he knows the game and will remain the IWA TV Champion. ⦁ TV Championship: Eric Embry vs. Villano III goes to a 10-minute time limit draw with Villano nearly getting a major pinfall. Both clotheslined each other and collapsed as the last few seconds ticked by before there was a winner. ⦁ Thrill Seekers and Jerry Lynn come out to be interviewed before their match and said that this match will be a warm up for next week's big 2 hour ESPN show. Jerry Lynn will help neutralize Eddie Gilbert while the Jericho & Storm will show that they can beat the veterans in The Fabulous Ones and win the tag titles. ⦁ Thrill Seekers & Jerry Lynn defeats The Fabulous Ones & Eddie Gilbert by DQ when Gilbert smashes Lynn with Cornette's tennis racket in front of the referee to stop the babyfaces from getting a pinfall win on Steve Kiern. The heels take over and beat down the younger babyfaces and stand tall. ⦁ IWA Title Tournament Semi-Finals Match: Brad Armstrong defeats Lightning Kid by submission with hitting a Russian legsweep while applying a three-quarter facelock. Armstrong will go on to the finals to face either Tully Blanchard or Chris Adams on the 2 hour ESPN show on August 3rd. IWA on ESPN July 27, 1991 ⦁ Wayne Shamrock & Al Snow defeats Scott Levy & Brad Rhenigans when Shamrock submits Rhenigans with an ankle lock. ⦁ Medusa defeats Desiree Peterson with a rollup pin. ⦁ Blue Panther, El Dandy & Felino defeats Black Terry, El Satanico & Pirata Morgan after El Dandy pins Pirata Morgan with a crossbody from the top rope. ⦁ TV Championship: Sabu defeats Eric Embry to become new TV Champion after hitting the triple jump moonsault for a shocking win. ⦁ IWA Title Tournament Semi-Finals Match: Tully Blanchard defeats Chris Adams with the slingshot suplex. Blanchard will go on to face Brad Armstrong in the finals on the 2 hour ESPN show next week on August 3rd.

This is so far my favorite of the tournament. I love the kind of slow burn in the beginning with the mat work and I liked CIMAs selling of the leg. The match really picked up with Sano hitting the release German and belly to belly and going into the Boston Crab which was a great pacing transition. I thought the Boston Crab spit was quite the battle. CIMA ultimately winning was great and really showed he had to work for it as everything leading up to it was a struggle.

I remember the title change getting a monster reaction in my house when we watched it live. It still holds up today. This really helped establish Jericho as a top guy for a while. The booking of this was phenomenal but I also thought where was Jericho or the APA when Hebner was being attacked. The match itself was very fun and both wrestlers cut an incredible pace.