Three cage matches highlight a show where a legend of IWC makes his shocking return in the main event.
Jimmy DeMarco makes his way to the ring. He harasses the new ring announcer and introduces Los Dagos. Bubba the Bulldog wants to prove that they’re actually the Gambinos under masks. Gregory Iron and Nicki Valentino come out, leading to…
Opening Match: Hosea and Hoseb vs. Gregory Iron and Nicki Valentino
Iron snaps off a headscissors on Hosea and adds a few armdrags. Valentino hurricanranas Hoseb but runs into a back elbow. Hoseb connects with a springboard forearm smash on Valentino and Hosea hits a senton. Los Dagos isolate him until he connects with an enzuigiri on Hosea and makes the tag. Hosea takes down both of his opponents with a clothesline and powerbombs Valentino. Hoseb hits a spinebuster on Iron and Hosea follows with a top rope splash for the win at 6:00. Fine introduction for the “new” tag team of Los Dagos. The crowd seems to be into the act of Los Dagos and it should work well until the Gambinos are eventually reinstated. **
Match #2: Jimmy Vegas vs. Sebastian
Sebastian holds onto an armbar in an attempt to ground Vegas. He connects with a kappou kick and dropkicks Vegas to the floor. Sebastian follows with a 619. In the ring, Vegas hits an overhead suplex into the turnbuckles. He takes control with various slams until Sebastian comes back with an enzuigiri for the victory at 5:06. This match was going along nicely until the abrupt finish. Commentary identified Sebastian as part of the regular roster and I’m glad he picked up the win. **
Match #3: IWC Tag Team Titles: Jason Gory and Michael Facade © vs. Louis Lyndon and Flip Kendrick
Facade and Lyndon trade martial arts offense. Facade matrixes to avoid a clothesline and connects with a spin kick. Kendrick avoids a lionsault from Facade and lands a flipping leg drop. Facade catches him with a springboard stomp and Gory adds a splash from the top rope. Aeroform blindside Gory with stereo slingshot dropkicks and begin to work him over. Gory plants Lyndon with a DDT and makes the tag. Facade connects with a spin kick on Lyndon and adds an enzuigiri. He follows with a guillotine leg drop and a springboard bulldog. Aeroform send the champions to the floor and Lyndon follows out with an asai moonsault. Kendrick lands a shooting star press to the outside as well. In the ring, Lyndon drives Facade into the canvas with a modified hurricanrana for a nearfall. Kendrick pulls Facade off the ropes and into a backcracker. Kendrick lands a corkscrew splash for a two count. Gory blocks a charge from Lyndon and hits the QAS. Flippin’ Ain’t Easy follow with a lungblower-german suplex combination for a nearfall. They catch Kendrick with stereo enzuigiris and land stereo springboard moonsaults on Lyndon to retain their titles at 11:19. Extremely reminiscent of the champions’ title win against Irish Airborne in that the match was an incredibly fun sprint with an energetic crowd. Gory and Facade are becoming a better team with experience and it shows. It’s no secret that Aeroform can be sloppy at times but they managed to avoid that problem here. Effective showcase for the tag team division at one of the bigger shows of the year. ***¼
Chuck Roberts is preparing for War Games backstage. He has trouble fitting into Jimmy DeMarco’s tights and has second thoughts about the match tonight.
Match #4: Brandon Day vs. Dean Radford
If Day wins, John McChesney’s team will gain the advantage in War Games later tonight. If Radford wins, Jimmy DeMarco’s team will obtain the advantage. Radford connects with a stiff punch and hits an alabama slam. The action goes to the floor where Radford misses a charge and collides with the ringpost. Day connects with a baseball slide but walks into a boot back in the ring. Radford comes off the middle rope with a leg drop. Day responds with a neckbreaker and takes control. Radford misses a top rope elbow drop and Day applies the Cutthroat Clutch. Radford avoids a top rope moonsault and hits the Radicator. Radford thinks for a moment and leaves the ring. Day picks up the countout win at 8:36. These two had good chemistry together and Day has been impressive recently. Based on what happened at Clearfield Cataclysm 3, the finish is intriguing as Radford’s behavior has been sketchy lately and you have to wonder where his motives lie. **¼
John McChesney thanks Radford backstage for giving his team the advantage. Radford refuses a handshake and turns down an interview. Chuck Roberts wonders if Bubba the Bulldog put him up to this. Radford says that IWC has changed over the years and it’s time to go into business for himself.
Match #5: Logan Shulo vs. Colin Delaney vs. Samuray Del Sol vs. Johnny Gargano
The winner will become the #1 contender for the Super Indy Title. Shulo immediately goes after Gargano, who sends him to the floor. Delany takes out Shulo with a dive. Del Sol sends Gargano to the outside with a headscissors and teases a dive. Shulo hits a back suplex on Del Sol. Delaney takes out Shulo and trades armdrags with Del Sol. Del Sol tries a handspring elbow but Gargano catches him with a german suplex. Delaney and Gargano exchange rollups to no avail. Everyone starts kicking each other. Del Sol snaps off a headscissors on Gargano, who responds with a spear through the ropes. Gargano hits a tornado DDT on Shulo but gets caught with a missile dropkick from Delaney. Delaney takes control of the match, grounding Del Sol and stopping Shulo’s momentum. Gargano rolls Shulo to the floor and follows out with a plancha. Del Sol catches Gargano with a dive of his own. In the ring, everyone gets themselves in a wacky four-way submission. Shulo leaps to the top rope and hits a superplex on Del Sol. Delaney DDTs Shulo but falls victim to a standing sliced bread from Del Sol. Gargano hits a bucklebomb on Del Sol and lawn darts him into the turnbuckles. Shulo and Gargano trade submission attempts. Del Sol sends Delaney and himself to the floor with a crossbody. Gargano hits a jawbreaker followed by Hurts Donut on Shulo for the victory at 14:06. Nicely structured four-way that received enough time to stand out. They smartly kept the focus on the rivalry between Gargano and Shulo. I appreciated the fact that they were involved in the finish and this was a fine way to end their short feud. Del Sol and Delaney impressed as well and aside from a few awkward moments, the action was enjoyable throughout the fourteen minutes. ***
Match #6: IWC Super Indy Title: Cage Match: Shiima Xion © vs. Super Hentai
The only way to win this match is by escaping the cage. Before Hentai can enter the cage, Xion catches him with a dropkick through the ropes. Hentai sends him into the crowd and leaps over the guardrail onto him. They enter the ring and the cage door closes. Hentai connects with a missile dropkick and throws Xion into the cage. Xion lands a frog splash. Hentai impressively powers him up and powerbombs him into the cage. Xion connects with a superkick and hits a tombstone. He starts to climb the cage and Hentai follows him. They battle on top of the cage and Hentai headbutts Xion from the top rope. Xion leaps back to the top rope and hits a russian leg sweep. He applies a crossface but Hentai powers out and lawn darts him into the cage. Shane Taylor walks down to ringside. Xion avoids a moonsault. They battle on the top rope and Hentai snaps off a hurricanrana. Hentai escapes through the cage door but Taylor throws him into the cage and rolls him back into the ring. Taylor tries to pull Xion out of the cage but Johnny Gargano runs to ringside and hits Taylor with a chair. Hentai tries to stop Xion from escaping. Xion pulls the cage door shut, hitting Hentai in the face. Xion escapes through the cage door to retain his title at 12:13. They packed a lot of action into twelve minutes and managed to use the cage in many unique ways. There weren’t too many times where one competitor looked dumb for not escaping the cage when he had the chance and I appreciate that, as it’s one of my biggest pet peeves. The finish clearly illustrates that this feud will continue and things are about to get interesting with Gargano in the mix. ***¼
Xion and Taylor attack Gargano after the match and throw him into the cage. Hentai climbs to the top of the cage and lands a dive to the floor onto Xion and Taylor. The locker room comes out to check on everyone.
Match #7: Cage Match: Eric Lee Schwab vs. Justin Idol
The only way to win this match is by pin or submission. Idol reveals that his girlfriend, who Schwab attacked last month, was pregnant. Idol connects with a series of punches and hits a basement flatliner. He follows with a springboard back elbow but falls victim to a chokeslam into the cage. Schwab hits a fallaway slam and throws Idol into the cage multiple times. Idol returns the favor and connects with a springboard enzuigiri. Schwab blocks a lariat and overhead suplexes him into the cage. Chest Flexor gives Schwab a baseball bat. Idol uses the moment to land a top rope senton. He connects with a vicious shining wizard but Flexor interrupts the pin attempt. Flexor actually climbs into the cage. The distraction allows Schwab to deliver a low blow. Schwab accidentally hits Flexor with the baseball bat. He takes Idol down with a spear. Idol escapes a rope-assisted DDT and hits a sunset bomb for the win at 9:49. Once again, we’re dealing with a cage match that clearly isn’t the end of the feud. For their first one-on-one encounter, they showed good chemistry and I’d like to see what they could do with more time. The interference from Flexor was unnecessary and brought this match down a few notches. However, the finish was incredibly smart, as a sunset bomb caused Schwab to blackout back in January. I’m at least curious to see how the feud progresses in rematches later this year. **½
Flexor attacks Idol with the baseball bat after the match. Schwab takes out the referee and hits a rope-assisted DDT on Idol. They handcuff Idol to the cage and Schwab whips him with a strap.
Match #8: War Games: John McChesney, Jon Bolen, and Bubba the Bulldog vs. Jimmy DeMarco, Larry Sweeney, and Chuck Roberts
This match has normal War Games rules except the entire team has to be eliminated. Additionally, you can be eliminated by leaving the cage and having both feet touch the floor. John McChesney and Jimmy DeMarco begin the match for their respective teams. DeMarco chases McChesney around ringside before he can even enter the cage. DeMarco controls the brawl and they finally enter the cage. He throws McChesney into the cage but walks into a dropkick. They exchange chops and DeMarco goes low. He throws McChesney into the cage again and connects with a clothesline. McChesney curb stomps DeMarco into the cage and Bubba the Bulldog enters the match. McChesney beats down DeMarco while Bubba talks trash on the microphone. Larry Sweeney comes out to even the score. DeMarco is badly busted open. Sweeney throws Bubba into the cage and connects with an elbow drop on McChesney. The heels regain control as Jon Bolen enters the match. Bolen throws Sweeney into the cage, busting him open as well. He fallaway slams DeMarco into the cage. McChesney and Sweeney battle on the top rope and fall to the canvas. Chuck Roberts appears on the entrance ramp as the last participant. Bubba is extremely anxious for him to enter the cage. Chuck grabs a microphone and reveals that he didn’t come tonight to wrestle. DENNIS GREGORY MAKES HIS RETURN TO IWC!!! Gregory dodges a spear from Bolen and he collides with the cage. Everyone starts brawling. McChesney hits Sweeney with a chair. DeMarco takes the chair and dropkicks it into McChesney’s face. Gregory hits a superplex on Bubba and Sweeney follows with a flying elbow drop to eliminate Bubba. McChesney superkicks Sweeney three times. Bubba sets up a table on the floor and pulls Sweeney out of the cage, eliminating him. Chuck low blows Bubba and lands a few punches. Los Dagos come out and brawl to the back with Bubba. Gregory superkicks Bolen off the top rope. DeMarco rolls up Bolen to eliminate him. McChesney finds himself against two people that hate his guts. Bolen goes crazy, hitting the Meltdown on everyone, including McChesney. DeMarco recovers first but misses a charge. McChesney nails DeMarco with a chair shot and eliminates him. We’re down to Gregory and McChesney. Gregory hits an over bomb into the cage. McChesney gourdbusters him off the top rope and climbs to the top of the cage. Gregory follows him up but McChesney hits him with a chair. Gregory stops himself from falling. They trade strikes and Gregory knocks McChesney off the cage and through the table on the floor. Gregory is the sole survivor and wins War Games for his team at 27:46. Everyone worked hard and I think we received the best possible match given the competitors. The booking was also excellent, with Bubba being neutralized and the McChesney/Gregory feud finally receiving closure. There were also some nice references to the Sweeney/McChesney feud from late 2007. Most importantly, this match felt like a big deal and established Caged Fury as an event to look forward to every year if IWC continues to use the concept. This match also cemented McChesney as the main challenger to DeMarco’s title and that feud should carry IWC throughout the rest of the year. Overall, this was a fantastic rendition of War Games and probably my favorite offering from IWC thus far in 2010. ***¾
Chuck Roberts joins Gregory, DeMarco, and Sweeney in celebration. Sweeney even does some strutting in the ring. They stand tall to end the show.
Overall: Caged Fury 2010 is a very good show that delivers two worthwhile cage matches with some fun action in the undercard. I could also see this show being an effective introduction to IWC, as all of the major storylines are addressed and the wrestling quality is high. Both title matches came through and showcased the belts in a positive light on one of the bigger shows of the year. However, the main event steals the show with impressive performances and smart booking decisions. This show definitely put IWC in position for a successful 2010 and earns a solid recommendation.
If the above review interested you at all, check out my IWC blog. I’m a copycat, I know. It’s definitely a work in progress but give it a look:
iwcwrestling.wordpress.com
