IWC: Super Indy X Review

Super Indy X on June 18th, 2011

Pre-Show Match: Shiima Xion, Justin Idol, David R. Dimera, and Corey Futuristic vs. Chest Flexor, Logan Shulo, Cingsley, and Low Rider
Futuristic out-quicks Cingsley and snaps off a satellite headscissors. Cingsley responds with a backbreaker but falls victim to a russian leg sweep. Shulo stomps Idol into the canvas but Xion plants him with a tornado DDT. Low Rider and Xion have a great exchange. Xion snaps off an impressive hurricanrana but Low Rider quickly answers with a corkscrew crossbody. Shulo drapes Xion across the top turnbuckle and connects with a lariat. Xion hits a neckbreaker and makes the tag. Shulo catches Dimera with a corner spear and hits a back suplex. The heels isolate Dimera until he connects with an enzuigiri on Cingsley and tags out. Idol cleans house with a series of kicks and a backbreaker on Low Rider. Everyone starts brawling in the ring as the match breaks down. The faces connect with corner punches. Xion lands a springboard moonsault to the floor. Low Rider follows with a corkscrew press. In the ring, Shulo leaps to the top rope and superplexes Dimera. Low Rider connects with a springboard double stomp on Dimera but eats a superkick from Idol. Xion lands a 450 splash onto Low Rider for the win at 10:49. This was an effective pre-show match that gave some deserving IWC talent a chance to shine. Xion was clearly the standout, winning the match for his team and having an impressive exchange with Low Rider. Shulo and Idol also seem to be on an upswing and I’m hoping that they continue to work this hard on future shows. The only thing that this contest needed was more time, but it served its purpose as a pre-show match. **¾

After a well-produced video package previewing the tournament, the locker room empties out. The ten participants in Super Indy enter the ring. They include: El Generico, Adam Cole, Egotistico Fantastico, Samuray Del Sol, Jason Gory, Michael Facade, Tyler Stone, Ricky Reyes, Colt Cabana, and Super Hentai. Hentai is entering the tournament as the current Super Indy Champion. The Founding Fathers appear in the crowd to a chorus of boos. Chuck Roberts enters the ring. He says that while Super Indy is for the fans, the tournament is also being dedicated to Larry Sweeney this year. A video package is shown to pay tribute to Sweeney. Afterwards, everyone leaves the ring except for Generico and Del Sol, leading to…

Opening Match: First Round: El Generico vs. Samuray Del Sol
Generico snaps off a few armdrags but gets taken down by a hurricanrana. Del Sol snaps off an armdrag of his own and connects with a dropkick. Generico slows him down with a tilt-a-whirl gutbuster and a backbreaker. Del Sol blocks a charge and lands a flying crossbody. He walks the ropes and takes Generico down with an armdrag. Generico ducks a spin kick and hits a blue thunder bomb. Del Sol answers with a standing sliced bread but misses a moonsault. Generico connects with a corner yakuza kick and hits a brainbuster for the victory at 6:49. I was surprised that this match didn’t receive more time, especially because both men were considered “invitees” and didn’t have to qualify for the tournament. Fortunately, they were able to pack a decent amount of action into seven minutes and Del Sol looked good when he was in control. **½

Match #2: First Round: Adam Cole vs. Jason Gory
Gory avoids a corner charge and connects with a slingshot dropkick. He jumps off the apron and hurricanranas Cole on the floor. Back in, Cole hits a powerbomb and takes control. Gory comes back with a springboard hurricanrana and a crossbody. He adds a springboard leg drop and connects with a corner lariat. Gory comes off the top with a lungblower but walks into a superkick. Cole hits a fireman’s carry neckbreaker. Gory tries a few rollups to no avail and connects with an enzuigiri. He follows with the QAS for a nearfall. Cole sneaks in a low blow behind the referee’s back and hits the Panama Sunrise for the win at 7:42. This was an incredibly fun sprint between two wrestlers who worked really well together. Gory has clearly proven himself in a tag team role, but he could be on his way to a successful singles run with more performances like this one. It seems as though Cole can do no wrong right now and I’m greatly looking forward to his match against El Generico in the next round. **¾

Match #3: First Round: Egotistico Fantastico vs. Tyler Stone
Stone qualified for Super Indy but Bubba the Bulldog took him out of the tournament. When Pinkie Sanchez got injured and couldn’t wrestle on this show, Stone was picked as his replacement. They start with some chain wrestling and find themselves at a stalemate. Ego hits a northern lights suplex. Stone connects with a basement dropkick but Ego responds with one of his own. Ego hits a gourdbuster and connects with some strikes in the corner. Stone catches him with an enzuigiri and hits a belly to belly suplex. Ego connects with a yakuza kick and follows with the Queso Killer for the victory at 7:20. While Pinkie Sanchez would have made for a more interesting match, I think Stone did a serviceable job as the replacement. This match was fairly one-sided but at least Ego looks dominant heading into the next round. **

Chuck Roberts is interviewed in the back. He starts talking about Larry Sweeney but Justin Idol interrupts. Idol reminds Roberts about the importance of his match tonight and asks to be in his corner. Roberts graciously accepts the offer and promises to defeat Bubba the Bulldog.

Match #4: First Round: Ricky Reyes vs. Michael Facade
They trade control on the mat and Reyes connects with a dropkick. Facade snaps off a slingshot headscissors. He attempts a dive but Reyes cuts him off with a back elbow. Reyes hits a neckbreaker and takes over. Facade fights back with an atomic drop and a spin kick. He hits a guillotine leg drop and connects with a missile dropkick. Facade lands an arabian press and goes up top. Reyes runs away from a dive and trips him on the apron. Reyes connects with a knockout kick and hits a brainbuster for a nearfall. He follows with a lariat and a sit-out powerbomb for a two count. Facade avoids a second lariat and connects with a springboard gamenguiri. They exchange pin attempts to no avail. Finally, Facade finds success with a sunset flip for the win at 10:48. These two were established as equals from the onset, making the numerous rollups to finish the match both suspenseful and believable. Much like his partner, Facade impressed in a singles setting and I’m curious to see if Flippin’ Ain’t Easy remain a team or split up now that they’ve lost the tag team titles. I had my doubts about Reyes but he put in a solid performance in what I considered to be the best first round match. ***

Chuck Roberts comes out for his match accompanied by Justin Idol. The Founding Fathers make their entrance but Bubba the Bulldog is nowhere to be found. Dennis Gregory announces that Bubba will not be at the show tonight. However, the Founding Fathers have found a replacement…

Match #5: Chest Flexor vs. Chuck Roberts
If Roberts wins, he will maintain ownership of IWC. If Flexor wins, Bubba the Bulldog will gain full ownership of IWC. Flexor attacks at the opening bell and locks in a camel clutch. Roberts fights back with a few punches and multiple stomps in the corner. Dean Radford chokes Roberts behind the referee’s back. Flexor lays in a chop but misses a charge. Roberts connects with corner punches and hits a scoop slam. He comes off the middle rope with an elbow drop. Radford trips him to halt his momentum. Flexor hits a neckbreaker but Roberts hulks up. Roberts connects with a boot and gets some height on a leg drop. Dennis Gregory props a chair in the corner but Flexor ends up getting sent into it. Roberts tries a small package. Gregory, Idol, and Jimmy Vegas enter the ring to shift the leverage in their wrestler’s favor. Flexor ends up on top for the victory at 5:46. Considering that Roberts has never wrestled in his life, this match progressed as expected. Ultimately, this contest was used to highlight the Founding Fathers’ numbers advantage and to setup the post-match happenings. ½*

The Founding Fathers celebrate and demand control of IWC. Roberts apologizes because he cannot legally give them control. The Founding Fathers question him and Roberts reveals that he doesn’t own the promotion anymore. Sterling James Keenan makes his return to IWC as the new owner. SJK informs the Founding Fathers that he helped build IWC as well and makes it clear that he is the boss now. He forces the Founding Fathers to leave the ring. Flexor unwisely remains in the ring and SJK lays him out with the MK Ultra.

Match #6: Semifinal Round: Colt Cabana vs. Super Hentai
When Hentai recently joined the Founding Fathers, Bubba the Bulldog gave him a first round bye in this tournament. In response, Chuck Roberts gave Colt Cabana a first round bye as well to make sure that Hentai would have to face a fresh opponent. Hentai connects with a shotgun dropkick before the opening bell. Cabana finds an opening with a series of punches and attempts a few rollups, frustrating Hentai in the process. Hentai blocks a plancha but misses a flying crossbody. Cabana runs through more of his offense until Hentai kicks him off the middle rope. Hentai takes control, working over the left leg. Cabana tries a suplex but his leg gives out. He uses his good leg to connect with a boot and hits a flying hip attack. Cabana follows with a side slam and the flying asshole. Hentai escapes the Colt 45 and reverses the leverage on a small package for the win at 8:31. The booking behind this match made sense and added some novelty as the first two winners of the Super Indy tournament were battling on its tenth edition. The match itself was technically solid without ever being particularly engaging. Hentai did a good job of working over the leg and Cabana came back with his energetic offense. Hentai advancing to the finals was the right call and it’ll be interesting to see if the Founding Fathers can keep all of their gold tonight. **¼

Match #7: Semifinal Round: Egotistico Fantastico vs. Michael Facade
Facade attacks during Ego’s entrance with a dive to the floor. They exchange kicks at ringside and Facade lands another dive off the apron. Ego pushes him into the front row and takes him out with a dive over the guardrail. In the ring, they trade kicks again and Ego hits a suplex. He connects with a vicious lariat and takes control. Facade comes back with a springboard enzuigiri and a leg lariat. He hits a guillotine leg drop followed by a springboard bulldog. Ego counters an arabian press with a sick german suplex. He plants Facade with a gourdbuster and hits Taco Pizza for a nearfall. Facade gets to his feet but Ego drops him with a suplex and lands a moonsault. Facade connects with a series of kicks and hits an STO. Ego responds with a powerbomb but neither man is willing to stay down. They trade strikes for an extended period of time and Facade hits a german suplex. Ego connects with an enzuigiri and hits the Queso Killer for the victory at 14:30. This match told an excellent story of Facade having to rely on his resiliency to defeat Ego, who was trying his hardest to keep Facade down. After a hard-fought match against Ricky Reyes and a great showing here, Facade should really be a main player in IWC for the months to come. Although Ego appears as Robert Anthony in CZW, he proved in this match just how dynamic the Egotistico Fantastico character can be. They worked well together and structured the action to highlight their strengths, making this a worthwhile semifinal round match. ***¼

Match #8: Semifinal Round: El Generico vs. Adam Cole
Cole sneaks in a cheap shot. Generico answers with a few chops and a basement dropkick. He connects with corner punches and a leg lariat. Cole retreats to the floor and blocks a dive with a gamenguiri. He takes control until Generico fights back with a humorous thumb to the eye. Generico connects with a series of clotheslines and takes out Cole with a dive to the outside. In the ring, Generico lands a flying crossbody and hits a blue thunder bomb. Cole connects with an enzuigiri and hits a german suplex. He blocks a corner yakuza kick and connects with a Corona Kick. Cole follows with a wheelbarrow backcracker for a nearfall. He adds two superkicks but Generico just spits at him. A third superkick gets Cole a two count. Generico back drops out of the Panama Sunrise and hits a michinoku driver. Cole plays dead and sneaks in a low blow behind the referee’s back. He hits the Panama Sunrise but Generico reverses the pin attempt into a crucifix for the win at 12:01. Ever since Cole debuted in IWC, he was confident that his tactics would allow him to win Super Indy. Throughout the course of this match, he tried to use the same tricks that eliminated Jason Gory but Generico had an answer for everything that Cole threw at him. From a simple eye poke to the incredibly smart finish, the story was perfectly executed and led to a great twelve-minute match. ***½

Cole attacks Generico after the match and throws him into the ringpost. Cole stares at the camera with a distraught look and walks away.

The Founding Fathers come to the ring for their title matches. Dennis Gregory attempts to talk but his microphone gets cut. I’m guessing that’s the work of Sterling James Keenan. The camera shows the Kings of Wrestling backstage and they cut a promo with some Larry Sweeney references. They make their way to the ring, leading to…

Match #9: IWC Tag Team Titles: Dennis Gregory and Jimmy Vegas © vs. Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli
The Kings of Wrestling prevent a pre-match attack with a series of strikes. They target Gregory’s left arm and Claudio catches him with an uppercut. Hero adds a mafia kick but falls victim to a neckbreaker. The Founding Fathers isolate Hero until he lays them out with roaring elbows and makes the tag. Claudio cleans house with uppercuts and giant swings Gregory. Hero connects with an elbow to the back of Gregory’s head. Vegas trips Claudio and throws Hero into the ringpost. The Founding Fathers hit their superkick-full nelson slam combination on Claudio to retain their titles at 11:34. This match was going along nicely but I never felt as though it got out of first gear. With a few more minutes, they could have added some excitement to the finishing stretch and made it seem like the Kings were a threat to take the titles. Still, this was a huge win for the Founding Fathers that established them as the dominant tag team in IWC. **½

Match #10: IWC World Heavyweight Title: John McChesney © vs. Ray Rowe
During his entrance, McChesney breaks a fan’s whiteboard against the ringpost. He’s very fan interactive. McChesney attacks from behind but falls to the canvas after one chop from Rowe. Rowe hits a delayed vertical suplex and throws McChesney into the front row. McChesney blocks a running boot and crotches Rowe on the guardrail. In the ring, Rowe hits an overhead suplex but McChesney sneaks in an eye rake and throws him into the ringpost. McChesney takes control with a northern lights suplex. Rowe comes back with a few chops and a clothesline. McChesney counters Death Rowe into a rollup for a two count. He hits a TKO but Rowe blocks a hurricanrana and turns it into a powerbomb. Rowe attempts shotgun knees but McChesney pulls the referee into the line of fire. Jimmy Vegas runs into the ring but Rowe takes him down with an exploder. McChesney connects with a superkick for a nearfall. Rowe hits a dead-lift german suplex and overhead suplexes McChesney off the top rope. Dennis Gregory enters the ring but gets sent to the floor. Rowe pounds away in the corner. When the referee tries to get involved, Rowe pushes him across the ring. McChesney misses a superkick and falls victim to Death Rowe. Rowe makes the cover but the referee calls for the bell, giving McChesney the win via disqualification at 12:06. Sometimes match quality is sacrificed for storyline advancement. For the first ten minutes of this contest, these two proved that they are more than capable of putting on a great match together. Then all of the interference happened leading up to the disqualification finish. The good news is that there is clearly going to be a rematch (most likely at Winner Takes All) and hopefully they will be allowed to let loose at that point. **¾

Rowe lays out the referee with an overhead suplex. The Founding Fathers attack him until Shiima Xion, Jason Gory, and Michael Facade make the save. Xion talked to Sterling James Keenan and some matches have been booked. At Caged Fury, Xion will battle Super Hentai in a rematch from last year. Additionally, Rowe and Flippin’ Ain’t Easy will face off against the Founding Fathers in War Games.

Match #11: Finals: IWC Super Indy Title: Super Hentai © vs. Egotistico Fantastico vs. El Generico
This match will be contested under elimination rules. Hentai is the aggressor early on. Generico takes him down with a headscissors and connects with a leg lariat. Ego comes off the top with a missile dropkick on Hentai. Generico lands a flying crossbody onto Ego. Hentai manages to maintain control by grounding his opponents. Ego and Generico trade strikes. Hentai finds an opening to suplex both of them. He hits a northern lights suplex on Ego and a powerslam on Generico. Ego responds with a gourdbuster and Generico corner yakuza kicks Hentai. Generico hits a brainbuster on Hentai to eliminate him at 5:43. We are guaranteed a new champion! Generico lures Ego to the floor and follows out with an arabian press. Generico steals a fan’s shoes and hits Ego with them. Ego back drops him into the crowd and lands a dive over the guardrail. They battle into the crowd where Ego whips Generico into some chairs. In the ring, Generico hits an overhead suplex into the turnbuckles. He follows with a tornado DDT but Ego responds with a powerbomb. Ego transitions into a half crab but Generico is able to reach the bottom rope. They battle up top and Ego lands a moonsault for a nearfall. Generico connects with a yakuza kick and hits a brainbuster for a two count. He tries another brainbuster but Ego surprises him with one of his own. Ego hits the Queso Killer to win Super Indy X and become the new Super Indy Champion at 15:16. There are a lot of things to like about this match. Although Hentai only lasted six minutes, he was able to successfully ground both of his energetic opponents and use his freshness to his advantage. His elimination came as a shock to everyone and added more question marks as to who was going to win the tournament. Generico and Ego filled the last ten minutes of the contest with fantastic action. I also appreciated how Ego went back to the move that won him his two previous matches to finish off Generico. Much like last year’s Super Indy, it’s fitting that the final match of the tournament ended up being the best contest of the night. ***¾

Hentai returns to the ring but refuses to hand over the belt to Ego. He throws the title at him and walks away. Generico respectfully gives the title to Ego. The crowd starts chanting for Larry Sweeney and Ego leaves the Super Indy Title in the center of the ring to pay tribute.

Overall: Every year, Super Indy is considered to be the biggest event on the IWC calendar and I’m happy to admit that this year’s edition delivered. The tournament matches were consistently entertaining, with Facade/Ego and Generico/Cole standing out in the semifinal round. While the non-tournament matches weren’t anything special, they provided some effective storyline advancement and gave a good idea as to where IWC is headed this year. The triple threat finale ended the show on a high note and provided a sense of closure on the night. IWC generated a lot of momentum with Super Indy X and hopefully they can maintain that momentum throughout the rest of 2011. I can confidently give this show a solid recommendation.