These series of articles looking back at the various Ted Petty Invitational tournaments were supposed to be used in preparation for the upcoming version. However, due to unfortunate circumstances, there will not be a TPI this year. However, I have still have these articles written and proofread. Therefore, they’re not going to waste. Over the next two weeks, I’ll be watching and reviewing 20 matches that can be found on Highspots TV.
– B.J. Whitmer (w/Jim Fannin) vs. Mike Quackenbush (IWA Mid South – 2001 Sweet Science Sixteen – 9.7.01)
PBP: Whitmer looks sooooooooo young here. The road sure has owned him. Before the TPI, more like before Ted Petty passed away, IWA put together some great technical wrestlers for a tournament. There were of course 16 wrestlers in this version as the tournament name would indicate. And sweet Moses, this is Mike Quackenbush’s IWA debut! The ring announcer at least dressed for the occasion in a t-shirt and shorts. Quack is in a t-shirt and being heckled by juggalos. Quack comes out of arm hold with a spin kick. Shove by Quack. Slap by Whitmer. Quack with one of his own. Snapmare and kick to the back. Whitmer begs off. Quack kicks Whitmer in the face. Into a very complicated looking submission hold. Whitmer locks in an abdominal stretch. Quack hip tosses his way out of the hold. Snapmare and kick to the back. Complicated looking armbar now. Snapmare by Whitmer and he places a knee in the back. Whitmer shifts his foot to Quack’s back. Clubbing forearms. Quack sends Whitmer up and over to the floor. Somersault front flip senton. Whitmer tossed back in the ring. Snapmare and kick to the back. Kick to the front. Front flip senton. Bodyslam. Front flip leg drop misses. Whitmer with a dropkick to the face. Back elbow by Whitmer for two. Chinlock. Whitmer tears Quack down by the hair. Chops on Quack. Leg kick. Whitmer clubbering blow. Knee to the midsection. Brainbuster but Whitmer gets cocky. 1-2-NO! Snap suplex. Headbutt misses. Quack with kicks and palm thrusts. Quack spins to the apron. Shoulder block with a hard kick. Tornado DDT. Springboard splash by Quack gets two. Whitmer with a northern lights suplex for two. Quack placed on the top rope. Strike from Quack. Whimer rips himself away. Slap. Sunset flip. Sitdown powerbomb. Quack spins Whitmer around and gets two. Boot by Whitmer. Quack has a rana countered into a powerbomb. Whitmer hits Powerbomb with authority and then appears to go low. Frog splash. 1-2-3!
Analysis: I was kind of expecting a train wreck and didn’t really get one here. This was a good match with Quack using more strikes than you would see nowadays, say 2005 and beyond. Whitmer was way less experienced than even Quack but oddly didn’t seem as unpolished as I was expecting. Both guys changed completely in the ensuing years, which makes this a fascinating watch now. I dug this match a lot and felt it still held up.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: BJ Whitmer/11:26/***1/4
-2002 TPI First Round: Colt Cabana vs. Ken Anderson (IWA Mid South –Ted Petty Invitational 2002–11.1.02)
PBP: Colt Cabana cuts a heel promo and uses some potty mouth language. This is earth and also Anderson’s IWA debut. Anderson was signed by WWE very soon after. Cabana continues talking garbage. Slap exchange. Anderson counters out of a back suplex. O’Connor roll blocked. Flying cross body. Anderson leg sweep for two. Armdrag exchange. Dropkick by Anderson goes nowhere. Cabana with right hands. Elbow strike to the top of the head. Headscissors on Anderson. Charge met by Anderson. Right hand by Cabana. He leaps over. Anderson runs into a Cabana Elbow and then falls off the apron. More right hands by Cabana. Shoulder block. Cabana misses a dive to the floor. Anderson signals for a dive of his own. Cabana runs away and stalls. Anderson gives chase. Leapfrog back in the ring. Spin kick by Anderson hits. Right hands. Chops. Anderson with a leg lariat. Boots by Anderson. Right hands. Cabana keeps tossing him. Anderson is persistent. Electric chair. Low blow and Cabana complains about a hair pull. Running knee. Anderson fights out of a camel clutch. Cabana tosses him down by the hair. Chops on Anderson. Clothesline misses. Jabs from Anderson. Cabana with a chop. Anderson hits a powerslam for two. Slingshot blocked by Cabana. Bearhug by Cabana. Cabana brings Anderson over with a suplex. Anderson elbows out of a sitting full nelson. Boston crab but Cabana reaches the bottom rope. Anderson tossed to the floor. Cabana teases a dive but doesn’t deliver. Anderson rams Cabana back first into the post. Plancha. Both men kneeling and punching next. Whip. Clothesline into an awkward looking flatliner by Cabana. Moonsault misses. Anderson with jabs. Leaping clothesline. Forearm. Finlay roll and Anderson heads to the top rope. Swanton met with knees. Cabana puts his feet on the ropes but only gets two. Clubbering blow. Full nelson. Double underhook but Anderson works out. Boot. Colt 45. Cabana wins.
Analysis: Cabana was so great at being a complete jerk. I actually found it refreshing and awesome. Anderson was actually pretty polished, and you can see why WWE and TNA were pursuing this guy back in 2002. His comeback seemed very WWE like and with the exception of a couple moments, his offense could have very easily translated to national television without much change. I enjoyed the dynamics and execution greatly.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Colt Cabana/11:44/***
-2002 TPI First Round-Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles (IWA Mid South –Ted Petty Invitational 2002–11.1.02)
PBP: This was only match 393 in their best of one million series (still pending). Shoulder tackle goes nowhere for Styles. Leg kick and then the shoulder tackle works. Neither man can get the advantage. Waistlock by Daniels. Styles hammerlock into a front facelock. Daniels takedown and headlock. Applied headscissors by Styles. Clubbering blows. Daniels works his way around to a headlock. Flying armdrag by Styles. Double cross bodies. Spin kick sends Daniels down. Chop on Daniels. Dropkick by Daniels on Styles. Shoulder blocks. Styles leaps over Daniels back. Back drop and dropkick by Daniels. Back suplex. Gutwrench suplex. Guillotine choke. Flatliner into the Koji clutch. Styles grabs the ropes to get out of a waistlock. Back cop. Russian legsweep off the middle rope. Styles rolls to the outside. Arabian press. Cross body by Daniels. Suplexes blocked. Styles brings Daniels over and hits a neckbreaker. Kip up rana. Running kick to the chest. Enziguri. Nice dropkick by Styles. Chop. Drop toe hold. Indian deathlock. Daniels grabs Styles. Hold broken. Forearm by Styles. Double reverse. STO by Daniels. Leaping leg lariat leads to a two count. Daniels whipped in the corner. Styles dropsault. Superkick. Clothesline sends Daniels up and over to the floor. Tope con helo. Back in the ring for a two count. Styles Clash blocked. Styles settles for a powerbomb. Not sure I’ve ever seen that before. Brainbuster. Daniels catches Styles with a powerbomb. Punch exchange. Daniels dropkick. Clothesline. Uranagi. Best. Moonsault. Ever. 1-2-NO! Whip across. Styles elbow. Daniels counters out of a reverse DDT. Last Rights but Styles hits the inverted DDT for two. Styles brings him down in a modified piledriver. Forearms from Styles. Blue thunder powerbomb by Daniels. Enziguri. Angel’s Wings. 1-2-NO! Styles hits a German suplex. Up and down facebuster leads to a long two count. Styles Class turned into a sunset flip by Daniels. Daniels grabs an ankle lock. Sunset flip by Styles. Daniels rolls on top. Styles brings him over. Last Rights gets three for Daniels.
Analysis: If Daniels wasn’t a few years older than Styles, I’d say they both came out of the womb having ***1/2 star matches against each other. You almost know what you’re getting when you put these two in the ring together. Greatness. They have a fluidity and chemistry working with one another that almost no one else has. I feel like every indie in 2002 put these two together because of the fact it was a guaranteed good to great match. Great finishing sequence that naturally built off what they had been doing. Styles frustration with not being able to get the Styles Clash ultimately cost him. Fantastic stuff all around here.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Christopher Daniels/17:11/***1/2
-2002 TPI First Round-IWA Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk vs. M-Dogg 20 (IWA Mid South –Ted Petty Invitational 2002–11.1.02)
PBP: Yes, Matt Cross has been wrestling that long. Both of these men are straight edge. Their gear is epicly indy. Feeling out process. Punk bounces off the ropes and has a hip toss blocked. Each man counters the other’s athleticism, and they stand off. Punk sends Cross down and works the left arm. Knuckle lock. Cross bridges up and eventually manages an armdrag. A second armdrag. Third one blocked. Punk with a boot and side headlock takedown. Cross with chops. Boot after a ducked chop. Punk misses an elbow. Sloppy headscissors sends Punk into the ropes. Cross fake dives. O’Connor roll by Punk. Off the ropes. Punk leapfrogs. Back suplex awkwardly done. Exchange of headlocks. Shoulder blocks go nowhere. Boot by Cross and Punk tossed by his hair. Leg lariat and Cross ends up on the floor. Punk fakes a dive in the worst possible way. Cross handsprings. Full nelson by Punk. Cross armdrags him over. Wristlock by Punk. Pumphandle and a knucklelock. Punk powers him down. Cross comes back up. Kicks. He climbs. Punk hits a Finlay roll and gets two. Chops in the corner. Cross placed on the top rope. Right hand blocked. Cross with a tornado DDT. Back drop to the apron and a follow-up springboard dropkick. Tope suicida over the top by Punk. Punk beats Cross up all around the ring. Cross catches him around a pole. Boots and knees. Punk comes back with a knee to the midsection. Cross comes to the apron. Corkscrew to the floor. Cross caught and rammed into the corner. Right hand by Cross. Tornado DDT countered. Punk hits a shining wizard. Back suplex. Snap suplex and Punk immediately rolls through for two. Cross sunset flip for two. Punk clothesline. Cross with rights and left. Open hand slaps. Punk reverse whip. Headscissors turned into a backbreaker. Chinlock. Cross with elbows. Punk misses a clothesline. Headscissors by Cross. They’re each on opposite sides of the apron. What do they do. Springboard double clothesline. Double pin almost gets three. Punk with a shot to the back. They mess a reverse rana badly, or Cross blocked it. I’m confused. DVD neckbreaker but Cross works his way around and hits a cutter. That was a bit excessive. Punk counters into a swinging flatliner. Cross placed on the top rope. Punk shoved off the top rope. Shooting star press misses. Punk heads to the top rope. Pepsi Plunge and Punk nearly falls over. Cross fights off. Forearms and chops by Punk. Punk is pissed. Back to the top rope. Punk slips. Pepsi Plunge and incredibly no one died. Punk pins and retains.
Analysis: I think in 2013, we know what we’re getting out of both athletes. They’re two of the best and should absolutely be on television every week. Sadly, only Punk is. This, however, was a borderline disaster as these two guys played loose and sloppy. It’s a wonder no one got seriously injured on the finish in particular. A number of things went wrong for these two. In 2002, I’m probably more annoyed. In 2013, I can laugh this off knowing both men turned out okay and are significantly better than what they once were. But hey, if you want to see CM Punk and Matt Cross have a bad match, it’s right there for you.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL IWA Heavyweight Champion-CM Punk/20:14/**
-2003 Quarterfinal: AJ Styles vs. Jerry Lynn (IWA Mid-South, TPI 2003- 11.08.2003)
PBP: Rudy Charles is the official to really give this the full TNA experience I guess. No bleeding money or reverse battle royals though. Quick pace to start and neither gets control. More missed moves and we stand off. Monkey flip but Styles lands on his feet. Armdrag exchange. Again to the stand-off. This sequence is clearly meant to show they know each other well. Back suplex by Lynn on Styles. Forearm exchange. Styles leapfrog. Dropkick but Styles lands on his head. Kip up rana. Tilt a whirl backbreaker by Lynn. Applied headscissors. Styles puts his foot on the ropes. Back elbow sends Lynn down. Springboard. Lynn counters and drops Styles chest first across the top rope. Springboard dropkick. Styles catches Lynn and drops him across the apron. Lynn misses the leg drop and eats a kick instead. Styles with a tope con helo. Kick to the side. Lynn sent back in the ring. Indian deathlock by Styles. Lynn elbows out. Suplex blocked. Suplex turned into a… Lynn breaks that attempt. Styles goes for a fujiwara armbar. Not sure I’ve ever seen that. Dave Prazak mentions Michael Shane working Lynn’s arm over in the first round. Lynn grabs the bottom rope. Lynn defends himself. Punches back and forth. Styles leg kicks. Lynn comes back with a lariat. Styles drives Lynn into the corner. Top rope rana but Lynn sunset flips Styles into a two count. Style drop toe holds Lynn into the middle turnbuckle. Lynn catches Styles and hits a sitdown powerbomb. TKO but Styles comes back with a kick. Brainbuster. 1-2-NO! Styles Clash but Lynn keeps his hands down. Air raid crash. 1-2-NO! Cradle piledriver but Styles backslides him over and drives him into the mat. Forearms by Styles. Back elbows. Lynn cuts Styles off. Release German suplex. 1-2-NO! Cradle piledriver but Lynn has to settle for a roll-up. 1-2-NO! Small package and Styles gets a three count of nowhere.
Analysis: Finish came out of nowhere but this was still a brilliant match with a lot of action bell-to-bell. Lynn always had a tendency to bring out the best in his opponents, and Styles would have to be regarded as one of his best. I liked how the arm work from a previous tournament match at least somewhat played a role in what Styles was trying to do. This was well executed and clean. Highly recommended particularly if you’ve never actually seen these two wrestle before.
Winner (s)/Time/Rating: AJ Styles/15:08/***3/4
To get Highspots TV and get access to matches like this, plus shoot interviews and more, go through our link and support both them and us. In addition, they house a lot of IWA footage and have put a number of great matches on various compilation DVDs.
I would also highly recommend to anyone that they consider purchasing any of the TPIs through Smart Mark Video. For me, the 2004 TPI is the greatest independent wrestling tournament of all-time, and even if you’re not a fan of the product or some of the people involved personality, these shows are very much worth owning. Honestly, 2005, 2006, and 2007 aren’t too shabby either. Please check out the link here and consider owning a piece of pro wrestling history.
As much as I talk about streaming content within this article and the one I wrote last about Cedric Alexander, I should point out a couple ways to watch some free professional wrestling, streaming on your computer. Adam Lash recently opened up a Youtube channel and is posting matches AND full shows. You can find out all the information through this link. Of course, everyone’s favorite TJ Hawke also does a great job with Free Pro Wrestling as well. He also talks about WWE and TNA matches, but we forgive him.
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