Tape Review
IWA Mid-South
59:04
11/26/04 - Valparaiso, IN
by Scott Christ

This is from November 26, the day after Thanksgiving, in Valparaiso, where I'm going to start attending IWA shows if I can help it. The reason I bought this was for the latest in the Hero/Punk series, which I'd heard conflicting reviews on and wanted to see it for myself since I'm always drawn to those matches.

BOBBY BAMBINO v. RYAN BOZ

This is "The Evil Dr. Numbers" Bobby Bambino's IWA MS debut. He has the entire pi number written on his tights. That's pretty awesome. Jimmy Jacobs is on commentary with Prazak. Big "kill kill kill" chant for Boz while Bambino kicks him in the ass. Boz controls with his size and flattens Bambino with a big boot. Slow-speed chase around the ring and Bambino takes the advantage back inside. Prazak throws out a Jason Kronan mention. Those were the days! Quick Google searching reveals to me that Kronan's final match was against Bobby Bambino in MAW. More talk about Kronan as Jacobs says he saw Kronan and he's huge. I'm intrigued. Bring Jason Kronan out of retirement. Boz with a tiger driver for two. Sit-out tombstone comes shortly after for the Boz win. I liked this alright.

JOSH ABERCROMBIE v. NATE WEBB

Webb comes out on a wagon being pulled by Big Sweaty Mike. CM Punk arrives at the door behind the commentary position, so Nate goes out to open the door for him, then takes his bags to the entrance for him, breaking the count at nine along the way. Nate gets the Webb of Death early but Abercrombie kicks his way out. Abercrombie takes the advantage and looks good here, but that may just be because Nate's been making everyone look good. Abercrombie nails a twisting Asai moonsault to the floor. Abercrombie counters Soylent Green and gets a backbreaker from the second rope that he blew against Sweeney in Highland on 12/12. Abercrombie up for the stardust press, Nate moves, Soylent Green #2 hits and it's over. That kind of came out of nowhere. Webb gave Abercrombie most of this match and Abercrombie did a good job with his offense here.

STEVE STONE (w/Jim Fannin) v. TRIK DAVIS

Trik has switched to using "Any Way You Want It" which is about 100 times better entrance music than that old shit he was using. This is part of the continuing Fannin v. Trik storyline, and a rematch of the Stone/Davis Highland match from July where Davis won by DQ after Stone refused to pin him, continuing to beat him senseless after the same thing had happened in a Davis/Cash Flo rematch from January in June. Nice sentence there. Trik's comeback offense is pretty shit here as he's just not smooth enough for a lot of the stuff he's going for and his forearms look empty, which Hero points out. Davis wins on a schoolboy stemming from miscommunication between Stone and Fannin. Stone attacks after the match, and Brad Bradley and Ryan Boz come in to give Stone a hand. Or do they?? They just back Stone off and yell at him. This could've been executed slightly better probably. Maybe a little. Fannin says he has the answer and comes back with...Chandler McClure. Let's have a match.

BRAD BRADLEY (w/Ryan Boz) v. CHANDLER MCCLURE (w/Jim Fannin and Steve Stone)

The story here is McClure wants to impress Fannin and join the Fannin Family, so his second chance is wrestling big Brad Bradley. Bradley dominates early predictably. Dull match. Bradley hits the F'n Lariat, but Fannin pulls referee Tommy Thompson out. McClure winds up rolling Bradley up with his feet on the ropes after much confusion, scoring the upset. About what you'd expect.

CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI v. DANNY DANIELS

Pretty decent match for the first however long, Daniels stumbles around a little on an armdrag spot, but Claudio comes back with a gutwrench suplex and I mark out so it's all good. Man, this match is way sloppier than you'd expect. Butterfly suplex from Claudio and I mark out again. Castagnoli annoys the crowd with the chinlock. Castagnoli hits the JAWJACKER and man, if Daniels was having a better night this match would be fucking awesome for as great as Claudio's offense is. Daniels counters the shake, rattle n' roll with an STO and senton. Daniels gets a rollup for the pin a couple minutes after that. I'd like to see them again because this just didn't click.

IWA MID-SOUTH LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
BRANDON THOMASELLI v. JIMMY JACOBS (champion)

Really nice wrestling for the first 10 minutes, then Jacobs goes to the commentary table and tags CM Punk, who eventually makes his way into the ring, then Jacobs tags him back. Boy, this is a good match. So good that I have nothing to say about it. Thomaselli nearly freaking dies on a very high angle belly-to-back suplex and the commentary table freaks out. "HOLY FUCK. HOW DID HE KICK OUT OF THAT SHIT?" That was just a wicked drop. Another back suplex, but this time Thomaselli doesn't die on his head. Third attempt is countered by an enzuigiri. Thomaselli breaks out the Arms Across America, the new name for the cattle mutilation. Out of that and Thomaselli hits a slingshot somersault senton for two. Jacobs counters a back superplex attempt with a crossbody, and both guys are super fatigued at this point. They've run out of the gas to go for moves, so they're just going to chop each other. Jacobs wins that exchange, and they end up headbutting each other on the floor. Thomaselli gets posted. Jacobs seats Thomaselli in the front row, and suicide dives with a THUD against the chairs. Punk does his brilliant Raven impersonation while Thomaselli attemps to recover. Back in and Jacobs stomps and sentons the midsection, getting another near-fall. This is a great match. Jacobs goes for the reverse pedigree, Thomaselli counters out, fisherman buster for two. Thomaselli goes for another back superplex, but Jacobs punches and headbutts him down. Jacobs hits the thudding senton from the top, and Thomaselli kicks out again. Thomaselli wants forearms, Jacobs has a headbutt. Forearm trade, but Jacobs has several headbutts. Both out on their feet, Jacobs goes for the contra code, Thomaselli counters with a tombstone, countered, piledriver, countered, air raid crash, countered, sunset flip gets two. Both are just exhausted, and this time Thomaselli hits the air raid crash. Cover, 2, Jacobs rolls him and gets the pin to retain with a crucifix. Fucking fantastic match, even better than the live reports had it. Official time for this was 26'55".

IWA MID-SOUTH HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
CHRIS HERO v. CM PUNK (champion)

This one has a sixty-minute time limit. At this point in the rivalry, just in IWA Mid-South, they've done 55 minutes in a tables and ladders match (02/09/02); a 60-minute draw (12/21/02); the 93-minute 2/3 falls match (02/07/03); and the 56-minute match in Lafayette (06/11/04). So this has a lot to live up to, and at the same time a lot to try and surpass, because Punk v. Hero, as great as it is, has become what it is: wrestling, wrestling, wrestling. And that's great, I love the matches, but it feels more now like a matchup for old time's sake than it should. We'll see here, I heard some conflicting live reports.

Since Smart Mark didn't come over for this show, it's single-cam and they opt to cut out commentary for this match and get a tight shot at ringside, which is really cool.

At the 30-minute mark, I'm seeing no fault that isn't a fault to be expected in a Punk/Hero match. Yes, it's slow. Yes, it's methodical. Yes, it's wrestling for the sake of wrestling, holds traded over and over with not one high-impact offensive maneuver or a single strike that wasn't a forearm or slap while on the mat landed so far, except for a jokey kick Punk threw at Hero when they backed out of the corner and someone yelled for Punk to kick him. Thus far, Punk is looking like the superior worker of the two, and at this point, isn't that the purpose of these matches for a lot of us? To decide who's better, in one form or another? The two came to prominence together, and since then, Punk has become the more visible star working Ring of Honor, while Hero has plateaued a bit in terms of his visibility. Punk is the better seller of the two and the more versatile worker. Of that I am not at all doubtful. The offense thus far has been the usual focused matwork stuff. Hero targets Punk's left arm and attempts to go after Punk's neck, but Punk largely won't let him. Punk returns the work, mostly focusing on Hero's upper-body as well, with a few leglocks from either thrown in. Are we any closer after 30 minutes of this match to figuring out who the better worker is, at least in one person's stupid, unimportant and wholly nerded out opinion? No, not really.

Post 30-minute mark, it's more of the usual. They pick up the pace here and there, swerving you that they're going to stay there, but take it back to the mat in short order. It's all just one enormous build to the more frenetic, high-impact offense to lead into the finish. Pretty much no one expects a Punk/Hero match will end in under even 50 minutes anymore, so the 30 minutes to start are essentially a wash when they meet these days. It doesn't take away from the fact that the first 30 minutes of this are remarkably basic, effective wrestling that can be quite interesting as you watch two guys that know each other inside and out perform their craft, but a wash those 30 minutes remain. After that, everything is designed to make you think the match could end at any time, an attempt to give you a roller coaster effect as a viewer as they amp it up, bring it down, repeat until the finish. As the match progresses, both get more dickish as they look for the opening and become frustrated with one another because they're so evenly matched. Hero kicks Punk in the face to get him away, and once Punk gets a chance, he lays into Hero with chops and a dropkick to the back of the head for a near-fall. Since it didn't work there, Punk goes back to the mat and wears Hero down further. The weardown points in the latter stages of the match come after a flurry of offense fails, giving the impression that both think they need to take more out of their opponent so that maybe the next flurry will result in a win. At the same time, it gives the other guy an opportunity to collect himself and look for his own chance to rally for the win.

With 20 minutes left, we're back at square one as Punk collects himself outside and Hero waits patiently. Back in, and we see a mirror to the start of the match, as they lock up and Hero backs Punk into the corner. This time, both are at a point of being angry, and Hero stares Punk into staying in the corner, rather than letting him walk out freely, making Bryce Remsberg back Hero off. Punk returns the favor, but being the heel, he shoulder tackles Hero before Bryce can pull him out. And then they just snap, and Katie, bar the door, it's breaking loose in Valparaiso. It's an intense fight at this point as the two of them attempt to hammer the other into oblivion. Hero goes back to the mat and to the same arm that he's been working at the whole match. Punk works his way out of the armbar and lands some crossface shots and a kick to the face for another two, and Hero valiantly stays in the match, but he's spent. Punk goes to an abdominal stretch, Hero gets out, and they're stuck with their arms locked and neither man willing to budge for the other.

15 minutes remain in the time limit, and we're on the mat, Punk holding onto Hero's arm while Hero tries for a front facelock. Out of that predicament and Hero moves to destroy Punk's left arm for good, hurting his knee in the process as Punk's work on Hero has gone more to the left leg of Hero than the early eye-for-an-eye upper body work he was using. Hero challenges Punk to trade strikes, and they go back-and-forth with chops. Up in a fireman's carry, Hero drops Punk down and goes for a cross armbreaker. Punk fights out, avoids Hero's kicks this time, and stomps away. Backed into the corner as Punk sets for a piledriver or something, they break and Hero is done with clean breaks in the corner, instead forearming and chopping the shit out of Punk. Punk gets set up crotched over the middle turnbuckle, and Hero charges with a dropkick to the face. Punk is basically out where he sits and Hero opens up on him with palm thrusts, backfists and two headbutts that serve to piss Punk off enough to get him off the buckle and slap, forearm, snapmare and kick Hero, then remark, "Fucking watch it, asshole." This match has now taken on a new feel. Backbreaker gets two for Punk.

Piledriver right as Joey Eastman announces that 10 minutes remain, and Punk is firmly in control. Hero kicks out of the pin attempt at two. "Pin covah" if you're Tazz. Another near-fall and Punk is tapped for ideas: "You motherfucker." Back kick to the solar plexus, one to the face, off the ropes, and Hero turns the tide again with a powerslam for two. Backbreaker over his bad leg and Hero shouts in pain, taking the worst of his own offense. Hero forearms and chops the weakened left arm, and goes down to another arm submission. Punk refuses to tap or stay down for even a one-count when Hero leans his weight back, so instead Hero attacks the arm with his body and stands it back up for another attempt at finishing him off. Punk comes back with knee strikes from a standing cravate position and a dropkick sends Hero reeling. Punk starts with the bootscrapes in the corner, so Hero holds onto the boot to prevent him from taking off for the other corner.

Right on the five minutes remain mark, Punk has broken free and hits Hero with the facewash, resulting in another near-fall. They go to the floor after Hero dropkicks him down, and Hero lays in with the clubbing blows across the back. Up against the corner and chopping, but they change it up and Hero pulls up short, not hitting the post. Hero lays in with the chops and Punk shakes them off. Annoyed, Hero executes a single-leg takedown and goes for the hangman's clutch on the floor, sort of a heat of the moment idea since it won't help him win the title or the match, but in the context it seems to make sense. In a genius move, Punk grabs a legitimate woman's legitimate purse and hits Hero in the head, then puts the money that falls out in his shorts. Back in, Punk goes for a northern lights suplex, but Hero shifts his weight, takes it to the mat, and hooks a regular STF. Punk won't tap, and Hero, knowing he has no time to wait, demon stomps Punk's back and goes back to him, grabbing the hangman's clutch this time with two minutes remaining.

The crowd is rallying for someone to win as they know the end is near, or at least hope to not have a draw. Punk stands it back up, Hero is out of ideas, and he goes for the artful dodger, taking a page out of Nigel McGuinness' playbook (or Johnny Saint's, if you want). Hero's knee gives out halfway through it, allowing Punk to cradle him over for the pin to retain at 59'04".

No handshakes, no appreciation, Punk simply walks right out with his belt and Hero is left in the ring to contemplate another loss. Hero gets a standing O and chants, and grabs the mic. He thanks the crowd and talks about the promotion's financial troubles the last few months, saying what they do best is wrestle. He then halfway craps on his own match while making something of a rambling point, saying it doesn't matter if he wins or Punk wins, because it's a good match. I agree that it's a good match, but why am I watching it if it doesn't matter? Lots of matches are good. In this instance I actually care about the rivalry. But I won't get into all that, I'm pretty sure his intentions were good and he just wanted to say that the wrestling is awesome. The tape goes out before he finishes his promo.

Okay, that match. I thought it was excellent, better than their Lafayette match from June that I really liked. The two have a special chemistry together, and even though I think parts of this match may have gone "wrong" or however you'd want to phrase that (not sloppy or blown, just a little weird), it was still an awesome display from two guys that can bring it, and when given the opportunity to bring it, rarely fail to deliver. Was it their best match? Probably not, but I think this one is going to get overlooked and underrated in terms of their history. Tremendous match.

Definitely recommend this show for the final two matches if nothing else, although I personally liked the undercard just fine, particularly Abercrombie/Webb and the absurd Boz/Bambino match.

BACK