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A highlight package airs of all the significant events from It Came To Japan, just two weeks ago. Jeff Hardy being tossed off of scaffolding through a couple of tables, Matt flying off the stage after a Van Daminator. The two brothers lying broken, examples in ECWs revolution.
The Briscoe Brothers being finished off by LAX to make it 2-0 to team ECW, a Gringo Killah and Border Toss being used as exclamation marks.
Nigel McGuinness and Bam Bam Bigelow debuting and setting the atmosphere on fire in front of the Japanese crowd, fighting to a draw when neither could continue.
Chris Harris throwing himself through a loose side of a cage, James Storm getting an Angels Wings and Warriors Way off the cage from Low Ki and Christopher Daniels respectively, Triple X triumphantly walking out to claim the tag titles.
Punk defiantly battling Jericho, almost making himself a household name with the Pepsi Plunge, but being put down by a sudden Lionsault from the Lionheart. The beat down that ensued. Punks rival, Mr. Kennedy, emerging to attack his fallen opponent, only to be choking out by now former ECW member Taz as a sign that this wasnt how things were going to be done any more.
The Undertaker making his first appearance on Japanese soil, having a five star classic with Benoit. Chain wrestling and high impact moves aplenty, the German Suplex from the stage, the Phenoms Suicide Dive over the top rope, the Chokeslam that was reversed into a crossface, which in turn was reversed into a Triangle Choke. Benoit passing out.
Team ECW emerge, ready to repeat the beating they gave to the Phenom two weeks previously. The cavalry arriving just in time, Paul Bearer clocking Heyman round the head with an urn, Taz, Punk, Triple X, The Briscoes and Nigel McGuinness running in and repelling Team ECW - LAX, Kennedy, Jericho, RVD, Sabu and Bam Bam Bigelow. The four champions holding their belts up high, defiant in the face of the working class of professional wrestling, the men that made it all possible.
Questions still need to be answered.
When will this war end?
Will Americas Most Wanted show their alignment?
Will ECW finally gain some gold?
Who is Paul Heymans mystery man, and why is he such a threat to Tazs TV Title reign?
Whose side will Chris Benoit choose in his battle against Nigel McGuinness and Bam Bam Bigelow?
How will the Philadelphia crowd react to everything in the infamous ECW arena?
Will tonight provide the resolution?
===
Matt Hardy w/ Jeff (IPW) vs. James Storm w/ Chris Harris (???)
The show kicked off with a match between the two men who decided the fate of the tag team titles on top of a ladder. Hardy had his fingertips on the belt but was denied by a beer bottle to the face. Both suffered big defeats with their tag team partners, who are both accompanying them to ringside, at It Came To Japan. Both were completely destroyed by their respective opponents. AMW had to pay a much higher price though, relinquishing the ever more valuable tag titles to Triple X. Just a fortnight later, its unlikely that either Storm or Hardy are anywhere near the hundred percent they need to be at, but theyll be fighting tooth and nail to reclaim their pride, and climb back up the card again. Further intrigue is added by the fact that the Hardys have shown their colours by backing IPW, but Storm and Harris have yet to decisively pick a side.
***
The crowd were surprisingly hot for this opener, Matt with Jeff at ringside obviously playing the faces against the Harris-accompanied Storms heel, although the ECW fans pretended not to notice, heavily favouring the more smarky option of AMW. Storm didnt show his heel alignment in how he fought, however, equalling Hardys ability and occasionally topping it with his shows of ruthlessness, which inevitably left both beaten and bloodied. Hardy, however, began to tip the match in his balance, using a quick offence, topping it off with a leg drop.
Harris, however, wouldnt allow the momentum to shift, running in and sneakily smashing the plainer Hardy in the face with some handcuffs, which some poor refereeing didnt punish on. Jeff Hardy wasnt so lenient, chasing Harris off and brawling with him up the ramp. It seemed the two still hadnt achieved their bump quota for the month when, after getting the upper hand with a low blow, Harris speared Jeff off the ramp and into the technical equipment down below, leaving both equally battered. Holy shit chants were aplenty.
Back in the ring, the two official opponents rose to their feet and began punching it out, Storm going for his devastating Superkick, The Last Call, only to have it dodged and be put in the twist of fate. However, he managed to reverse it into a quickly improvised suplex. Quickly following this, he made his way over to the corner and wrapped the handcuffs, which Harris had left behind, around his fist and began battering Matt with it, leaving him an even bloodier mess than he had been. The referee, showing previously unexplored sense, called for the bell. Bull-shit! chants ensued.
By DQ, Matt Hardy
The disqualification was too late for Matt Hardy, however, who continued to have the living crap beaten out of him by Storm, who picked up a microphone:
/Storm: This piece of crap right here *pushes Hardy on his side with a foot* is an example. He aint an example of AMWs loyalty to IPW, but he aint an example of any revolution either. What Im saying is, AMW are their own men, and were gonna climb back to the top on our own, leaving a buncha other examples along the way.
===
There Must Be A Winner
CM Punk (IPW) vs. Mr. Kennedy (ECW)
If the ECW fans had had their bloodlust quenched already, an unlikely event, they were likely to drown in it during the next encounter, one between the longest lived rivals in IPW. It had all started at IPWs first show since its return from hiatus, Taken. Punk had then-champion Brock Lesnar in the Anaconda Vice, it looked like he might tap, the title was in Punks grasp, if it werent for interference from one Ken Kennedy. And the rest, as they say, is history. Although only having one match since, Kennedy introducing an illegal steel chair to get the win, the two have been at each others throats throughout their time in IPW, Kennedy recently coming in to try and attack Punk again at the end of his match with Jericho, being thwarted only by the valiant actions of Taz.
Kennedy promised this time there would be no escape, Punk did much the same. In the interests of fairness, the board of directors made this a No Disqualification, There Must Be A Winner Match, and anyone who interferes will be suspended indefinitely. Tonight will be a night of resolution, but what this brutal encounter will resolve is still unclear.
***
The ECW arena was pretty alive for this one. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, the crowd backed Punk despite his IPW alignment, although Kennedy did receive selective pops; oddly enough getting one during his trademark Kennedy! entrance ritual. Speaking of which, Punk used the metal microphone as a weapon before the match even began which then set the tone for what followed: a brutal, intense and thoroughly entertaining encounter.
As aforementioned, Punk was on the offense for the early part of the match, taking out all his frustrations on Kennedy as effectively as he could, adopting a heavily smash mouth style. Although when it was clear Kennedy was on the backfoot, he went onto a more cold and calculated, technical-orientated route, much to the fondness of the hardcore crowd. Kennedy managed to save himself a concussion, however, when he dodged Punks Shining Wizard, getting the momentum to swing back in his favour with a chop block.
Kennedy went to work on Punk quickly, making sure he was plenty incapacitated, tying him up on the ropes before taking a soda from an audience member and throwing it in Punks face, clearly mocking him. Kennedy proceeded to claim a second object from the roaring crowd, a hefty steal chair.
Punk broke free of the ropes and ducked quickly under Kennedys chair swing, knocking him onto one knee and hitting an enzuigiri on the back of Kennedys head, leaving him dazed. Despite this, it took several noisy, brutal, you can feel it from the sofa chair shots to finally knock Kennedy down. By this time, Kennedy was indisputably a 1.0 on the Muta scale, his face and his chest completely concealed behind a thick crimson mask. The red liquid had leaked onto the match, leaving the canvas stained, and Punk too was coated. Needless to say, the crowd was delighted. Somehow, some way, Punk managed to heft Kennedys dead weight onto the top rope and hit the Pepsi Plunge down onto the steel chair, dragging himself over the possibly deceased Kennedy to get the three count and the win.
CM Punk
Punk climbed into the crowd, who were given him a passionate standing ovation, to celebrate his win. He finally had his revenge and his closure, but whether this feud was over or not was another question.
===
Chris Benoit (???) vs. Nigel McGuinness (IPW) vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (ECW)
This match has heavy implications for all three contestants. All three of them debuted at the show a fortnight previous, It Came To Japan. McGuinness and Bigelow had an incredible match or, at the very least, one that was incredibly popular with the Japanese audience. However, it ended with neither man able to get up to their feet and the match ended in a draw. Tonight, they seek to resolve this.
Also tonight, it is expected that Chris Benoit will make his alliances clear. He will hopefully make a statement, in words or in actions, that will make whether he is with IPW or ECW clear. He was unable to do so when he was rendered unconscious at the end of his instant classic of a match with The Undertaker at the hands of the Deadmans near-lethal Triangle Choke. It could make all the difference in this war.
Tonight, all men seek to resolve their own doubts. To go out in front of the hardest to please crowd in the world, a crowd that wont take you at name value alone, and prove themselves. To prove that they have what it takes. For Chris Benoit to prove he is for real. For Bigelow to catapult himself up the card and to score points for ECW. For Nigel McGuinness to represent IPW, and to show his potential has been realised. There is no better place to realise these aims than in the ECW arena on this night. The stakes are undoubtedly high.
***
All three got huge, huge pops from the ECW crowd. Two were former ECW wrestlers, particularly significant ones at that. One was an indie favourite. This was sure to be a stiff, scientific style encounter. And so it was. The three took turns at being tossed out the ring, the two remaining tussling it out, often bursting into chain wrestling. Benoit seemed to not take any allegiance, only allying with someone if it benefited him, and so forgetting said alliance when it no longer did. The first big turning point came when Benoit hit a third German suplex on an outmatches McGuinness and, on a roll, dove through the ropes at Bigelow. Unfortunately for him, he missed, smashing his head hard on the rail and undoubtedly taking him out of the match, at least for now.
Back in the ring, a softened McGuinness was merely prey for the big man of the piece for a while. It seemed over at many different times, but McGuinness, the eternal underdog, valiantly kicked out of pin after pin, and eventually managed to mount some sort of offence. It seemed as if McGuinness was going for Russian Leg Sweep, or a similar move, but he somehow managed to lift Bigelows legs onto the turnbuckle, before delivering a devastating Tower of London. McGuinness went for the cover, a career-elevating win seeming certain. Benoit came out of nowhere, hitting a diving head butt on McGuinness. The Englishman just managed to kick out of the ensuing pin.
McGuinness managed to roll out of the ring as the two ECW originals fought for dominance. Finally, it seemed as if it would be Benoit. The smaller man used Bigelows own momentum against him, sending him into the turnbuckle, before beating him to the floor with a bunch of hard, clubbing blows. Once he was on the floor, he fell prey to the crossface. He was in it for what seemed an eternity before he somehow managed to make it the ropes. Benoit dragged him to the centre of the ring and went for the pin, but again to no avail. Suddenly, he signalled the end with his thumb sliding across his throat. The crowd got to their feet. He climbed to the turnbuckle, but was unexpectedly thrown off by a rejuvenated McGuinness, who had the nerve to hit a Diving Headbutt himself, securing the victory.
Nigel McGuinness
After the match, an ecstatic McGuinness celebrated in front of an almost equally happy Philadelphia audience. Benoit came in, as angry and upset as McGuinness was happy. He shoved the Englishman, clearly wanting an explanation. McGuinness simply grinned, offering Benoit his hand. For a second, it looked like Benoit would accept it, but he instead hooked McGuinness round the midsection and delivered a northern lights suplex. Benoit beat McGuinness back down viciously as he tries to struggle back up to his feet. The Rabid Wolverine locks in the Crippler Crossface, it takes several minutes and a dozen referees to separate the two.
A grinning Paul Heyman comes down to ringside and, after a moments pause, the two shake hands before embracing.
===
Heyman remained in the ring as Benoit went to the back and Taz cames out to a standing ovation from the Philadelphia fans, possibly the biggest of the night. The two, Taz and Benoit, indulged themselves in a brief staredown as their paths crossed. But this wasnt the time for their fight. Not yet, at least. Taz got to the ring and removed the prestigious TV Title from around his waist - he was the longest reigning champion in IPW history after all, holding the belt for months on end and defending it against all comers. Heyman looked deep into his eyes as he talked into a microphone.
/Heyman: I guess youre wondering who your opponent is, huh? Well, Id love to tell you what a traitor you were, how you betrayed the reasons these people, the people who made ECW, just gave you a standing ovation. But I always thought you learned through actions rather than words. So, without further ado, I give you *points to Taz* and I give you *points to audience* the one man on the planet who I think can defeat the Human Suplex Machine and take that title away from him, if anyone can. The Iceman, the Man of 1,000 Holds, Dean Malenko!
The crowd erupts as Malenko emerges, bearing the ECW logo like an ancient family crest across his chest, his ice-like demeanour not betrayed even among this massive reaction, one which is likely equal to Tazs. Heyman takes a place at ringside, his smugness very clear. The tension is so thick it could be cut with a knife.
***
IPW Television Championship Match
Taz (IPW) © vs. Dean Malenko (ECW)
The match started as if Taz definitely had something to be afraid of. Taz remained as icy as Malenko, but he was easily picked apart. Of course, both were consummate professionals, but Malenko had the massive advantage of knowing what it was walking into and it showed. Taz looked in serious trouble as Malenko took him apart, almost literally, piece by piece, testing his joints and his muscles, seeing what his weak points were and where sudden, blunt impact would do the most my damage. Learn by doing, if you will. For a moment, Malenko seemed so dominant, as he often does, that it looked like a foregone conclusion that he was going to win, the question now being if Taz was even going to survive long enough to get pinned.
Malenko went for an arm wrench. He got it, lifting Taz off his feet in the process. He goes for another one, but the wrecking machine gets back into consciousness enough to lock in a Tazmission, a desperation manoeuvre clearly, but an effective one nonetheless. The two sunk to the ground as Taz hooked on the body scissors. The crowd were on their feet once more as Malenkos icy demeanour began to melt as the threat of being simply choked out became clear. The Iceman managed to summon all his remaining strength to lift himself, with Taz on his back, to his feet, using only his legs and random body parts to push up on. Taz unhooked the body scissors as Malenko struggled to break free. Taz used all of his remaining energy to hit the Tazmission-plex. The two lay half-conscious on the mat as the crowd goes, to borrow a phrase from someone, absolutely fucking nuts.
The two stumbled to their feet, both seeming fairly out of it. Malenko lazily swung at Taz, but was pulled into a powerful suplex, which lead into another suplex, and another, and another, an so on. Taz was on fire, as was the atmosphere. Heyman was no longer smug as he saw his well-laid plans falling apart. He was up off his seat pounding the ring mat, screaming his disapproval. Taz finished off his string of suplexes in dramatic fashion, tossing Malenko half way across the ring with a release German suplex, him landing grotesquely in the corner before dozily crumpling to the mat, almost so out of it that he was drooling. By this point, the noise the crowd were making was off the hook, the worlds longest Holy shit! chants having overtaken the place during Tazs attack string.
It seemed Heyman had had enough of keeping any remnant of his calm and collected self alive, folding up the chair he was sitting on and rushing into the ring in a rage. Taz saw it coming, however, and ducked the chair shot, locking in the Tazmission. It seemed the crowd had made up their mind who to back, cheering loudly at this. Malenko managed to drag enough of his marbles back together for one more offensive move, knocking Taz hard around the head with a jumping leg lariat. It was enough to free Heyman and give him enough time to subconsciously roll out of danger, but wasnt enough to keep Taz down. The Human Wrecking Machine spotting Malenko and hooking in another Tazmission before he had enough time to compose his strategically perfectly thoughts.
The hold wasnt on for long, however, as none other than Chris Benoit, Malenkos long time friend, came rushing down to the ring. He clubbed Taz round the back of the head, freeing Malenko, and hit a German suplex. Then another. He went for the third but Tazs leg instinctively hooked round his. The Human Suplex Machine decided to show yet again why he was so called, spinning round and delivering the hat trick of Germans Benoit had been hoping for. The Rabid Wolverine rolled out the ring, another defeated opponent of Taz. It did leave room for Malenko to deliver a kick to the gut, however, followed by a double underhook power bomb, transitioned into a Texas Cloverleaf. Taz struggled and struggled, but would not tap.
Meanwhile, Heyman and Benoit began to rise at ringside. Taking note of the situation, the GM ran over to the time keeper and told him something. The bell rang like a funeral knoll. Everyone in the arena knew what had just happened, and they didnt like it one bit.
And NEW IPW Television Champion, Dean Malenko
Malenko broke the hold immediately after the bell, and casually collected what was now his title from ringside. He held it aloft, Benoit and Heyman holding his wrists as he did so. A modified version of the Thank you Paul! chant had been invented and cheered out simultaneously - Fuck you Paul! The three kept their heads lowered as they hastily made their way from the ring, the Philadelphia fans throwing everything at them that they could get their hands on - food, drinks, even light bulbs, batteries and chairs. This was how ECW fans voiced their disapproval.
===
IPW Tag Team Championship Match - Ultimate X
Latin American Xchange and Super Crazy (ECW)
vs.
Triple X - Elix Skipper, Low Ki and Christopher Daniels © (IPW)
On a night where spots and bumps and the like were going to be commonplace, it would take some doing to be crowned "spottiest match." The clear favourite would be an Ultimate X, set in the four sided ring of the land of extreme. The usually high risk Ultimate X had just become riskier. Obviously, suitable teams would be selected. So they were, with Heyman naming LAX and the newly debuted Super Crazy as opponents to the recently fully formed Triple X - Elix Skipper having announced his return to the ring. Once again, it was ECW vs IPW but the stakes were, excuse the pun, higher than any other match. The first team to have the two belts in their possession, likely beaten and bloody by then, would have a big say in this war, particularly if ECW's side was beaten in their own territory. Territory which had already become uncertain earlier that night.
Either Daniels, Low Ki and now Skipper would confirm that they deserved those tag titles, that they were in fact the best trio in wrestling, or the revolution - both Latin and extreme - would have a prominent example.
***
The match started off slowly, each team feeling the other out at a steady pace. Nah, I'm just kidding. The two teams threw themselves into the match head first and hoped for the best, regardless of anybody's well-being. Low Ki and Super Crazy made a mad dash for the X, scissoring along it until they reached the middle. Inevitably both ended crashing down, their offensive moves causing them to lose their balance. That act set the standard and tone for pretty much the rest of the match.
Speaking of the rest of the match, it saw pretty much every bump imaginable. Super Crazy did something that was both pretty super and pretty crazy, hitting a moonsault from atop the the metal structure holding up the wire X to all five others on the outside. The crowd, expectedly, went nuts, as they did when Skipper ended up hitting yet another massive Hurricanrana - his first being against AMW in 2004 - this time on Homicide, when went flying. Even Herandez got in on the action, hitting Low Ki and Christopher Daniels with one widespread suicide dive as they tried to claw in an advantage.
For a little while, it was Low Ki and Daniels, Skipper having been incapacitated after yet another massive spot, holding their own against all three of their opponents. And hold their own they did, showing why they had won the tag titles on their lonesome when they managed to even put Hernandez, who was having a hot match even for his standards down.
In the end, it came down to Daniels knocking himself and Super Crazy threw a table, and Skipper triumphantly brawling his physical superior in Hernandez. This left Low Ki and Homicide to race against each other to the center of the X. They arrived at roughly the same time and, after some mid-air brawling, each wrestled a belt from the X before dropping down. The two looked at each other, puzzled, then approached eath other before, much to everyone's suprise, the two embraced and began celebrating with each other.
And NEW(ish) IPW Tag Team Champions, Homicide and Low Ki
After the match, Hernandez, who was the last men left standing after throwing Skipper into the crowd, came into the ring and begna questioning the new champions. It seems the big man would be left out in the cold with Low Ki's defection to ECW, as a surprise Gringo Killah/Warrior's Way combination left him seeing stars.
===
IPW World Heavyweight Championship Match
The Undertaker (c) vs. Chris Jericho
This match had been building ever since Jericho, not Y2J but the lionheart, debuted at Breakdown, victorious over Christopher Daniels as The Undertaker claimed his world title from Brock Lesnar. Jericho then formed the figurehead, the frontman, besides Paul Heyman, of the ECW assault. However, after two close encounters it seems Jericho might be feeling a bit rusty. He'll have to be on top form to beat the deadman, a man yet to lose a match in any sense in IPW. A man who beat Triple H in Hell In A Cell, stripped The Next Big Thing of the world title, a man who had a five star classic with the Rabid Wolverine in Japan, ultimately leaving his opponent unconscious.
Everything had almost met its conclusion. Jericho needed to perform in this match. He needed to win. A mere five star match would leave no honour in the eyes of his team mates. He needed to provide a victory; Dean Malenko had already captured the Pure title, no matter how questionably. Low Ki defected to Team ECW and he and Homicide were now tag champions. Jericho had to make it a clean sweep, capturing the world heavyweight title, or ECW's return to form would feel more than a little flat.
***
The match started out with Jericho feeling a little reluctant to mix it up with The Undertaker. Understandably, I might add. Jericho ended up fleeing from the ring several times, a look that was quite clearly of fright on his face. This caused the most extraordinary thing to happen, although it wasn't necessarily unexpected - the crowd turned on him. They chanted "puss-y!" at the lionheart, who sheer nostalgia wouldn't support alone. This prompted Jericho to get back into the ring and go on the offense. Such a foolish move left hom flat on his back, however, much to the crowd's delight.
The Undertaker then began to dominate, working over Jericho in a style more comprehensive than perhaps ever before, making sure every single muscle and bone in his opponent's body felt at least some measure of pain. Sneakily. Jericho mounted a comeback, slipping under one of 'Taker's overzealous fists and, using his quickness to his advantage, landing a low blow on the Phenom. Dead he may be, but not dead from the waist down. Undertaker crumpled, and Jericho mounted a quick offense. His scientific style began to flow as he transitioned seemlessly from move to move, and he began to win over the crowd again.
The match went back to even terms as Jericho, going for a pin, ended up in the Triangle Choke. He managed to make it to the ropes just before he passed out, but it left both superstars on the mat. The situation was soon rectified as Paul Bearer, urn in hand, came down to the ring and, as always, Undertaker sat back up.
Paul Heyman came down with a trick of his own: a steel chair. He promptly wrapped it round Bearer's skull. Chris Benoit, who was partially responsible for one title change this night, followed, hitting the ring and bringing down the champion with a German Suplex. Help was at hand, however, the human suplex machine Taz running into the ring to a massive reaction, as he proceeded to knock Benoit out the ring and beat the crap out of him. The Undertaker suddenly sat up again and... BLAM! Malenko had come down to the ring, grabbed Heyman's chair and smashed the champion round the face with it.
Blood trickled down the phenom's face as Malenko threw the referee out the ring and pulled Jericho onto of 'Taker. Heyman slipped into the ring as both Malenko and Jericho covered Undertaker and made the necessary fast count, much to the disgust of the people in attendance, who swiftly mimicked their earlier violent behaviour.
And NEW IPW World Heavyweight Champion, Chris Jericho
One night and three title changes. Taz brawled with Benoit through the crowd as Undertaker sat up, that familiar look of rage on his face. Jericho, supported by Malenko and Heyman, half-heartedly held up his newly won title alongside Malenko's, his semi-conscious testament to the absolute screwjob which had just taken place. ECW's threesome got out of the arena quickly. There might not be triumphant celebrations as there were two weeks ago, but Team ECW had clearly turned the tables.
Did tonight provide the resolution?
No.
