Match Listings
Jay Lethal vs Keenan Quinn
Dan Barry vs Plazma
Alicia vs Talia
Jai Kronik vs Dan Dynasty
Bison Bravado vs Papadon
Last Man Standing Match- Danny Demanto w/Alicia vs Kevin Matthews w/Talia
Envy vs TDS vs Mike Donovan vs Bandido Jr vs Archadia
Notorious Inc w/Tara Charisma vs ESK w/Penny Dreadful
CJ O'Doyle vs Eric Cooper
Jay Lethal vs Pinkie Sanchez
Monsta Mack vs Reefer w/Havok

Intense Entertainment Wrestling (IEW)
5/28
From Union City, NJ
Referees: Ref Hanson, Ref Zack, and Ref Bennett
Ring Announcer: Doc Daniels
Commentators for DVD Release: Glenn Strange, Ref Hanson, Jake Iadevia, Doc Daniels and Yours Truly
Attendance: 100+

Due to my commentary responsibilites, which included drinking beer while talking about the show, my notes were very light. Most of this review will just be a general recap.

Jay Lethal d. Keenan Quinn
PREMATCH: Pinkie Sanchez, the wrestler that Jay Lethal wanted a piece of, said that Lethal would have to go through someone else before wrestling him. If Lethal won, Pinkie would have to wrestle Lethal later on the show. If Pinkie's surprise won the match, then Lethal would have to be Pinkie's slave for thirty days.

Before bringing out Quinn, Pinkie did a funny skit of bringing out wrestlers to take out Jay Lethal. For some unexpected reason, Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin and HHH all no-showed, and Pinkie was only left with "The Master of the Dickface", Keenan Quinn. I think Keenan Quinn might be the biggest inside joke ever, as everything revolves around "the dickface" the retarded comment he made in a match with Pinkie Sanchez a year ago. Ever since saying that, anything to do with Keenan Quinn (especially a Demanto-produced wrestling show) all comes back to the dickface comment. Anyway, this was pretty funny, as Pinkie looked very dejected as his WWF/E stars no-showed him, and all he was left with was Keenan Quinn.

The match itself was actually better than I expected. Lethal did a good job of carrying Quinn in this match. I thought Lethal would blow Quinn out of the water, but Quinn was pleasantly surprising, holding his own in this match. Lethal hit some vicious chops in this match, while Quinn was able to break off Lethal's flow with a nice neckbreaker. Lethal was eventually able to overcome "Dickface-a-Mania" as he pinned Quinn with a huge top rope DDT.
This was a good match to kick off of the show, although I'm not sure if the crowd understood the Hogan/Austin/HHH thing, since it was the first spot of the show.

Dan Barry d. Plazma
This match featured two guys who deserve more bookings around this area, as both are two of the better NYWC produced talent. Of course that's not saying much when NYWC has guys like J-Silva and Tusk under their belts, but still, no matter where they wrestle, Barry and Plazma do a good job. For some reason, the crowd didn't take too well to this match, as it seemed very quiet. I think the low ceiling hindered this match a bit, and definitely grounded the aerial based Plazma. There were alot of near falls in this fast paced match, that even spilled to the outside. The finish of this match saw Barry DESTROY and MAIM Plazma with a release spike piledriver. That move is a concussion in the making.
Good match here, it was just a shame that the crowd wasn't into it, due to the fact that you have two white guys in a Puerto Rican area, in addition to the crowd not being too familiar with either wrestler.

Alicia d. Talia via DQ
Thank god not too many wrestlers wear what Talia wears to fight in. It would definitley look odd. This was the first time these two blondes battled it out. Talia pulled off some basic offense in this match, but Alicia was hitting bigger moves, such as her SIT OUT HIP TOSS OF DOOM! Alicia later on hit her patented michinoku driver on Talia, and seemingly had this match won via pinfall. Kevin Matthews, the man who Talia manages, obviously thought so too, as he ran out, and hit his dreaded Egodriver on Alica, warranting the DQ finish.
POSTMATCH: Kevin looked at the mess he created. Danny Demanto, Kevin's opponent, ran out to make the save. These two also did a promo, changing the stipulation in their match later on, from a table match to a Last Man Standing match.
This match was so-so. It kind of sucks that this first time ever match was just used to promote another match on the show.

Jai Kronik d. Dan Dynasty
Even though Kronik is demonly possessed in AWA, he found it in him to go back to being a jungle warrior in this match. Dynasty, no matter how he tries not to, looks like a fake Shawn Michaels to me, whenever I see him. This match to me felt like a bunch of moves in succession with no real rhyme or reason. It's hard to make people get into your matches when there is no story behind it, and that's what this match felt like to me. The finish was pretty cool however, as Kronik wiped Dynasty out with a spinning powerbomb.
POSTMATCH: Low Life Louie, who was "banned" from IEW, ran out. He destroyed Kronik and Dynasty. Louie then cut a killer promo, challenging any tag team in IEW to take on him and Danny Yamz in a wrestling match. Louie said he was banned from doing hardcore, but he wasn't banned from wrestling, and that along with Yamz, he will show everyone why he is a professional wrestler.
I actually enjoyed the run-in and Louie promo more than the actual match. Hopefully IEW capitalizes on Louie's momentum. I like the storyline of Louie being forced to wrestle, as it makes sense as to why Louie can't cut, carve and rape his opponents.

Bison Bravado d. Papadon
After Louie's promo, Papadon followed it up with a promo of his own. He talked about going back with Bison, and talked about their history together. Papadon talked about Bison's undefeated (1-0) ROH record, and Bison's WXW Heavyweight title reign. Bison grunted back. Papadon asked for Bison's hand (not for marriage, but for shaking) and before Bison could shake hands, Papadon slapped Bison over the head with the microphone. What a heel.
Most of this match centered around Papadon trying to get Bison to tap out. Papadon gave Bison an abdominal stretch and a boston crab in this match, but both times, Bison was able to break the hold. This match eventually went to the outside, but after a little slugging, it went back inside the ring. Bison was able to hit his big cannon ball in this match, but Papadon was able to fight back. Both men, who are known for their piledrivers, weren't successful in getting one off here. The finish of this match saw The People's Bise, Bison Bravado, lay out Papadon with The Roll Of The Bise/Egg Roll/Overdrive for the clean three count.
This match had no story, so it was hard to get into. Papadon needs to focus on what wrestler he wants to copy, as he has a Nick Berk black robe, Samoa Joe beads, a Dan Maff Hat and generic sunglasses. Papadon needs to find himself and something unique to do in wrestling to make it to the next level. Bison is quietly ascending his game, but does need to drop a bit of weight to move to the next level.

Danny Demanto w/Alicia d. Kevin Matthews w/Talia in a Last Man Standing Match
This was the third match in their series, as Kevin is 2-0, defeating Demanto in a ladder match and a street fight. The girls were also used in this match, as they cornered their respective man. I didn't get how Alicia, who took a finishing move from Kevin, was out at ringside. I thought it would've made more sense for her to come out groggy during the middle of the match, and then help Danny win the match. Despite that, it was good to see Alicia selling the beating, as she was holding her neck throughout the match. I thought that would've made a bigger impact.
The match itself was a brawl. Seeing all three matches of this feud live, I think this was the worse in the series, although it was a good match. I think this match was already hurting going into it, because alot of the spots and ideas weren't allowed to happen due to an agreement with the building. I think this match was held back a bit due to that, and it came off that way. In additon, I think Demanto held himself back because he was the promoter and didn't want to steal the show.
This match was a full out brawl, as both men were fighting with all their might. These guys put it all on the line as alot of high impact moves were delivered. For the most part the match was solid, but the only that everyone will remember was the finish, as Danny Demanto hogsplashed Kevin Matthews through a table on the floor. Danny was able to get up at 8, but Kevin wasn't so lucky, as the ref counted 10 and Kevin was still on the floor. Therefore, Danny finally got his victory over Kevin.
POSTMATCH: Kevin cut a promo saying the fans were spoiled. He said him and Danny would be hurting for days after this match, but no one would care. Kevin then ripped the fans of the AWA arena and said the fans were disrespectful and didn't appreciate what he goes through.
I think this match would've been better if it was held somewhere else, as it definitely was toned down. I guess I'm spoiled like Kevin said, but I've seen these guys have bigger matches against each other. It's funny, before this feud, Kevin and Danny used to wrestle against each other all the time and had some pretty crappy matches, but now, these last three matches these two have had have stolen shows.

INTERMISSION:
IEW took some time to clean up the debris around the ring, and got ready for the second half of the show.

5-Way Match
If The Number 1 Contender TDS Won This Match, He'd Be The New Cruiserweight Champion; If TDS Lost, The Winner Of This Match Would Take on TDS At The Next Show To Crown a New Cruiserweight Champion

Envy d. TDS, Mike Donovan, Archadia and Bandido Jr.
Due to winning this match, Envy will take on TDS at the next IEW show to crown a new cruiserweight champion

Order of Elimination:
Donovan
Bandido Jr.
Archadia
TDS

This match was a pure spotfest until the end, where the cruiserweight title match for the next show, took place. This match was very fast and hard to keep track of, as so much was going on at once. Envy eventually hit "The Force" in this match to put away TDS.
This was a fun match and all 5 guys went all out.

Grim Reefer came out next to discuss his upcoming title match with Monsta Mack. He then called Mack out to the ring, after laying into him. Mack eventually came out to confront Reefer face to face, and they discussed the "surprise" IEW was talking about. Reefer obviously knew the suprise, as the big man Havok ran into the ring, and before Mack knew what hit him, Mack was laying on the floor due to a spear from Havok. Reefer then joined in on the attack, as Reefer found the solution to his problem. Reefer announced that Havok is his new body guard and that with Havok in his corner, he'll win the IEW Title later on in the show.
This was a good little quick promo to set-up the main event of the show. I'll have more on why only Havok was IEW's suprise at the end of this review.

Notorious Inc (Devan Moore/Drew Blood) w/Tara Charisma d. Elm Street Kids w/Penny Dreadful
This match pitted two up and coming tag teams on the indy scene, with alot of booty on the outside. Tara Charisma, who is sporting two new friends up top, was also sporting a nasty gash above her eye, as the result of an accident at the NWA Cyberspace show last week. There was alot of cool double team moves in this match. After miscalculating her target, Penny Dreadful kicked Rayza in the nuts, instead of Notorious Inc. With Rayza out, Notorious Inc put Pyscho away with a double cradle piledriver.
This was a decent match, where both teams got some shine.

CJ O'Doyle w/Chrissy Rivera d. Eric Cooper
Chrissy Rivera made her pro wrestling debut, wearing a Michael Jackson top-hat and swinging off the arm of CJ O'Doyle. In the early stages of this match, Cooper teased his spinebuster. CJ was able to block it and was able to hit a huge back body drop on Cooper. Later on in the match, with both guys beaten down and feeling hurt, Cooper was able to bring in Chrissy into the ring, and looked like he was going to have his way with her. Unfortunately for Cooper, Chrissy shrugged off Cooper's advances with two slaps to the face. I thought Cooper would be able to block a slap from a girl who's half his size and a girl that he's 2 feet taller than, but I guess it's tough sometimes to block a slap from a 90 pound girl. Anyway, Cooper, not happy about being slapped, spinebustered the bitch. Cooper then went to spinebuster CJ, but CJ reversed it and turned it into a diamond cutter for the 1-2-3.
I guess in IEW it doesn't matter what you do, as long as you beat up a woman. First Alicia gets beat up then Chrissy. So much for innovation. The match itself was alright but both guys need work on developing their characters and finding themselves in the ring.

MATCH OF THE NIGHT
Jay Lethal d. Pinkie Sanchez
I thought this was the best match on the show, as these guys went about 15 minutes or so, and had a good outing. There was alot of back and forth submissions and counters in this match. There were also several near falls. After teasing it for a while, Lethal was finally able to land a tiger suplex on Pinkie Sanchez, only that Pinkie was standing on the apron of the ring, when Lethal hit the move. Lethal held onto Pinkie long enough to earn the 3 count.
Although my review of this match is short, this match was really good, and it shows that Pinkie can go if he forgets about other crap that goes on around him. After carrying Quinn earlier, it shows you that Lethal is the real deal, as he can make anyone look good.

For the Vacant IEW Heavyweight Championship
Monsta Mack d. Grim Reefer w/Havok
This match pitted two guys from the famous Doghouse with the x-factor of Havok on the outside. It also saw Mack wrestle this match hurt, due to the attack from earlier before. This match started off with some wrestling, but quickly turned into a fast paced brawl with lots of action. Havok interfered throughout the match, but even with the help, Reefer couldn't knock down the determined Monsta Mack. Reefer went for his chronic crossface several times, but Mack was able to get out if it several times. Towards the end of the match, Havok went to give Mack another spear and put Mack away for good. It sounded like a good plan, but it was unsuccessful, as Havok wound up spearing Reefer instead. Mack rebounded and regained some energy and after three rough lariats to Reefer, Mack picked up the three count and the IEW Heavyweight Championship.
POSTMATCH: Mack cut a promo that was already recapped here on the DOI. Mack called his ex-partner, Dan Maff a pedophile. He also said that this heavyweight title meant something to him, because it was his first singles title. He then thanked the crowd and told everyone to support indy wrestling.
I thought the match and the story leading up to this match was good. The finish was kind of anticlimatic, as this was a match that either needed a big finish (such as Mack's frogsplash, but I guess he didn't do because Danny used it as his finish in his match) or a quick small package. The three lariats seemed like Mack was beating a dead horse. Regardless, it was a good match to close the show.

Final McWord
First things first, it should be known that a DRS reunion and B-Boy were supposed to be the suprises in the main event. Due to Negro's injury and Blade still not being in shape, the DRS reunion wasn't meant to be. B-Boy was also home nursing a foot injury, so he was unable to make the show. Havok was a show day replacement/surprise, and surprisingly went over well with the crowd. Havok will be brought back to IEW in the future, and might be a possible contender to Mack's heavyweight title.

I thought this show wasn't as good as IEW's first event, due to some talent that could've been cut. I also thought some matches were toned down, because at the last IEW show, IEW had trouble with the building owner, due to them wrecking the place. IEW was definitely cautious this time around.

IEW has some feuds built up and have some matches set up for the next show. Hopefully IEW announces another date, because as of right now, IEW's future is up in the air.

I thought most of the matches were high quality and pretty good, outside of the womens match, Kronik/Dynasty and Papadon/Bison. Maybe that's because these three matches really had no story or reason for happening, and it showed in the ring, although I do like the new aggressiveness and impact moves Bison has been delivering. I think Talia/Alicia would've got a bigger pop doing "diva" skits, rather than wrestling.

For some reason the crowd was lighter than the last show. I think the attendance was lower due to it being Memorial Day Weekend, in addition to the AWA fans going to AWA the night before. One thing is clear, IEW has outdrew AWA in the AwA arena, so maybe AWA can take some of the promoting techinques that IEW has used to help boost their attendance.

I thought this show flowed pretty well for the most part, although there were too many matches. I think IEW just needs to create more storylines and make things a bit tighter.

OVERALL
A solid indy show, that capitalized off the momentum of the first show, although it wasn't as good as the debut show.

For more on IEW, visit IEWwrestling.com

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
Price: $10