JAPW made their return this past Friday night in their home of Rahway, NJ. The show was originally scheduled to take place in Aberdeen, NJ, but building officials accidentally double-booked the building, forcing JAPW to change venues a day before the show. Obviously this affected attendance, as the crowd was mostly made up JAPW's loyal hardcore fans.

With the NFL and college football in full season, my time to write full blown reviews has lessened. However, the following should give you a good idea of what went on...

Note: I also lost my review paper/notes, so I'm doing this all of memory, so some matches may be out of order, although I'm pretty sure this line-up is 100%.

JAPW
9/15
Rahway, NJ
Refs: Hanson & Bennett
Ring Announcer: Mike Lewis
Commentators for DVD: Monsta Mack & Mark Clemson
Attendance: 300

Deranged d. Envy & Altar Boy Luke
Due to shitty traffic, I got here at the end of this match. From the people I talked to, it wasn't that great, and wound up turning into a mess in the ring, when Altar Boy Luke tried big leaguing Deranged. Deranged won the match, which featured both wrestlers going at it heavily during the bout.
After talking to Deranged afterwards, Deranged confirmed reports of Altar Boy Luke not clicking with himself and Envy. It's a shame that Deranged is even in a match like this anyway, because whenever he was pushed in JAPW the fans were behind him strongly. It's kind of like JAPW feels that they need to have Dixie & Insane Dragon around to do something with Deranged. With other high class cruiserweights in the company, it might be time to do something with Deranged again, just like in the Bayonne days.

Melissa Stripes d. Alere Little Feather
I'm surprised Alicia wasn't involved in this somehow, considering she's been cutting promos declaring her female dominance in JAPW. Alere did the gimmick where she pulls out her fake boob and wacks her opponent with it. It's funny the first time you see it, you crack a smile the second time you've seen it, but when you see it all the time, like anything else in wrestling, it gets played out. However, it was the first time she did it in JAPW, so I guess seeing the same stuff over & over again is what you get when you try to cover the indy scene. Stripes wins with the 450.
Stripes is getting better and better, and can save bad matches by just hitting her finisher, as the crowd will always pop for a female doing a 450.

The Grim Reefer d. Trent Acid
I thought this was a pretty good match, although I liked their UXW match from several months ago better. The only reason why I liked that match better was because it was longer, and wrestled under "extreme" rules. Surprisingly, unlike the UXW match, Grim Reefer won this match with his chronic crossface submission hold. I didn't expect to see that, as JAPW has been hyping up the return of Trent Acid for sometime, and already had him programmed with the number 1 contender to the JAPW Title, Monsta Mack. Good match tho. Maybe the Road to Reefer's JAPW Jersey Championship has begun.

EC Negro & Bandido Jr, who were announced as "suspended" from JAPW, made their way through the crowd. Both were dressed in Puerto Rican gear, and not in Yankee Jackets as one would expect.

Danny Demanto d. Nicky Benz
PREMATCH: Nicky Benz cut a promo riling up the crowd, as he cracked some intentionally awful one-liners and started singing "New York, New York." Demanto came out and challenged Berk to a dance-off, where Demanto did the chicken dance. As Danny danced, Nick Berk, that devilish heel, attacked Danny from behind to start the match.
Maybe it's because I'm a fan of gimmicks and entertainment over 40 minutes of submission based wrestling, but I thought this was one of the better matches of the show. I really enjoyed this bout, as both guys really played up their characters well. You can arguably say that Nicky Benz got the most heel heat of the night, as when he came out and started talking, the crowd panned him the whole time. The prematch promo was definitely a good idea, as it put instant heat on both guys and translated into a good match.
Both guys hit their signature spots in this match, with Danny flying over the top rope putting Berk through a chair. DANGEROUS! Danny hits the hogsplash for the clean win.
Fun match here, that got the crowd back into the show.

Negro & Bandido Jr. hit the ring next. Both whined about being suspended from JAPW and went down the "white man is holding us back" road. Yawn. Instead of getting Crazy Ivan to whip their asses, Homicide, with the TNA Tag Title, came out to show that JAPW does like people of all creeds and races. This then turned into...

Homicide d. EC Negro & Bandido Jr. via DQ
This was just a brawl, with Homicide throwing both guys around. Homicide hit the copkilla on Bandido Jr. and waffled EC Negro like he was a baseball going down the right porch in Yankee Stadium. However, before Homicide could make the cover, the JAPW Tag Team Champions, The Outcast Killahz ran out. The OCK jumped Homicide, but the team that has been feuding with OCK all year, The SAT's, ran out. The SAT's saved Homicide and both guys cut a promo, with Homicide ripping up La Familia and the SAT's challenging the OCK to a tag title match at the next show. However, it won't be any tag title match, as it will be contested with barbed wire. Should be a fun sick match.
This was pretty much used to set up matches & further angles for the anniversary show. I think most fans would've rather seen Homicide fight a top notch opponent rather than brawling for 5 minutes. Also of note, Homicide came out to his TNA LAX Music and shouted out Hotstuff Hernandez. I don't know if it's just me, but Homicide to me is JAPW and not TNA. I care more about Homicide teaming up with the SST or going after singles gold rather than his TNA tag counterparts.

For the JAPW Jersey Championship
(c) Frankie Kazarian d. Corvis Fear
The JAPW Jersey championship is the former JAPW Light Heavyweight title, only now, the belt will have more focus as the secondary title of JAPW and any wrestler of any weight class can compete for it.
This match was better than expected, although it didn't take a genius to realize that Kazarian was winning this thing. I don't think anyone, even Corvis's parents, would think he was walking out with the title tonight, which basically means to me, that this was a wasted defense. Just like most of the stuff on this show, there was more focus on the anniversary show than the actual show taking place here.
Both guys fought pretty hard in this match, with Corvis really busting his ass time and time again. Corvis did two lionsaults into a chair on Kazarian, but Kazarian didn't seem fazed, as he was able to defeat Corvis after the "wave of the future."
Not a bad match, but very predictable.

Low Ki d. Azraiel
This match was pretty disappointing, considering all the hype it got. I expected Azraiel to get more off and maybe even get fucked in losing, but Low Ki pretty much dominated the match. This was very similiar to when Low Ki wrestled B-Boy, you thought B-Boy was going to be made into a star and prove his worth in the ring, but in the end Low Ki just dominated and you were left saying "That's it?" Azraiel to me, in JAPW, is way too important to lose in such an easy fashion. Low Ki wins the match via pinfall, in a basically forgettable match, which sucked, as I thought this match would steal the show.

All Money Is Legal (K-Murda & K-Pusha) d. Dan Barry & Plazma
There was no intermission at this show, and at this point I needed a break. I think most of the crowd felt that way too, as the crowd heat was pretty much non-existent. I know JAPW wanted to get this show over quickly, due to the heat in the building, but sometimes you just need a break. The four guys in this match did go all out, but at times it seemed heavily choreographed. Plazma looks to have gained the weight that Chris Masters has lost. Barry is a solid indy wrestler, but for whatever reason seems to have trouble connecting with the JAPW crowd. AMIL are building up a solid fanbase in JAPW, and the fans looked happy when AMIL won this match after hitting the "Dead President"/Wheel Barrow into a top rope x-factor.
Ok match here, but if there wasn't going to be an intermission on this show, this was basically a throw-away/not needed/better suited for World-Wide match.
Also of note, Eddie Kingston, the current CZW World Champion/BLKOUT Member, came out and scouted AMIL. Kingston didn't have a promo on the show or do anything else, which was disappointing as he's great on the mic. I'm guessing this will develop in the future though.

Archadia d. Jay Lethal via DQ
Jay Lethal seemed to be doing a semi-"Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert gimmick here. It's hard to see Jay Lethal as a heel in JAPW since he's been pushed as the company's son and the heart and soul of JAPW for so long. It was Lethal's matches which carried JAPW during Dan Maff's disappointing heavyweight title reign in 2004. It's hard to boo a guy who pretty much carried the company for nearly 2 years.
Archadia is coming into his own in JAPW and is picking up a steady fan base. The match between these two was pretty decent, but ended abruptly after Lethal was disqualified for shoving the referee.
POSTMATCH: Lethal continued his attack on Archadia, only for Azraiel to come out and tease the save. Azraiel turned on Archadia and Azraiel & Lethal informed everyone that they were the newest team in JAPW & gunning for tag gold. They'll just have to wait until the SAT's & OCK settle their beef.
I like Lethal & Azraiel as a team. These two spent most of 2004 & 2005 fighting each other and having excellent matches. They'll pull off some sick shit together. Also as a tag, it allows the tag scene to freshen up, while allowing new wrestlers get some single spotlight. Azraiel & Lethal are proven JAPW names with fan bases due to their work in the last several years. Now as a team, they continue to build on their reputation while the next Lethal & Azraiel are found. This should be good.

For the JAPW Heavyweight Title
(c) Rhino w/The D-Factor (Alicia & Johnny D.) d. Monsta Mack
This was basically the match you would think it would be going into this. This was your Rhino JAPW title defense where he brawled all over the place, traded shots with his opponent in the ring, with his manager eating a frogsplash, only to pick up the win at the end with inteference from Trent Acid. Again, I don't think anyone thought Mack was winning this match, especially with the Trent Acid feud going on, which took away from the match. Rhino has been having alot of predictable title fights, which makes Rhino vs Teddy at the Anniversary show so appealing, as JAPW could go either way. With all the hype for the anniversary, I don't think anyone expected Mack to win, which took away from the bout as you were just waiting for Rhino to have his hand raised at the end. That's not to say that both guys didn't wrestle hard, as both guys did break their ass in there, it was just predictable.
After interfering, Trent challenged Mack to a ladder match at the anniversary show, but what will the two guys be fighting for, unless it's just a ladders-are-legal type of match.

Final McWord
I know alot of the JAPW loyals are panning the show, but I don't think the show itself was bad, it just wasn't what alot of people are expecting. Wrestling fans are disappointed and jaded in this area, so it's hard to appreciate stuff because everyone's standards are so fucking high. JAPW fans have the right to have high standards after all the impressive shows JAPW has put on in the past, which is why I think if you needed one word to describe this show, it would be "disappointing". For me, this show was a throw-away show. It's kind of like when WWE has that February PPV right before Wrestlemania. You know nothing shocking is going to happen because all the bells, whistles and all that good crap is going to be saved for the big show. That is what happened here, as JAPW is going balls to the walls for the 9th Anniversary show and just wanted to get through this show.

I don't even know what I'd pick as match of the night. Demanto/Benz was a guilty pleasure for me, as it was the only match that the crowd really got hot for and started reacting to. It's not the "JAPW" style fans are accustomed to, but it did get over. Acid/Reefer and the Main Event were pretty entertaining too, although the main event as I said, was sort of predictable.

The anniversary show is looking mighty impressive, and after that takes place, should make everything on this show forgettable.

Here is what's announced so far for the anniversary show, which takes place on 10/28 in Rahway, NJ:

JAPW Heavyweight Title Match
Rhino w/Jonny D (Champion) vs. Teddy Hart (Challenger)

JAPW NJ State Title Match
Frank Kazarian (Champion) vs. B-Boy (Challenger)

Necro Butcher (making his JAPW debut) vs. “The Notorious 187” Homicide

Best of the Lightweights 9
El Generico vs. Ricochet vs. Chuck Taylor vs. TBA

Barbed Wire Match
The SAT's vs OCK

The normal JAPW regulars will also be on the show as well. What I really like about this line-up is that nothing is predictable and I can see anyone winning their match on the show, as compared to this show where everything was sort of predictable.

Also of note, JAPW booker Ray Sager was not at the show, as he was tending to personal problems. He's expected back at the next event.

JAPW looks like they will also be capitalizing on the ego-war in Philadelphia, as they can bring in the full BLKOUT into JAPW. It's pretty funny that CZW & PWU are involved in petty talent wars over nothing, while JAPW can just sit right back and capitalize on all of it. Great business move by JAPW in my opinion.

Overall
Not a terrible show by any means, but not one of JAPW's better efforts.

For more JAPW news, keep it here on the DOI or go to JAPW.net

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com