CZW returned last night to a sweltering ECW Arena before a crowd of 400-450….with an excellent wrestling show including the last minute addition of the UK’s Jonny Storm. The show drew reasonably well for a mid-summer show, especially given that the show ran against a Bruce Springsteen show at the new Lincoln Financial Field.
Notable in the eyes of many was that the show started on time, and with a slightly different format, using student matches as dark matches, similar to the format used in the “Showcase” portion of many Ring of Honor events. CZW fans were so used to shows starting late that people were still coming in during the third match.
DARK MATCHES
# Jon Dahmer defeated Jude
# CK Cory Kastle defeated GQ, and Niles Young
An TV angle was done with Simply Luscious along with Johnny Kashmere and Trent Acid, designed to allow Ian Knoxx and Adam Flash to get over the CZW tag title match later in the evening with 2 psychoticstuff chair shots on Kashmere to the back and head.
AFTERMATH
The show opened with Hurricane Kidd coming out to the ring for the opening match. Zandig also came out to the ring, and announced that this would be Hurricane’s last match due to Kidd’s upcoming wedding), and asked for a round of applause for Hurricane Kidd. Zandig gave him his going-away wish, a last shot at Ruckus for the CZW Junior Heavyweight Title.
# Ruckus defeated Hurricane Kidd
Good opening match, likely the best of Jurricane Kidd’s time in CZW.
The finish featured Ruckus sliding a chair directly at Hurricane Kid’s head (while in the “Tree of Woe” position), with Kidd pulling up. Ruckus faked the move a second time, and as Kidd pulled back up again, Ruckus gave him a stiff chair shot. Ruckus set him back up a third time for a Van Terminator, but manager Rick Feinburg moved the chair again. This time, Ruckus hit Kidd in the head even stiffer, opening him hardway. Finally, Ruckus did A Van Terminator with a mid airflip, followed by a pin.
Despite the fact that Kidd never advanced beyond opening matches while working for CZW,the crowd gave him a loud thoughtful sendoff.
# Greg Matthews (with Rockin Rebel) over Z-Barr
OK match with Rebel interfering after a Rob Hartog ref bump. Rebel threw powder in the eyes of ZBarr, who was then powerslammed by Greg Matthews for the three count.
# Derek Frazier (with Rockin Rebel) defeated Chri$ Ca$h and Nick Berk
Frazier hit a Michinoku Driver on Chri$ Ca$h for the pinfall.
# Nate Hatred defeated Hardcore Nick Gage in a wild Tables match, featuring a Nate Hatred Tiger Driver of Nick Gage off the stage. Other notable spots included Nate Hatred putting Nick Gage off the top rope through an elaborate (and painful looking) setup of chairs on the floor,
# Backseat Boyz defeated Ian Knoxx and Adam Flash to retain their CZW Tag Team Titles in an excellent match. The finish saw Ian Knoxx going for pump handle slam finish, but was nailed by a Trent Acid springboard dropkicked Knoxx in the face. Acid and Kashmere then nailed Knoxx with a top rope “T Gimmick” for the win.
# Nick Berk defeated Jonny Storm in a good to excellent match, winning with a sick-looking Berkocet (corkscrew neckbreaker). The crowd popped bigtime for Storm, who then proceeded to heel out on the crowd. Some of the crowd seemed disappointed during the early parts of the match, since there had been an in-building rumor that this match was to feature B-Boy (as will a match tonight at the Prime Time Wrestling show in Pottstown, PA).
Following that match, Zandig came out and announced that Sick Nick Mondo’s Ironman title was being vacated. Mondo will need surgery on his hand, as he worked the Tournament Of Death in Dover, DE with a hand broken in three places. Zandig announced that September’s show at the ECW Arena will feature an title tournament to crown a new Ironman champion.
# Messiah successfully defended his CZW Heavyweight Title against Mid-American Wrestling’s Brad Bradley.
The gimmick with this match was that Messiah had an “open challenge” and that “CZW had no one to challenge him” Zandig called out Bradley, which pleased the IWA fans group, since Bradley has also worked IWA Mid-South shows. Bradley looked very smooth and worked well for such a large worker. The finish feature interference with a chair shot on Bailey by manager Dewey Donovan and a rollup pin by Messiah.
# In what was far and away the match of the night, Sonjay Dutt defeated JC Bailey in a ladder match for the IWA Light Heavyweight title. This is the second straight show that these two have blown away the rest of the show.
My description likely isn’t doing this justice, as the heat was starting to get to some fans. Nonetheless, the crowd stayed hot for this match which started out hot, with fast back and forth spots. After about 2-3 minutes, Sonjay Dutt was the first to grab a ladder. After flipping JC Bailey over the top rope onto the ring floor, Sonjay took the ladder outside and set it against the ring rail. JC Bailey reversed an Irish whip, and threw Dutt against the opposite ring rail. Sonjay responded by grabbing the ladder from Bailey and cracked him with it.
Then, Sonjay grabbed the ladder from the ring floor and while on the apron, tossed it (ala Van Daminator) to the hands of JC Bailey. Dutt jumped to the top rope and moonsaulted onto Bailey, nailing him in head with the ladder.
Dutt then went down the ring entrance for a taller ladder, and set it up in the middle of the ring to get the IWA belt. JC Bailey got in the ring and dropkicked Sonjay off of the ladder. Bailey in a painful looking move, backdropped Dutt onto the taller ladder stacked up. Bailey then went outside and grabbed a smaller ladder, along with a chair. JC Bailey began to climb the bigger ladder to retrieve his belt, but Dutty got up and nailed Bailey with a chairshot.
Later, Dutt again climbed the shorter ladder set up mid-ring next to the taller ladder, and nailed JC Bailey with a belly-to-back suplex to the mat. Next, Dutt picked up Bailey and snap suplexed him off the top rope onto a chair.
Sonjay again tried to climb the big ladder to get the IWA belt, but JC Bailey threw him off the ladder. Bailey then tried to do the same, but Sonjay stopped him and put in a mid-air tarantula.
Bailey finally squirmed out of this painful submission though and kicked Dutt down to the mat. JC Bailey turned around and did a double stomp from the seventh rung to Dutt’s stomach.
A briefly scary moment, occurred as Bailey set a ladder against the ropes, after Irish whipping Dutt onto the ladder, Bailey dropkicked it, with both Dutt and the smaller ladder going flying with Dutt going over the top onto the ring floor. The small ladder went into the crowd and nearly nailed two female fans
Back in the ring, Sonjay opened two chairs and put the smaller ladder between them, and then nailed Bailey with a neckbreaker on tohe ladder in a sick looking move. Dutt then propped JC Bailey across the ladder, and nailed Bailey with a Phoenix splash while still across the ladder. Dutt then set up the taller ladder in mid-ring, and went up the ladder to get the IWA Light Heavyweight belt and the title.
# In what was a surprise to many, Ruckus successfully defended his CZW Junior Heavyweight Title over B-Boy.
Ruckus pulled off a suprrisingly good-looking shining wizard on B-Boy. The finish then saw B-Boy going for a shining wizard, Ruckus then ducked and rolled B-Boy with a fireman’s carry from his knees, where B-Boy looked to be on top of Ruckus, but Ruckus actually had the cover for the win.
# In the main event, the “f$#k the IWA” four way match, Ian Rotten defeated Necrobutcher, Corporal Robinson and Spyder Nate Webb in the main event of the evening. Various toys included a staple gun, salt, trash can with tacks, a board with darts, and a board with forks sticking out of it.
Post-match, Zandig then came out challenging Ian Rotten to buoldup the August 23rd Dover show (see below). He was then jumped from behind by Messiah and the IWA crew. The CZW lcoker room emptied out to make the save and close the show.
CZW returns to action next Saturday for a free show in Woodbury, NJ (2:00 pm belltime) at Performance Dodge.
They return to Dover on August 23rd for the finale of their “Summer, Bloody Summer” series of outdoor shows at Rack’s Bar and Billiards featuring an explosive cage match between Ian Rotten and Zandig.
They return to the ECW Arena on September 13th for a tournament to fill the vacated CZW Ironman Title.
