On November 12, 2011 In Your Face Wrestling came at you with it's 24th event: "The Brass Ring"; a show that was all about the promotions titles and all about seeing who, out of the whole roster, would make the most of the opportunity presented to them. Several matches determined contenders and several other wrestlers made an impact OUTSIDE of the title scenes. WHO WILL GRAB THE BRASS RING? Let's find out!
Got to the Ballston Area Community Center shortly after they opened the doors and grabbed my usual spot in the Heel Section. Crowd filed in up until just after 7pm... Appeared to be just as, if not slightly larger than last months show.
Our friendly ring announcer, certainly not Walt Ball, warmly greeted us and introduced the first match featuring a young Kyler Jones taking on the returning, Nocturne.
This match featured a lot of headlocks and snapmare's with some quick exchanges sprinkled in. Nice spot in the middle where Nocturne nailed a backsplash on Jones - yet at the last moment, Jones got his knees up, which took the crowd by surprise. Nocturne turned the tables and, as you can see above, nailed a QUALITY Package Piledriver on Jones for the win. I enjoy Nocturne's act; great fan interaction, comfortable all over the ring and seems like a good dude despite being a 49er's Fan.
WHO GRABBED THE BRASS RING in THIS MATCH?
Nocturne
Lindsay would next bring out Good Lord Willing. Willing has been outted as masquerading as former Management Representative, Harold Touch'ole, and was quick to get on the house mic and admit it to the fans. He did it all for the power and he'd do it again, damn it. He got into it with the Heel Section for a moment ("Shut Your Mouth!") before issuing an open challenge to any wrestler in the building! Oh, snap.
Ricky "Don't Call Me Rickity" Rockett absolutely EXPLODED through the curtain to thunderous applause. Willing seemed confident when Rockett got in his face, accepting the challenge. It was then that the wiley Willing threw a twist in: he wasn't making the challenge for HIMSELF, he was making the challenge on behalf of the newest member of his "Foreign Legion of Power", the massive, shabazz warrior -- Etana!
Even being Etana's first match since losing to Drake Evans last year back at "Amsterdamage", he was still looking slim, trim, and in fighting shape. This was a quick, brutal squash of everyone's favorite masked luchahero. I would have guessed the match was done in two minutes, yet the IYFWrestling.com write-up described it as "under a minute". I wouldn't doubt it. Poor Rockett didn't stand a chance. One MONSTEROUS splash and a three count later and the Rockett was done. Yet Good Lord Willing wasn't done. He made sure to tea bag Rockett before leading Etana to the back via cow-skull-on-a-stick.
WHO GRABBED THE BRASS RING in THIS MATCH?
Good Lord Willing
I could get behind the Willing-As-Manager deal, with Etana... Would have loved to have seen him return at August's In Your Face RUMBLE, to be honest.
Up next, we had Liam McFerrin taking on WAR. Liam came into this match with a lot of momentum behind him; a singles victory over Fronz Roddy in August and a tag win over Scott Scarsdale and WAR Himself in October with Michael McKinger. That momentum pulled him through yet another back and forth match that saw WAR stretch the nonsense out of the Irishman. At one point, WAR hooked on a hammerlock bear hug on McFerrin that had the big man hovering off the mat for a shocking amount of time. Liam would bounce back and unleash his Irish Lariat to pick up the pin. That's ANOTHER impressive win for him. After the match, the two men would shake hands before WAR blindsided him and locked him in a VICIOUS submission hold and refused to let go for a bit. The Heel Section ate it up.
WHO GRABBED THE BRASS RING in THIS MATCH?
Liam McFerrin
Maxx Burton came out next and, in spite of his black jeans, was all business. Cut a solid promo about the IYFW Championship and the 3 men who are up for #1 Contender status before introducing them all one by one. First, Roman Dominguez. Next was "Born to Win" Drake Evans. Then, finally, the man who lost the belt just last month, Vigo. Dominguez was great through this whole exchange, btw. Scope this when it comes out on IYFW DVD release. Before the Minister of Wrestling Operations could make his announcement, he was interrupted by the reigning champ, Pierre "The Beast" Vachon. Burton calmed down all interested parties after telling the 3 hopefuls that NONE of them are the top contender... But he had a solution. A tag team match. Evans and Vigo vs Vachon and Dominguez. If Evans, Vigo, or Dominguez got the win THAT person would be #1 Contender... If Vachon won, all 3 would be out of the running.
Hey, we went with it... Though the stips were a little too similar to the main event's, in my opinion. But I digress.
This was a fun match where the faces stopped eachothers pins and the heels were ALSO heels. Everybody involved put out their best. At one point, Roman kicked Vigo's face straight off of his face, much to the amazement of the crowd - and Vigo. This match devolved into chaos in the closing moments and...
Evans came out with the win, earning a shot at Vachon's belt. That should be a good match!
WHO GRABBED THE BRASS RING?
Drake Evans
Intermission time! You know what THAT means! That means its time for me to support the promotion via raffle and also time for me to win shit! Yup. Got my raffle on and for the third time, came out a winner. In the past, I'd always won tickets. This time I won the signed poster seen at the top of the post. Pretty cool, I guess. Different. Gave it to my crazy uncle that lives next door to me. He follows IYFW via the DVDs I've purchased and, I think, got a kick out of it.
One funny note, though, about the poster... CJ Scott and Damon Ravage signed the poster and technically... They're not under contract. Heh. But yeah, winning stuff is fun. Went back to my seat to find Ian Daniels chatting with his buddies in the Section. What a fucking character. Here are a few pearls of verbal wisdom he dropped during his fifteen minute stay on THIS side of the proverbial guardrail:
"Yeah, he lost his virginity like a month ago."
"Wanna hear the filthiest joke I've ever heard?"
"Paul, you're gonna like this next match, I think!"
"This popcorn sucks."
Chatted momentarily with Vigo also, and he noted that he still couldn't hear out of the ear on the side of his head that Roman Dominguez had kicked off. Ouch.
WHO GRABBED THE BRASS RING during INTERMISSION?
This Guy.
Intermission wrapped up and, oh snap, The Savage Wolves storm through the arena doors, interrupting the announcer and bringing in their own personal cameraman (btw, sir... Loved the camerawork on that Brunton Beatdown vid! Big fan, big fan.)
The Wolves ran through their recent guerilla accomplishments and Damon made a point to name me an Honorary Wolf.
Honored, indeed.
They proceed to run down Maxx Burton before Ian Daniels's music hit and out he came. Oh, shit... He has a microphone. He isn't too happy about being their first victim at last months show and has found a partner who, in his words, is "the only guy in the back who isn't busy putting himself over". And it's Ricky Fucking Rockett... Again!
(seeing that IYFW Referee, Adam Brunton, is Rockett's good buddy, this makes sense!)
Although... The Rockett didn't look like he was there entirely willingly. Dragged down to ringside by Daniels with a rope tied around his neck, ribs taped up following his assault at the hands of Etana, and what had to be a grimace on the face beneath his red mask - the Rockett was ready to fire off once more! Daniels marched him past the Heel Section legitimately announcing them as "Paul Brisbin's Favorite Tag Team"! And he was RIGHT!
Let me also say this: Few people on that roster (with the exception of the participants in the grueling main event, perhaps) can honestly say they took MORE of a beating on this night than Ricky Rockett. Great double grenade spot in the middle of the match that had everyone chuckling. This was a good match that featured the double team repertoire of The Savage Wolves, the selling and bump-taking of The Rockett, and the wacky antics of Ian Daniels. Oh. It also featured this:
Solid Rockett Launcher from Team Brisbin that laid out The Wolves! To be honest, the Wolves weren't really able to cohesively get back in the match after that, eventually venting their frustration on IYFW Referee Dan Roberts. They BLATANTLY took him out, earning a disqualification loss. This only made the volatile duo more irate, leading them to crank up the assault, eventually tearing the stripes from Roberts back and even going so far as to steal his dog tags.
Dastardly.
The Wolves made a hasty exit from the building after their felonious act and Daniels would carry a battered, beaten, deep fried Ricky Rockett backstage. May he rest in peace. Will be interesting to see where things go from here. Are the Wolves officially reinstated? Is assaulting ANOTHER referee the way to go about GETTING a contract when HANDED an opportunity like this? Yes, the Wolves made an impact. But ...
WHO GRABBED THE BRASS RING in THIS MATCH?
Paul Brisbin's Favorite Tag Team
Next up was the returning "Bombshell" Bert Williams taking on "The Millennium Millionaire" Scott Scarsdale. I think this match suffered because of the fast pace of the previous match. Scarsdale's slower, more methodical style seemed like an abrupt slowdown to the action. I also wonder if Scarsdale was the "right" first opponent for Williams to work his ring rust off against. Williams is a former Cruiserweight champion in other promotions, which makes me believe that he is more accustomed to a faster pace - could be wrong. Were I the booker, I might have swapped Kyler Jones and Bert Williams opponents. Of course, what do I know, right?
Scarsdale would win the match with (seriously) a flurry of offense, ending with The Jackpot, that legitimately impressed the Heel Section.
WHO GRABBED THE BRASS RING in THIS MATCH?
Scott Scarsdale
Up next was the Main Event. A 3 on 3 elimination match featuring New Breed Champion, Fronz Roddy, teaming with IYFW Tag Team Champions, The Enemy, up against The Uprising: Shiloh Robinson, "Loverboy" Ricky Williams, and the returning-from-injury, Jamar "Magic" Justice. Stipulation stood that, if any member of the Uprising got the win, they would all get respective title shots.
This match started out, inexplicably, with what seemed like Tornado rules. Referee Vinnie Lawrence made no attempt to gain any other type of order for the first ten minutes of the bout and it was beautifully chaotic. Badger brawling with Shiloh here. Jamar and Roddy there. Ricky and Monroe, toe to toe. All culminating in the following:
Shortly after The Uprising caught the connecting flight out of Ballston Spa, the match went towards a much more traditional 3 on 3 TAG match, with elimination rules. All performances were off the charts. Justice and Badger antagonized eachother from their teams ring apron, with Justice even spitting in Badger's mask at one point and throwing it down at ringside - which incensed Badger. Shiloh Robinson shined from the start, unloading on Badger:
Huge Suplex there, but Badger was quick to turn things around:
Adam Badger followed through HARD with this one, driving Shiloh into the canvas. Shiloh would be the first one eliminated, sadly. Yet the brawl continued. Fronz Roddy and Ricky Williams put on a stellar show in speed and style before their fight spilled out of the ring, and guess what... They'd BOTH be counted out and eliminated, leaving Monroe and Badger to finish off the Uprising's last man standing, Jamar Justice.
Justice fought valiantly, but Badger was quick to target Justice's recently injured ankle. He then proceeded to use a title belt to BASH into Jamar's ankle, getting himself disqualified. Final two men! Jamar limped back to his feet before being driven back down. Monroe planted him with a bodyslam, goes up for a PERFECT Moonsault... But Justice MOVED!
Justice mustered up the energy to DRILL Mike Monroe in the center of the ring for a 3 count! Badger and Roddy hit the ring and put boots to Justice before Robinson and Williams come in for the save! Big brawl to finish the show, with the final image being the faces standing triumphant, title shot bound!
One of the Heel Sectioneers pointed out that all of the promotions belts are held by heels. We agreed that is likely to change at the next show.
So...
WHO GRABBED THE BRASS RING in this MATCH?
The Uprising
Fun show! Crowd seemed to enjoy it. Sadly, there was no return date announced, just a mention that we'd see them "next year". Hoping it's a January date, and not an April one like this year. Anyhow... Another funny story. On my way to my car following the show, I overheard two fans who were sitting on the opposite side of the BACC than me actual mention, by name, the "Heel Section". Cool to actually hear people talking about the blog. Having the wrestlers reference it is one thing - very cool. But knowing its reaching fans and is memorable is a good feeling. So, anyhow and as always... Thanks for reading!
Another fun IYFW event. Hope we don't have to wait too long for another! But seeing that we will have a month or two break, here's what's coming up on the 'fudge.
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COMING UP:
Official Unofficial IYFW Top Ten Rankings for November 2011
IYFW Superstar Spotlight: Adam Badger
The Wrestlefudge Interview: ?????
DVD-Review, 'fudge style: IYFW CAULDRON OF HATE
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That should keep me busy :)
