Rise of the Independents

[darrdor]

Collection of Indy promotions to collaborate on huge tournament

Reported on August 13, 2004 at 10:35 AM

We have received word that a number of independent promotions have agreed to put on "the mother of all round robin tournaments."  Apparently there will be 32 participants overall.  There will be 4 blocks of 8 wrestlers each.  The wrestlers in each block will first wrestle every other wrestler in his block before inter-block matches will occur.  Obviously the wrestler with the best record at the end of the entire tournament will win.  The first 8 participants have already been announced and they are:

-Samoa Joe

-AJ Styles

-Homicide

-Christopher Daniels

-CM Punk

-Colt Cabana

-Bryan Danielson

-Spanky

The tentative start date for this ultra-tournament is September 25.  More as we get it.

[darrdor]

***Italicized blue writing denotes me speaking out of context of my diary***

Now as you all may or may not know, I was involved in a serious car accident 15 days ago. I fell asleep at the wheel around 3 AM early the morning of Sunday August 29th. I went over a 10 foot bank, crashed into a 6 ton piece of machinery equipment. I received a fractured pelvis, a plate in my forearm ala Lex Luger, a total of 28 stitches in my knee, hand and face and a wish proclaiming "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth." Police officers and guys at the Auto Wreckers said they have never seen anyone survive that kind of crash. Luckily I can still type from my not-so-comfortable wheelchair so I will be hopefully spending some quality time on this diary. I posted the backstory on the old Ithium board but it went down before a show could be posted. I revised the backstory and decided to make a diary out of this shindig. I realize some of the wrestlers in this tournament have since been shoved out of the independent spotlight in favor of guys like Austin Aries and Arik Cannon to name but 2, but I will do my best to make it entertaining. Any and all feedback is welcome as I know there are tons of Indy fans on this board and not too many Indy diaries to show for it. Thanks and enjoy.

Edited September 13, 2004 by darrdor

[darrdor]

Breakdowns of Rise of the Independents blocks

Reported on Septmeber 7, 2004 at 5:38 PM

BLOCK A

Rivalries rekindled

-Homicide/Trent Acid

-AJ Styles/Jerry Lynn

-John Walters/Xavier

Friendships tested

-Trent Acid/B-Boy

-Homicide/B-Boy

-AJ Styles/Jerry Lynn

-Matt Stryker/John Walters

Dream match-ups

-AJ Styles/B-Boy

-AJ Styles/Trent Acid

-AJ Styles/Homicide

-Jerry Lynn/Homicide

-Jerry Lynn/B-Boy

-Jerry Lynn/Matt Stryker

Final synopsis

Some familiar rivalries and partnerships along with a couple wild cards make this block very interesting.

Block B

Rivalries rekindled

-Samoa Joe/Briscoes

-Samoa Joe/Dan Maff

-Dan Maff/BJ Whitmer

-Maff & Whitmer/Briscoes

Friendships tested

-Samoa Joe/Briscoes

-Dan Maff/BJ Whitmer

-Amazing Red/Briscoes

Dream match-ups

-Samoa Joe/Donovan Morgan

-Teddy Hart/Amazing Red

-Teddy Hart/Briscoes

Final synopsis

A solid yet relatively anti-climactic group on paper, there promises to be some very intriguing clashes of styles here.  Don't bet against the underdogs.

Block C

Rivalries rekindled

-Danielson/London

-Danielson/Spanky

-London/Shane

-Spanky/Shane

-Sabin/Kazarian

-Sabin/Dutt

-Kazarian/Dutt

Friendships tested

-Spanky/London

-Danielson/London

-Shane/Kazarian

Dream match-ups

-Danielson/Super Dragon

-London/Super Dragon

-Spanky/Super Dragon

-Dutt/Super Dragon

Final synopsis

Basically we're looking at Shawn Michaels Students vs. TNA X Division stalwarts vs. Super Dragon here.  Loads of goodness in each bite.

Block D

Rivalries rekindled

-Daniels/Low Ki

-Daniels/Punk

-Daniels/Williams

-Daniels/Andrews

-Low Ki/Andrews

-Hero/Punk

-Hero/Cabana

-Punk/Cabana

Friendships tested

-Punk/Cabana

-Daniels/Messiah

Dream match-ups

-Low Ki/Hero

-Low Ki/Punk

-Low Ki/Williams

-Low Ki/Messiah

-Hero/Daniels

-Hero/Williams

-Daniels/Punk

-Williams/Andrews

Final synopsis

IWA Mid South alums meet ECWA alums here, with a touch of Doug Williams and the CZW World champ thrown in.  The best-looking block on paper has a large quota to fill.

[RavensTheSaviour]

This looks excellent and I would appreciate it hurrying up! Will definitely follow this one.

[darrdor]

First show match-ups announced for Rise of the Independents

Reported on September 10, 2004

The first show in the Rise of the Independents Indy super tournament has been laid out.  Blocks A & B will coincide on shows as will Blocks C & D.  The first show will be Blocks A & B.  Here are the matches scheduled:

Block A

-Trent Acid vs. Matt Stryker

-B-Boy vs. Xavier

-Homicide vs. John Walters

-Jerry Lynn vs. AJ Styles

Block B

-Dan Maff vs. Amazing Red

-BJ Whitmer vs. Donovan Morgan

-Teddy Hart vs. Jay Briscoe

-Samoa Joe vs. Mark Briscoe

For the second show we will see the following:

Block C

-Sonjay Dutt vs. Chris Sabin

-Spanky vs. Frankie Kazarian

-Bryan Danielson vs. Michael Shane

-Super Dragon vs. Paul London

Block D

-CM Punk vs. Scoot Andrews

-Chris Hero vs. Colt Cabana

-Low Ki vs. The Messiah

-Christopher Daniels vs. Doug Williams

So there are your first 2 shows, we'll see you there!

Edited September 13, 2004 by darrdor

[darrdor]

Rise of the Independents - September 25th, 2004

As ring announcer Steven DeAngelis runs down the card, Teddy Hart comes from the back with no music as the fans react, either jeering Teddy or worshipping him. He grabs the mic from DeAngelis and kicks him out of the ring. He speaks:

Teddy: “My fans didn’t come here to see some jackass announcer bore them to death! They came here to see the Canadian Superman, the Loose Cannon, Teddy Hart! SO Jay Briscoe, get your ass out here and find out why I’ma win this shit!”

Right on cue, “Gimme Back My Bullets” by Lynard Skynard hits as Jay Briscoe makes his way to the ring to a healthy applause. He gets in the ring and stares across at Teddy Hart, who is up on the ropes jawing at the fans instead of paying attention to his opponent. DeAngelis introduces both men and the bell rings, we’re under way!

Teddy Hart vs. Jay Briscoe

A great technical exchange starts this one out as Teddy proves he can hang with the best. They go to lock up again but Teddy takes the low road and goes to the eyes of Jay to boos. He works over the arm and takes Jay over with a vicious Fujiwara armbar. Jay is able to roll out and dropkick the knee of Teddy and hit a leg lariat. Later on Hart comes back with an amazing back suplex turned into a bulldog! Jay is able to block a suplex and hit a Falcon Arrow and a guillotine legdrop for 2. He clotheslines Teddy to the outside and goes for a suicide dive but Teddy hops up on the apron and catches Jay with a forearm! He drags Jay out by the foot and whips him into the guardrail. Teddy then gets up on the apron and executes a picture perfect Top Rope Asai Moonsault! The fans chant “Holy Shit” as he puts Jay in the ring for a 2 count. He goes on the apron and springboards but sees Jay duck down, jumps over Jay and lands on his feet but turns into a huge Yakuza Kick by Jay! Jay tries for the J Driller but Teddy low blows him to boos from the crowd. Teddy positions Jay and goes up top looking for the Hart Attack shooting star press but Jay moves! Jay grabs Teddy and plants him with a vicious powerbomb and then immediately picks him back up and hits the J Driller and wins the first match of the tournament!

WINNER---Jay Briscoe

** ¾

A couple ring attendants help Teddy out of the ring but he shoves them away and walks to the back alone.

Georgio Moroder’s “The Chase” plays over the PA as Trent Acid makes his way out, allowing rats, er, female fans to shove money down his pants. He gets in and teases taking his coat off and just as he does, “Body Bomb” by Unsane hits and Matt Stryker makes his way out. Acid looks incensed that Stryker stole his thunder! I’d say Acid has the advantage here as far as tournaments, he won CZW’s Best of the Best 2 tournament, defeating M-Dogg 20, Gabriel of the Lost Boyz, Ruckus and Jody Fleisch. Matt Stryker has never won a major tournament.

Trent Acid vs. Matt Stryker

Acid is eager to start the match and the 2 engage in a very even exchange with Acid using quickness and different strikes to counter Stryker’s technical approach and they stand off. Acid charges with an early Yakuza Kick attempt but Stryker ducks and chop blocks Acid, deciding to work on the leg in hopes of locking on the Stryker Lock later on. He actually tries to lock on the Stryker Lock early but Acid is able to kick Stryker off. Stryker tries a kick but Acid blocks it with his own kick that doubles over Stryker, then a kick to the face and finally a roaring elbow takes Stryker down! Acid loves using that combo and it worked there and Acid gets a 2 count. Acid again goes for a Yakuza kick but Stryker ducks and hits a big boot of his own for a 2! He whips Acid to the ropes and hits a leg lariat. Stryker then goes for a Lionsault but Acid gets the knees up and Stryker rolls outside in agony. Acid gets on the apron and hits an Asai Moonsault onto Stryker! Back inside the ring, Acid hits a Blue Thunder driver for 2. A missile dropkick gets another 2. Acid goes up top again and dives off but Stryker catches him and turns it into a powerslam. He gets up and drags the thumb across his unibrow, signifying that he intends to end the match. He goes for his Death Valley Driver but Acid turns it into a crucifix for 2 and a half. Stryker rolls out, Acid tries a Yakuza kick, Stryker ducks and tries the DVD again but Acid slips out, hits a Yakuza kick to the back of Stryker’s head and then off the ropes and a huge Yakuza kick to Stryker’s face! One, two, three and Acid is victorious in a competitive match!

WINNER---Trent Acid

*** ¼

We go backstage where Samoa Joe is ready to cut a promo but before he can even speak Mark Briscoe comes flying into the screen and dives onto Joe! He rains a flurry of punches and kicks down on Joe until Joe is down on the ground and Mark splits like a thief in the night! Joe is down for a few seconds before anger takes over and he gets up and shoves the cameraman out the door before slamming it shut and we hear him scream in anger. Mark Briscoe has pissed off the monster, but was that his plan all along?

Right onto the next match as we have an instance of David vs. Goliath as the Amazing Red battles the “Hired Assassin” Dan Maff. Red makes his way out first to his own personalized theme music by DJ Toxic. Maff makes his way out next with “What You Gonna Do” by Modtrom Productions playing. Maff gets in the ring with a look of amusement on his face, apparently not thinking too much of his challenge tonight.

Dan Maff vs. Amazing Red

This starts out as expected: a game of cat and mouse. Maff keeps lunging for Red and Red uses his quickness to get out of dodge. Red is able to frustrate Maff with kicks to the legs and back. He makes the mistake of trying to Irish whip Maff though and Maff reverses, misses a lariat but catches Red and elevates him TEN FEET in the air with a gigantic back body drop and Red’s in trouble early. Maff whips him off the ropes and tries again but when Maff propels Red, Red turns it into a dropkick in mid air! He tries a monkey flip but again Maff catches him and turns it into a huge butterfly suplex! He picks up Red and military presses him before dropping him chest first on the mat. Maff with a scoop slam and then hits the Stiffest Elbow in the Business but Red escapes at 2. Maff whips Red to the corner and charges in with a huge back splash. He backs up and calls for the Cannonball but Red moves and Maff smashes into the turnbuckle! Red goes to the apron and hits a springboard elbowdrop for a 2. He then hits a springboard dropkick but Maff stays on his feet! A spinning front kick takes Maff down, again for 2. Red might just do it! Maff is reeling as he rests his arms over the second rope but he fails to realize what he is set up for as Red hits the 7-1-8! He gets back in, Red Star Press!! 1…2……NO! Maff barely kicks out! Red runs and hits a Yakuza kick, Maff stays on his feet. Another Yakuza kick and Maff is still up. Red goes for a third one but gets his head taken off with a Clothesline from Compton! Maff gets Red up and launches across the ring with his patented half nelson suplex! No head drop there, it was all impact on the chest because Red is so light. Maff pulls his thumb across his throat, signaling for the Burning Hammer. He goes for it but Red flips out of it and goes for what looks like a tilt-a-whirl headscissors but he keeps going around and hits a DDT! He catches his breath and heads to the top rope, going for the Infrared but he takes too much time and Maff is up to crotch him! Maff gets up on the second turnbuckle and positions Red on his shoulders as the fans come to their feet, screaming in disbelief, he can’t be doing this! Oh My God, BURNING HAMMER FROM THE TOP! ONE, TWO, THREE!! Dan Maff may have just killed the Amazing Red!

WINNER---Dan Maff

***

The fans are still chanting “Holy Shit!” as the referees have to help Red from the ring and the fans applaud his effort.

Time for our next contest as the fans are still buzzing about what they just saw Red endure. “It Ain’t Like That” by Alice in Chains plays as John Walters makes his entrance to a nice applause. Then “The Truth” by Beanie Siegel plays as Homicide comes out to a nice pop. He gets in and him and Walters shake hands before their contest.

Homicide vs. John Walters

Some great submission wrestling starts this one out before the two get in a long chop exchange that Homicide wins after going to the eyes of Walters. He whips Walters and ducks, looking for a back body drop, Walters stops and kicks Homicide and clotheslines him down. He scoops Homicide up and drops him with a backbreaker and stretches him over his knee. He then hits a back suplex. Walters maintains control for a couple more minutes. Momentum changes when Homicide blocks a lariat and hits a Koji Cutter. He whips Walters to the corner and hits a running forearm and Walters sinks down to a sitting position and Homicide runs off the ropes and takes Walters’ face off with a running knee. That gets a 2 count. He tosses Walters outside and looks for his patented Tope Con Hilo but Walters gets out of the way and Homicide puts on the brakes. Walters tries to get in but Homicide baseball slide dropkicks him and then is able to hit his Tope Con Hilo! That takes it out of both men but Homicide tosses Walters in. He goes for the Cop Killa but Walters escapes, kicks Homicide and hits his piggyback Stunner! 2 count only. He goes to pick up Homicide but gets another thumb to the eye. Homicide climbs up top but is caught by Walters and brought down with a superplex! 2 and a half on that, Walters almost had it. Walters goes up top but HE gets crotched and Homicide hits a top rope Frankensteiner for his own 2 count. He pulls Walters up, goes for a piledriver, Walters trips him and goes for a sharpshooter, Homicide kicks him off though and hits a brutal Shining Wizard! That’s it! One, two, thr..no!! Walters gets out and 2 and ¾! Homicide says that’s it and goes for the Cop Killa but Walters once again escapes and hits the Lung Blower, the double knees to the back! He then locks Homicide in the Sharpshooter! Half the fans start yelling “Tap! Tap! Tap!” but Homicide grabs the bottom rope! He uses the ropes to pull himself up and Walters falls and Homicide locks in his STF but Walters is right by the ropes as well and grabs them. They both get up fatigued, Homicide goes for a lariat, Walters ducks, kicks Homicide, tries for the Hurricane DDT but Homicide escapes that, Walters tries his own lariat but Homicide grabs the arm and twists behind Walters and lifts him up, here it is, COP KILLA! ONE, TWO, THREE!! Homicide victorious in a tremendous match!

WINNER---Homicide

***

The two men shake hands after the match in a show of respect.

Onward and upward as “Down” by the Stone Temple Pilots plays and BJ Whitmer emerges from the curtain. BJ is no stranger to tournaments as he won the 2002 IWA Mid South Ted Petty Invitational Tournament, defeating Matt Murphy, Ace Steel, Colt Cabana and finally CM Punk to win. He also won the 8 man Strong Style tournament at IWA Mid South "The Revolution" when he beat Ian Rotten, Chris Hero and, again, CM Punk. Then again Donovan Morgan has done fairly well in tournaments, never winning any major ones but getting to the finals of the 2002 ECWA Super 8, defeating Pepper Parks and Jamie Noble along the way. He also defeated Vic Capri and Mike Modest before losing to Christopher Daniels in the finals of the 2000 APW King of the Indies tournament as well as beating Scoot Andrews and Bison Smith before losing to “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson in the Semi-Finals of the 2001 APW King of the Indies tournament. So Donovan Morgan no stranger to tournaments at all and here he comes to “Metropolis” by Dream Theater.

BJ Whitmer vs. Donovan Morgan

Like every other match in the tournament thus far, a great technical exchange starts this match out. Stiff forearms are exchanged as well before Morgan takes control after an inverted DDT. Throughout the match Morgan works on the head and neck of Whitmer, setting up for Sayonara. Whitmer periodically gets a high impact move in, usually a suplex of some kind. A nice series of moves sees Whitmer escape Sayonara, go for his Exploder 98, Morgan elbows out and goes for the Golden Gate Swing but BJ rolls with the momentum and hits a suplex and holds on for a Northern Lights suplex for a 2 and a half. Morgan retreats outside but Whitmer dives over the ropes with a tremendous tope! Back in and Whitmer hits a series of forearms and goes for a roaring elbow but Morgan ducks it and rolls up Whitmer, holding the ropes for leverage and he gets the cheap win!

WINNER---Donovan Morgan

*** ¼

BJ argues with the ref afterwards, admonishing him for his shoddy officiating. He turns as if to leave and then turns back and boots the young ref in the midsection and plants him with an Exploder suplex! That’ll learn him! I mean..uh…that was uncalled for, BJ should be admonished for that…

Anyways on to our next match as the machine-like “B-Boy’s” ring throughout the arena, followed by “Real Muthafuckin G’s” by Eazy E as the “New Age Punisher” makes his way to the ring to a mixed reaction, mostly cheers. He gets up on the turnbuckle and does his hand signals as the fans do it along with him. B-Boy won the CZW Best of the Best 3 tournament, defeating Lil’ Cholo, Deranged, Jay Briscoe and Sonjay Dutt to get there. “The Passportal” by Team Sleep plays as the “All Around Best” Xavier comes out next. He gets in and him and B-Boy stare each other down as DeAngelis introduces them. The bell rings and here we go in this first time match!

B-Boy vs. Xavier

This match starts out kind of slow and loses the fans’ interest a few minutes in but it starts to pick up after Xavier hits his suicidal Arabian Press to the floor on B-Boy. He uses the ringside area to his advantage, whipping B-Boy into the ringpost and guardrail. Back in the ring, Xavier lifts B-Boy for a Torture rack almost and then falls back with a sort of inverted Samoan drop. That gets a 2. Xavier works over B-Boy in a corner with chops and forearms. He snapmares B-Boy and kicks him square in the back but B-Boy stands right up! He rears back and BLASTS Xavier with a forearm shot and then snapmares him over and hits a spine-shattering kick to Xavier’s back and Xavier yells in pain! B-Boy whips Xavier to the ropes and hits a big palm thrust to the face. He picks Xavier up in a Canadian backbreaker and then flips Xavier over into a DDT in a move similar to John Walters’ Hurricane DDT. That gets a 2 count. He goes over and signals for his Cross Special Brainbuster but Xavier shoves B-Boy into the ref and quickly low blows B-Boy as the ref is distracted! He hooks B-Boy and hits Kiss Your X Goodbye! It’s over! One, two, thrr…no!! B-Boy barely kicks out! Xavier is pissed and hauls B-Boy up and Hot Shots him on the ropes. B-Boy sits in the corner to rest and Xavier comes over, springs off the second rope and plants a knee into B-Boy’s face. Xavier calls for the end and tries for his X Breaker but B-Boy rolls with the momentum and hits a vicious swinging neckbreaker, somewhat like the Siakolypse on Xavier! They both are down as the ref starts the mandatory 10 count. At 7, both are up, trading forearms. B-Boy gets pissed and takes the advantage with 3 STIFF forearms. He whips Xavier to the corner and charges in with a mega-stiff one-legged dropkick to the face and Xavier slumps down in the corner. B-Boy gets up and goes to the opposite corner, banging his head with his fists and he runs in with that patented running dropkick in the corner, almost knocking Xavier out! He then backs up and lowers his kneepad, waiting for Xavier to get up. Xavier finally makes it to one knee and B-Boy charges but Xavier ducks the Shining Wizard and hits a big European uppercut, knocking B-Boy down. Xavier goes up top and leaps off with his 450 Splash but B-Boy moves! He backs up and hits the Shining Wizard this time! One, two three! What a win for B-Boy!

WINNER---B-Boy

***

We go backstage and see Jerry Lynn lacing up his boots in preparation for his match with AJ Styles. AJ comes into the screen and Jerry stands up and the 2 stand nose to nose. AJ then extends his hand.

AJ: “Jerry, I may not say this too often, if ever, but I owe a part of my success to you. Thank you and good luck.”

Jerry looks at AJ for a couple seconds before accepting the handshake.

Jerry: “I guess I should thank you also. You made this fun for me again.”

AJ leaves as Jerry watches him go. He nods his head and starts doing warm-ups.

We go to ringside as “Gimme Back My Bullets” plays for the second time tonight and Mark Briscoe makes his way through the curtain. The beginning of the Godzilla theme then plays and then kicks into “The Champ is Here” by Jadakiss as the enormous ROH World champion Samoa Joe makes his way to the ring as the fans chant “Joe, Joe, Joe.” The two stare at each other from across the ring, Joe has to still be furious at what happened earlier when Mark attacked him. But could that be Mark’s strategy all along? We’ll find out.

Samoa Joe vs. Mark Briscoe

As soon as the bell rings Joe goes after Mark but Mark is able to use his quickness and stay away from Joe with a hit and run technique, scoring with dropkicks and forearms. One dropkick staggers Joe and he backs into the corner. Mark runs and hits a diving forearm. He backs up and tries again but this time Joe catches him and drives him almost through the mat with a brutal STO! He stands Mark up in the corner and hits some LOUD chops. He then snapmares Mark over, chops him in the back of the neck and hits a kick to the chest and then runs off the ropes to finish the combo with a kneedrop and gets a quick 2 count. He tosses Mark outside and sits him in a chair by the guardrail and you know what’s coming! The fans start chanting “Ole ole ole” but as Joe charges for the Ole Ole Kick, Mark dives back into the ring and the fans boo. Joe looks disappointed and tries to get in the ring but Mark hits a baseball slide dropkick and knocks Joe back to the guardrail and then comes over the top with a pescado. He then sits Joe in a chair…he wouldn’t! He backs up and goes for his own Ole Ole Kick but Joe gets up and takes his head off with a lariat! He then gets Mark up and sits him on the chair and the fans start chanting again as Joe charges in and damn near takes Mark’s face off with the Ole Ole Kick! Back in the ring Joe gets a 2 count. He calls for the end and goes for his 3 suplex combo. He hits the German but when he goes for the Dragon suplex, Mark pulls Joe over in a modified armdrag and then dropkicks Joe, Joe staggers back against the ropes, Mark runs and hits a Climbing Shining Wizard and then a springboard dropkick and that gets Joe down! Mark then goes up top and hits his old finisher, the 5 Star Moonsault! One, two, thr..no! Mark has the ROH Champ reeling! He picks Joe up and tries to finish him off with the Cut-Throat Driver but Joe elbows out and powerbombs Mark, 1-2-Mark kicks out and Joe transitions right into the STF in a patented Joe move. Mark wriggles until he finally reaches the bottom rope and Joe lets go. Joe hauls Mark up and works him over with knees to the gut and slaps to the back and face and then turns Mark around and applies the Choke! He tries to wrap a leg around Mark and bring him down but Mark kicks off the corner turnbuckles and pins Joe’s shoulders to the mat ala Bret Hart/Steve Austin. 1-Joe doesn’t realize his shoulders are down-2-He won’t let go of Mark-3!! Mark Briscoe just pinned Joe’s shoulders down for a 3 count! What an upset!

WINNER---Mark Briscoe

***

Joe lets go as he hears the bell ring, wondering if Mark tapped out. The ref tells Joe that it was his shoulders that were pinned to the mat and Joe flips out, chasing the ref out of the ring. Mark stands up as Jay Briscoe comes in and congratulates him. Joe looks at them with a look of disgust on his face, not necessarily directed at them but more at himself for making that mistake. Joe gets out of the ring, grabs his belt and leaves. Jay holds Mark’s hands up as he is the winner of the match.

It’s main event time as “Scapegoat” by Fear Factory plays and Jerry Lynn makes his way down the aisle, tagging the hands of the fans all around the ringside area. He gets in as a small “Jerry” chant is heard. “I Am” hits and “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles makes his entrance, also tagging hands with the fans. He gets in and holds his hands out in his customary pose as he gets a nice round of applause. AJ won the 2002 Super 8 Tournament beating Xavier, Amazing Red and Donovan Morgan. He also became the first ROH Pure Wrestling champion, beating Jimmy Rave, Matt Stryker and CM Punk in that particular tournament. Last but not least, just recently he won the IWA Mid South Ted Petty Invitational 2004 by beating Jimmy Rave, Matt Sydal, Arik Cannon and finally Samoa Joe and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson in a 3 way match. This was THE feud that got NWA: TNA on the map and we will relive some of that greatness in this match! They go to their corners so they can be introduced, DeAngelis does his job and here we go!

AJ Styles vs. Jerry Lynn

The two come nose to nose at the beginning, neither man saying a word. They finally shake hands with each other. They back off and circle one another and lock up and Jerry gets an immediate advantage, using his large experience edge to out-wrestle the younger Styles. AJ manages to get things in his favor with a couple armdrags but Lynn takes his head off with a clothesline! Lynn whips AJ to the ropes and hits a sweet tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and then clotheslines AJ over the top to the floor! He goes over to where AJ is and goes for a pescado, AJ quickly moves and Lynn lands on the apron. AJ goes around to the other side and Lynn climbs the turnbuckles and comes off with a plancha! Lynn tries to whip AJ but AJ reverses and Lynn hits the guardrail and AJ hits a nice discus lariat. AJ goes back in and then hits a beautiful corkscrew pescado to the floor on Lynn. Back in, AJ gets a 2 count. A suplex into a neckbreaker gets 2 again. He whips Lynn to the corner and charges, Lynn elevates AJ over the top, AJ lands on the apron, misses a shoulderblock and Lynn goes for his patented guillotine legdrop but AJ moves and Lynn crashes down. AJ tries to suplex Lynn to the floor but Lynn lands on the apron as well, AJ blocks a right hand and Lynn EATS a superkick and falls down, still on the apron. AJ lifts Lynn and lays Lynn on the middle rope so his upper body is inside the ring. AJ then vaults over the ropes and onto the adjacent middle rope and Lionsaults onto Lynn, who was laying on the middle rope! That gets lots of applause but Lynn gets his foot on the rope at 2. AJ puts Lynn in the corner and starts punching his head but Lynn carries AJ out from the corner and plants him with a running Liger Bomb! 1-2-no! Almost a surprise win there for Jerry! Jerry grabs AJ and goes to the corner, tries for a Tornado DDT, AJ shoves him off, kick to the gut, tries for a tombstone, Lynn reverses and goes for his own tombstone but AJ gets out behind Lynn, ducks a back elbow from Lynn and then hits his moonsault into a reverse DDT off the ropes! What an exchange! The cover, and Lynn kicks out at 2 and a half!

AJ goes to the apron and springboards but he sees Lynn move and jumps over Lynn, waits for Lynn to get up and then tries a hurucanrana but Lynn catches him in a powerbomb position and flips AJ over onto his face in a modified X Factor! What a move! 1-2-NO! Lynn almost had it there! German suplex and AJ kicks out again! Lynn calls for then end and goes for the Cradle Piledriver, AJ backdrops him but Lynn holds on for the sunset flip, 1-2, Lynn rolls out, tries a hurucanrana but AJ holds on to Lynn’s legs and goes for the Styles Clash, Lynn swings his legs but AJ cartwheels through, AJ tries a back suplex, Lynn backflips out and goes for his upside down Gory Special but AJ rolls out of that, boots Lynn in the gut and then hits his Splash Mountain turned into a DDT! 2 and ¾! What an exchange! He waits for Lynn to get up, moonsaults off the ropes, catches Lynn and goes for the reverse DDT again but Lynn turns it around and hits a reverse DDT of his own! 1…2…NO!! AJ barely kicks out! Missile dropkick and again AJ gets out at 2. Jerry is getting frustrated now. He goes for the Cradle Piledriver again but AJ backdrops him. A spin kick puts Jerry down and AJ climbs up top, maybe going for the Spiral Tap but Jerry gets up and crotches him! Jerry goes up as well and hits an earth-shattering TKO off the top rope!! That gets a “Holy Shit” chant and Lynn crawls over for the cover, 1…2…thr..no!! AJ got the foot on the bottom rope! Everyone thought that was it! Jerry can’t believe it as he gets AJ up, going for the Cradle Piledriver, AJ blocks the attempt and trips Lynn and lifts Lynn up by the legs going for the Styles Clash, Lynn keeps fighting it though so AJ lifts him up and slams him down with a powerbomb and then is able to lift him and hit the STYLES CLASH! He turns Jerry over, one, two, three! AJ gets the win in a fantastic match!

WINNER---AJ Styles

**** ¼

AJ helps Jerry up and the two shake hands and embrace as the show comes to an end.

END OF SHOW

_________________________________________________________________

Highlights of the Night

-Teddy Hart's Asai Moonsault on Jay Briscoe

-Trent Acid's flurry of Yakuza kicks to defeat Matt Stryker

-Dan Maff's Top Rope Burning Hammer on Red

-Homicide's Tope Con Hilo on Walters

-Xavier's suicidal Arabian press on the floor on B-Boy

-AJ Styles moonsaulting Jerry Lynn who was laying on the middle rope

-Jerry's TKO off the top rope on AJ

Edited October 15, 2004 by darrdor

[Blehschmidt]

Damn Dude.....Nice Show.

You know your Indy's pretty well!!!

You also put over the person I wanted to win in every match but 1....so of course I like it!!

[darrdor]

Rise of the Independents - October 2nd, 2004

We open right up to a match as “Addictive (remix)” by Truth Hurts hits and the “Original Playa from the Himalayas” Sonjay Dutt makes his way to the ring. The CZW Best of the Best 4 tournament winner had his hands full but was able to beat Petey Williams, Nate Webb, Bobby Quance and finally Roderick Strong to win the tournament. The year before he was a runner-up in the same tournament, beating Ruckus, Chris Cash, Mark Briscoe and Trent Acid before finally losing to B-Boy in the finals. His opponent is Chris Sabin who comes out to “Disciple” by Slayer with the “Hail Sabin’s” thrown in. This should be a good match!

Chris Sabin vs. Sonjay Dutt

They start the match out with a high-paced exchange of armdrags, headscissors and monkey flips until Dutt stuns Sabin with a double rotation tilt-a-whirl headscissors! A spinning heel kick and a dropkick have Sabin stunned but as Dutt charges, Sabin ducks and back body drops Dutt to the floor. He then waits for Dutt to get up before he runs, leaps up to the top rope and dives off with a no hands springboard plancha but Dutt moves and Sabin crashes into the guardrail! Dutt gets in the ring and waits for Sabin to get up now before running and leaping up and he connects with a beautiful no hands corkscrew plancha! Back in the ring Dutt gets a 2 count. Dutt controls the pace. Sabin tries a Cradle Shock out of nowhere but Dutt escapes, kicks Sabin in the gut, off the ropes with a kick to the head, a DDT onto his knee and then a leaping neckbreaker, that’s the Calcut Cut. Cover, 1-2-kickout by Sabin. The tide turns when Dutt goes another double rotation headscissors but on the second rotation Sabin stops Dutt and hits his swinging uranage backbreaker, the Sabinalizer! What a reversal! The Over Easy gets a close 2 count. A springboard dropkick by Sabin gets another 2. He calls for the end and goes for the Future Shock but Dutt is able to escape and go for his muscle buster-ish move, the Indian Summer but Sabin escapes THAT and hits a climbing enziguri on Sonjay! Sabin goes for the Cradle Shock but Dutt reverses into a high-impact DDT! He drags Sabin over to the corner and goes for the Hindu Press but Sabin moves! He picks Dutt up and hits his Future Shock high cradle brainbuster and that is enough to put Sonjay away!

WINNER---Chris Sabin

**** ¼

The two get up and shake hands in a show of respect.

We go backstage where Colt Cabana is LIVE from “Chicago” for “Good Times, Great Memories!”

Cabana: “Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to “Good Times, Great Memories.” I am your host, Colt Cabana, and what a show we have lined up for tonight! Along with the usual in my tag team partner, CM Punk, we have a man who I will be facing tonight, a man I am very familiar with from our good old days in IWA Mid South, I am talking about Chris Hero, the CZW Iron Man champion. So let’s get right to it, here is my first guest, Chris Hero!”

A fake applause sound clip is played as Hero walks into the room, looking around, wondering where the applause came from and looking at Cabana’s hilariously cheap set. He sits down as Cabana speaks again.

Cabana: “Chris Hero it is great to have you on my show, how the heck are ya?”

Hero: “I’m doing good, haha, as you can see here on my shoulder. Hey Cabana, I just noticed, where’s your title belt?”

Cabana: “I, uh, well I just left it back at the, well, my house, cuz I’m the, uh, Pittsburgh National Hardcore champion…uh, back on subject! Chris you are one of the finest technical wrestlers in the world today, what sort of strategies will you employ to win this tournament?”

Hero: “Well I don’t like to do any goofball antics, or dance around, or anything stupid like that.” (Cabana gets a strange, almost embarrassed look on his face.) “I basically tend to keep a match purely professional and just get the job done and that is why I am your reigning Iron Man champion and have been for almost half a year now. So that’s—.”

Cabana: “Sorry Chris but we’re out of time on “Good Times, Great Memories” thanks a bunch for taking time to be on my show!”

Hero: “I’ve only been here like 2 minutes, how long is your segment?”

Cabana starts ushering him out the door now.

Cabana: “Oh, yeah, they cut my time now, but hey what can ya do eh? See ya Chris bye!”

He slams the door shut and walks over to his desk, sits down and grabs a newspaper and mutters “asshole” as he puts his feet up and the camera fades out.

A techno version of the theme from A Space Odyssey: 2001 plays as the “Black Nature Boy” Scoot Andrews comes out in his robe, disregarding the fans as he gets on the apron, wipes his feet on the apron and makes the referee hold the middle and top ropes open for him to get in. The beginning of “Miseria Cantare (The Beginning)” plays as the fans say the words along with the song and CM Punk finally comes through the curtain to a fairly nice pop. Numerous fans hold up the Straight Edge “X” in support of the leader of the Straight Edge Revolution. The fans chant “CM Punk” as he gets in the ring and the ring announcer Steven DeAngelis does his job, also letting the fans in attendance know that there is a 30 minute time limit on all tournament matches unless otherwise agreed upon. And we’re ready to go!

CM Punk vs. Scoot Andrews

This is a back and forth battle between two ring generals. Andrews uses his vast technical abilities to frustrate Punk but Punk comes back with Welcome to Chicago Motherfucker, the double arm backbreaker. Punk then grabs Scoot’s arm, climbs to the top and walks the top rope like a tightrope and then comes down with a big legdrop across Scoot’s arm! A split-legged moonsault then gets 2 and ¾ for Punk. Scoot is able to turn the tide when Punk goes for a flying headscissors and Scoot turns it into a sitout face-first powerbomb! A version of the Rock Bottom gets a 2 for Scoot. In the end, Scoot goes for his version of the Niagra Driver, the Force of Nature, but Punk escapes behind Scoot, locks in a hammerlock and turns Scoot into a hammerlock DDT, which Punk dubs the Devil Lock DDT. He then locks in the Devil Lock and Scoot has no choice but to tap out! Punk wins!

WINNER---CM Punk

**** ¼

Right onto the next match as we will see “The Showstopper” Spanky against Frankie “The Future” Kazarian. These two have been around the block a few times in UPW but they haven’t faced each other in at least 2 years! Kazarian might have a slight edge as far as tournaments go as he won the PWG title in a tournament, defeating Scott Lost, Lil’ Cholo, Christopher Daniels and finally Joey Ryan to become the first PWG champion. However, Spanky almost won the ROH title in their initial tournament for the title as he defeated Paul London and Jody Fleisch before losing in the final match, which was a 4 Way 60 Minute Iron Man match, won by Low Ki. Spanky comes out to “Quality Control” by Jurassic 5 and Kazarian makes his way to the ring with Joe Ezpisito’s “You’re the Best Around” playing in the background. The two are introduced to the crowd and they circle each other to begin the match!

Spanky vs. Frankie Kazarian

Spanky has a bit of a quickness edge and he uses it in the opening minutes, hitting several dropkicks and leg lariats before knocking Frankie out of the ring with a clothesline. He takes to the floor with a somersault plancha over the top rope on Frankie! Back in he gets a quick 2 count. He tries in an early Sliced Bread #2 but as he kicks off the ropes, Frankie pushes him, Spanky lands on his feet behind Frankie, Frankie turns, ducks a clothesline, jumps and springs off the second rope with a back elbow on Spanky! He goes on the apron and comes back in with a slingshot legdrop for a 2. He whips Spanky to the ropes, misses a big boot but catches Spanky on the way back with a bicycle kick. He then hits his Back to the Future bridging suplex for another 2. He goes up top but gets crotched by Spanky! Spanky hits a Frankensteiner for his own 2 count! He grabs Frankie for a neckbreaker but twists Frankie around and brings him down face-first on his knee! A whip to the corner by Spanky then he runs in and walks up Frankie, backflipping off his face ala Tiger Mask! He grabs Frankie and again goes for Sliced Bread #2 but Frankie shoves Spanky chest-first into the turnbuckle and then hits the Wave of the Future out of nowhere! One, two, three!

WINNER---Frankie Kazarian

*** ¼

Spanky holds out his hand after the match for a handshake but Kazarian flips him off and leaves the ring! What a disrespectful ass!

We go backstage to the “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels as he will speak about his match tonight against Doug Williams.

The camera pans in as Daniels has his head bowed. He raises his head and talks:

Daniels: “Tonight I have a match against a man I am very familiar with, “The Anarchist” Doug Williams. Doug, I’ve wrestled you all over the world, from the U.K. to Philadelphia. We’ve traded the FWA title back and forth, hell, I even made it so you couldn’t shake anybody’s hand in Ring of Honor. So tonight, I think it’s our rubber match Doug. This match will decide who wins our series of matches. And if I were a betting man, I’d put my money on the Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels. So Doug Williams, there’s only one thing left for you to do, and that’s say your prayers. Now that’s not a threat OR a promise. That’s the gospel, according to the Fallen Angel.”

Daniels bows his head and the camera fades out.

We see Doug Williams making his way to the ring to a nice ovation as “Song 2” by Blur plays. Then we hear the unmistakable music of Chris Daniels, “Disposable Teens” by Marilyn Manson. He walks out with the hood over his head and stops until the words to the song start and he takes his hood off and walks around the ring as the fans applaud him, some even bowing to the man. He gets in the ring and goes to the corner, awaiting the ring introductions. Daniels is the only man to ever win two Super 8 tournaments. He won in the year 2000 beating Vic Capri, Ace Darling and Scoot Andrews. He also won this year, defeating Rocky Romero, John Walters and Austin Aries. DeAngelis finishes the intros and here we go!

Christopher Daniels vs. Doug Williams

They circle each other, Williams most certainly looking for an opportunity to slap on a submission. He is after all the “Human Torture Device.” They go through a fantastic British-style wrestling sequence with Williams flustering Daniels with a half a dozen mind-boggling pinning combinations and Daniels retreats to the outside to regroup. Back in and Daniels takes a shortcut, namely a poke to the eye, to take control. He starts working on the back and neck of Williams with a back suplex and then his unique Flatliner into a Crossface using his legs. Williams changes the momentum when he gets whipped into a corner but springs off it and comes back with a swinging DDT on Daniels. The Revolution DDT I believe is what he calls that. He starts work on Daniels’ leg with a Stretch Muffler but Daniels grabs the ropes. He propels Williams to the outside using the trunks. On the outside, Daniels hits an Arabian Press onto Williams! Back in Daniels plants Williams with a Uranage slam. He then yells “Best Moonsault Ever!” I believe signifying that he intends to use his Best Moonsault Ever double-jump moonsault. He does indeed go for it but Williams moves! They both stay down and the ref puts the 10 count on them. They get up around 6 or 7 and trade forearm shots with Williams getting the upper hand. He whips Daniels to the ropes and hits a back elbow. He whips Daniels to the corner and charges in with a knee to the chest! Daniels stumbles out of the corner and gets hit with a Harley Race-like high knee. Williams likes to use the 3 knee combo and here comes the third part, the top rope kneedrop he calls the Bomb Scare and he connects! Cover, one…two……no! Daniels gets his left shoulder up! Williams calls for the end and goes for his roll-through German suplex, the Chaos Theory. He pushes Daniels to the corner and rolls him up, stands up and tries for the German, but Daniels blocks it, snapmares Williams over, holds onto his neck and pulls him up and then snaps him over with Last Rites!! He turns Williams over and covers, 1…2…3! Daniels gets a great win!

WINNER---Christopher Daniels

*** ¼

We go right on to the next match here as “P.I.M.P” by 50 Cent hits and the relative of Shawn Michaels comes through the curtain, Michael Shane. “Self Esteem” by The Offspring plays and here comes “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson. Danielson won the 2001 King of the Indies tournament in APW. He impressively defeated Spanky, Doug Williams and finally Low Ki to win that. He also won the ROH Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup for 2004, beating Jack Evans in a qualifier, before winning a 6 man elimination match that also included Austin Aries, Homicide, Mark Briscoe, Colt Cabana and Samoa Joe. The ring intros are done and away we go.

Bryan Danielson vs. Michael Shane

This match is interesting as both men graduated from the first class of The Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy. Shane spends the first several minutes of the match trying to elude the submission tactics of Danielson. Danielson eventually gets Shane down and goes to work with several unique submission maneuvers as only he can. Shane is able to escape and employs a different strategy, that being to ground Danielson so he can’t put any crazy submissions on him. A side headlock does the trick but Danielson eventually makes it to his feet and hits a nice back suplex. Shane gets a low blow and starts his comeback, hitting a DDT and a powerslam. Danielson turns the tide again with a driving DDT. He goes up top and hits his Dynamite Kid-esque diving headbutt and gets a 2 and a half count! He props Shane up top and goes for a superplex but Shane shoves him off! He hits a high crossbody off the top for a close 2. He goes to the corner and warms up the band, waiting for Danielson to get up. He goes for a superkick but Danielson sidesteps it, goes for a Dragon suplex but Shane drops down, armdragging Danielson over then fakes the superkick and Danielson ducks but gets drilled with a superkick as he lifts his head again! That crafty Shane! Cover, one, two, thrr..no! Danielson barely kicks out! He scoop slams Danielson and goes up top, perhaps for his Picture Perfect Elbow. That is indeed what he goes for but Danielson moves! He then chickenwings the arms and flips over Shane, locking in Cattle Mutilation! Shane screams in pain but he is able to get a foot on the bottom rope! Danielson lets go, frustrated. He again tries for a Dragon suplex but Shane hooks his leg on the middle rope. Danielson pulls him into the middle of the ring and he is alert when Shane tries to swing his leg back for a low blow and Danielson is able to dodge it and backslide Shane for the win! Danielson outsmarts Michael Shane!

WINNER---Bryan Danielson

****

We go backstage to Paul London where he has some comments about his match tonight against Super Dragon.

London: “You know, ever since I walked out of WWE, I’ve felt this great burden be lifted off my shoulders. WWE doesn’t understand the sacrifices independent wrestlers make. I would have went NOWHERE in WWE because I am not over 6 foot 5 or over 275 pounds. But now, now I can make the name for myself that I deserve. And it starts tonight. Now I have never before faced Super Dragon but I am up to the task. They say you hit hard Super Dragon? I’ll just have to hit harder. They say you’re a great high flier? I’ll just have to fly higher. Whatever you do Super Dragon, I am willing to go to whatever lengths I have to in order to win not only this match, but this entire tournament. My name is Paul London. And as the fans say, “Please Don’t Die.”

That should be a stellar main event but right now we hear “Copa Cabana” play as the always goofy “Classic” Colt Cabana makes his way to the ring. “Kryptonite” by 3 Doors Down starts as Cabana goofs around with some fans at ringside. Chris Hero finally comes through the curtain to a nice ovation from the crowd. He gets in and shakes hands with Cabana as they are being introduced. These two are very familiar with each other so this should be an awesome match!

Chris Hero vs. Colt Cabana

A long feeling out process starts this match out with Hero starting to work on the neck of Cabana early with various versions of the ¾ Chancery, or Cravate if you like. Cabana is able to come back and stuns Hero with a double jumping kneelift to the side of the head and a quebrada on a standing Hero for a 2. He hits his cool Tornado snap suplex and floats over for the pin and gets a 2 again. Hero is able to hit a release German suplex to stop the momentum of Cabana. They get up and trade stiff forearms back and forth. Hero, seeing he isn’t getting any sort of advantage this way, switches up and BLASTS Cabana with a STIFF headbutt! He waits for Cabana to stand and boots him in the gut, runs off the ropes and hits a somersault neckbreaker. That gets a 2 and as soon as Cabana kicks out, Hero immediately tries to lock in the Hangman’s Clutch but Cabana is aware and makes it to the ropes before it is locked in. Hero keeps control though with some hard forearm shots to Cabana’s back. He tries to hit that devastating Texas Cloverleaf Piledriver he has done in the past but Cabana lifts him, grabs his head and drops Hero down head-first on his knee in a sort of Kryptonite Krunch/Neckbreaker hybrid. That gets a 2 and a half. He gets Hero up, whips him to the corner and hits the double knees to the chest. A scoop slam and Cabana goes up top. He is standing facing Hero, then turns 180 and goes for a corkscrew Merosault but Hero moves! Cabana looks like he jarred his neck there! Hero goes to work with shots to the neck and then a brutal Cravate suplex! He drags Cabana into the middle of the ring and again slaps on the Hangman’s Clutch! Cabana screams in pain and desperately tries to make it to the ropes. He inches over there bit by bit and finally grabs the bottom rope to break the hold! Hero slams the mat in frustration and then calls for the Hero’s Welcome. He picks Cabana up and goes for it but Cabana rolls through it and hits a reverse suplex on Hero! He calls for and goes for the Colt 45 but Hero escapes that and hits the Hero’s Welcome! It’s over! One, two, thr…no!! Colt gets his foot on the rope! That was so close! Hero can’t believe it and he drags Cabana into the middle of the ring and starts scaling the turnbuckles. It’s rare that Hero goes to the top anymore and it costs him here as Cabana crotches him backwards on the top turnbuckle! Colt hooks Hero’s arms and pulls him off the top rope with a BRUTAL COLT 45!! He pulls Hero away from the ropes, One, two, three!! A huge win for Colt Cabana over his long time rival Chris Hero!

WINNER---Colt Cabana

**** ¼

Right onto the next match here as we will see the CZW champ The Messiah take on the man who may be the biggest star of the Indies and the favorite to win this entire tournament, in Low Ki. Low Ki has won countless tournaments in the Indies. He won the 2001 ECWA Super 8 by beating Billy Fives, Jayson Reign and American Dragon. He won the 2002 JCW J-Cup. He also won the tournament to crown the first ever ROH champion by beating Prince Nana, Amazing Red, and then going on to win a grueling 4 way 60 Minute Iron Man match over Christopher Daniels, Spanky and Doug Williams. These two men have never faced each other anywhere in professional wrestling so this should be interesting. The Messiah looks to prove that he is more than a hardcore or “Death match” wrestler by doing well in this tournament. But he has quite a test here in his first match! Messiah makes his way down the aisle to “Prayer” by Disturbed and gets in, ignoring the fans’ yells and taunts. “Fighter’s Passion” plays as Low Ki comes through the curtain all intense-like. He does his customary lap around the ring and then hops onto the apron and somersaults into the ring, staring a hole in his opponent, the CZW champ, The Messiah.

Low Ki vs. The Messiah

The two circle each other, Messiah being especially wary of Low Ki’s kicks. The ref says something to Low Ki and that momentary distraction is all Messiah needs to give himself a head start in this match as he attacks Ki from behind. He pounds away on Low Ki with fists and kicks. This doesn’t last long though as Ki quickly takes back control with several brutal strikes; knife-edges, Mongolian chops, kicks and slaps. He goes to whip Messiah but Messiah reverses, goes for a clothesline but Ki ducks and springs off the middle rope and comes back with a kick to the face! That’s the Tidal Wave! Low Ki goes on to completely destroy The Messiah in this match with brutal Kawada kicks, the Tidal Krush in the corner, Krush Rushes into the corner, his 3-kick Krush Kombo to the chest and head and a hanging Dragon in the corner. Messiah is able to come back with a low blow and hit a desperation reverse DDT. He hits a Falcon Arrow also and then a Lionsault for barely a 2 count. This comeback doesn’t last long though as Ki hits a brutal sidekick as Messiah charges at him in the corner and then a huge lariat and finally hits the Ki Krusher. Messiah must be dead! Ki is about to go for the pin but Christopher Daniels (?) is on the apron distracting the ref. Low Ki goes over and intimidates Daniels off the apron but Messiah low blows Low Ki and rolls him up, holds the tights and he GETS THE THREE COUNT!! Oh My God, The Messiah pulled it out and DEFEATED LOW KI!

WINNER---The Messiah

****

Daniels pulls Messiah out of the ring and Messiah collapses on the floor. Daniels hauls him up and puts Messiah’s arm over his shoulder and drags him up the aisle. They turn around and raise their hands in victory as Low Ki stares a hole through them.

Well it’s main event time as “Epic” by Faith No More plays and Super Dragon stalks to the ring to a huge ovation. “Battle Without Honor or Humanity” then plays and Paul London makes his way out to a standing ovation and a “Welcome Back” chant. London is the Super 8 2003 winner as he defeated Alex Arion, Frankie Kazarian and Chance Beckett to win that tournament, only days after recovering from surgery to repair his sinuses! This should be an incredible match!

Paul London vs. Super Dragon

These two circle each other in this first-ever match. Dragon takes the upper hand at first with some nice chain wrestling but London quickly takes over and frustrates Dragon with armdrags, hiptosses and one of his patented Dropsaults! Dragon retreats to the outside, the arguable “Lucha Master” of this tournament just got out-Lucha’d! Dragon then returns to the ring and locks up with London, forcing him back into the corner. Dragon teases a clean break and then absolutely CLOBBERS London with an ultra-stiff forearm! Wow! London has to pick up his face off the ground as the ref chastises Dragon for the cheap shot. Dragon just shrugs and advances towards London but he’s met with a big forearm shot by London! London hits repeated forearms and then a diving forearm off the ropes! He hiptosses Dragon and kicks him in the back on the way down then hits a spinning heel kick and another Dropsault and Dragon goes to the outside again! London goes for a dive but Dragon moves and London has to put on the brakes. Dragon takes a 9 count, rolls in, and then right back out again! The ref puts his head through the ropes and tries to get Dragon back in the ring. London runs, springs off the ref’s back and connects with a huge somersault plancha on Dragon! “Holy Shit” chants ring through the arena as London tosses Dragon into the ring. London waits on the apron and tries for a springboard crossbody but Dragon dropkicks him in mid-air! Dragon then ties up London legs in a Mexican surfboard and then grabs the arms but instead of lifting up into the stretch, Dragon stomps London down face first, that’s the Curb Stomp! That gets a 2 count. He stands up London and we’re ready for a Violence Party! Chops, punches and knees galore and then Dragon goes for lariat but London ducks and hits a STIFF superkick! Dragon rolls onto the apron and stands up and London springs off the adjacent middle rope and hits a flying enziguri kick to the head of Dragon! Dragon uses the top rope to stay on his feet so London slingshots over the ropes and headscissors Dragon onto the FLOOR! Dragon landed with a sickening thud! London also landed hard but he is up first and he grabs Dragon to throw him in but Dragon slaps London’s hands away and hits a big lariat! London got folded up on the floor! Half of the 30-minute time limit is gone. Dragon gets up on the apron and double stomps London on the floor! Holy crap!

Dragon throws London into the ring and goes for a cover but London kicks out at 2 and ¾! Dragon goes on the apron again and waits for London to stand up and he does but London’s back is to Dragon. Dragon springboards anyways and hits a brutal spin wheel kick to the back of the head! That’s called the UFO! Cover, one…two…thrr..noo! London gets the shoulder up! Dragon calls for the end with a thumb across the throat. He picks London up in a powerbomb position and then runs across the ring with a sitout powerbomb into the turnbuckles! Oh My God! He then floats over onto London with an STF! This has gotta be it, London will certainly tap! The fans start chanting “Please Don’t Die” in order to get London to hang on! London holds on and holds on and finally grabs the rope to break it! Dragon bangs the mat in frustration, wondering what to do next. He again signals for the end and lifts London up in a Torture Rack position, oh no, this will surely be it, he’s going for the Psycho Driver! London backflips out though, boots Dragon in the gut and hits his legsweep DDT out of pure desperation! The two men are both out as the ref starts the count. At 8, Dragon beats London to his feet but London is up quickly after that and they trade blows back and forth. Dragon goes for a big lariat again but London ducks, grabs Dragon in a double chickenwing and then lifts him up and plants him with a sitout face-first powerbomb, the Waffle Face if you will. London drags Dragon closer to the ropes and goes up top for you know what, the London Star Press! He leaps and CONNECTS! ONE, TWO, THR..NO! Dragon gets his foot on the rope! London can’t believe it as he asks the ref if it was three but no it was not. He lifts Dragon up and goes for the Legsweep DDT again but Dragon blocks it, goes behind London and hits a Dragon suplex! 1…2…NO! London kicks out at 2 and ¾ again! What an incredible match! Dragon drags London to the corner as he plans to do a high-risk move of his own. He goes up and tries for the Dragon Twister, his version of the Phoenix Splash but London moves and Dragon hits nothing but mat! The two men lay on the mat in exhaustion when all of a sudden the bell rings! The ref confers with the ring announcer and we are informed that this match has gone the 30-minute time limit and is therefore a draw! The fans are angry at this and start chanting for 5 more minutes but rules are rules!

WINNER---None (Time Limit Draw)

****

Dragon and London get up as the fans applaud them for an excellent match! Dragon goes to get out of the ring when London stops him and extends his hand. Dragon looks at the crowd and they voice their approval and he finally shakes London’s hand! Thanks for joining us, come back for the next show!

END OF SHOW

________________________________________________________________

Highlights of the Night

-Sonjay Dutt's no hands Spaceman corkscrew plancha on Chris Sabin

-Sabin reversing the double rotation headscissors with the Sabinalizer

-Chris Daniels' Arabian Press to the floor on Doug Williams

-Daniels reversing the Chaos Theory into Last Rites to defeat Williams

-Colt Cabana crotching Chris Hero backwards and then pulling him off the turnbuckles with a Colt 45

-Paul London leaping off the referee's back with a somersault plancha on Super Dragon

-London's slingshot into a headscissors taking Super Dragon to the floor!

-Super Dragon's double stomp off the apron on the floor on London

-Super Dragon's running sitout Liger Bomb into the turnbuckles

Edited October 15, 2004 by darrdor

[darrdor]

STANDINGS POST

The standings for the tournament will be recorded in this particular post all the way throughout the tournament and will be changed accordingly after each show.

Block A

AJ Styles 3-0

Homicide 3-0

Jerry Lynn 2-1

John Walters 2-1

B-Boy 1-2

Trent Acid 1-2

Xavier 0-3

Matt Stryker 0-3

Block B

Dan Maff 2-1

Donovan Morgan 2-1

Jay Briscoe 2-1

Mark Briscoe 2-1

Samoa Joe 2-1

BJ Whitmer 2-1

Teddy Hart 0-3

Amazing Red 0-3

Block C

Bryan Danielson 3-0

Frankie Kazarian 2-0-1

Paul London 2-0-1

Super Dragon 1-1-1

Chris Sabin 1-2

Spanky 1-2

Michael Shane 0-2-1

Sonjay Dutt 0-3

Block D

CM Punk 3-0

Low Ki 2-1

The Messiah 2-1

Christopher Daniels 2-1

Colt Cabana 1-2

Alex Shelley 1-2

Chris Hero 1-2

Petey Williams 0-3

Edited November 17, 2004 by darrdor

[darrdor]

Well that wraps up the first show for both groups. I personally enjoyed writing the 2 main events the most. But in doing these 2 shows I have come to realize that I cannot continue doing this long of match write-ups through the whole tournament, I'll just burn out. So I am going to try doing highlight-style write-ups with key points in the matches at point form and see how that goes. For certain matches that score high marks I will be writing the whole thing though most likely.

Now for another matter...I have decided to get people into doing predictions and I want to give you all a reason to do predictions in my diary so here's what we'll do. As you can tell from my knowledge of Indies, I have quite a large tape collection. Let's say when someone wins 3 prediction contests, I'LL SEND YOU A FREE TAPE! It's that simple, win 3 prediction contests and you get a free 6 hour tape filled with whatever you want, Ring of Honor, IWA Mid South, CZW, PWG, WWE, WCW, ECW, Puroresu, whatever you want! Just to show that this diary is not only for my enjoyment, but all of yours as well! Thanks for reading!

Edited September 29, 2004 by darrdor

[SeanDMan]

That's GOT to be a first.

[darrdor]

In a good way or a bad way?

[VDP2006]

I'm gonna guess and say good.

[darrdor]

Preview for Rise of the Independents October 9th, 2004

In Block A Action...

B-Boy vs. John Walters

B-Boy is coming off a big win over Xavier while Walters lost to B-Boy's off and on tag team partner Homicide so maybe Walters can get some revenge here.

Trent Acid vs. Jerry Lynn

This should be a very interesting match as the young and cocky Acid faces the veteran Jerry Lynn. Acid got a big win over Matt Stryker while Lynn started out with a competitive match against AJ Styles, albeit a loss.

Homicide vs. Matt Stryker

Homicide faces another technical wizard in Matt Stryker. Homicide beat Stryker's good friend John Walters on the first show while Stryker lost to Homicide's hated rival Trent Acid. We'll see who can get momentum going for themselves.

AJ Styles vs. Xavier

These two had a couple very even matches in ROH and ECWA so they are no strangers to each other. The series has just about been even as well so consider this a rubber match between these two innovators.

In Block B Action...

Dan Maff vs. Teddy Hart

A clash of styles here and Maff's second straight match against someone much smaller than himself. Can Teddy outsmart Maff or will he end up with another defeat?

Donovan Morgan vs. Amazing Red

Another major difference here in styles and a large experience edge to Morgan here but you never know what Red can pull out! Don't count the little man out.

Samoa Joe vs. Jay Briscoe

Joe, in an error of judgment, lost to Jay's brother Mark at the first show and Jay has beaten Joe before. Will we see another upset of the ROH champion or can Joe rebound and be the dominating force like we all know he is?

BJ Whitmer vs. Mark Briscoe

This might be a sleeper match here to steal the show. Expect a very competitive match from these two young lions.

______________________________________________________________

There you all have it, and here the prediction contest starts. Win three WHOLE PREDICTION CONTESTS and you have your free tape. Show should be up tomorrow or Friday.

[writeeagle]

John Walters

Jerry Lynn

Matt Stryker

AJ Styles

Dan Maff

Amazing Red

Samoa Joe

BJ Whitmer

[Hellfire]

Preview for Rise of the Independents October 9th, 2004

In Block A Action...

John Walters

Trent Acid

Homicide

AJ Styles

In Block B Action...

Teddy Hart

Donovan Morgan

Samoa Joe

BJ Whitmer

[craig]

Preview for Rise of the Independents October 9th, 2004

In Block A Action...

John Walters

B-Boy is coming off a big win over Xavier while Walters lost to B-Boy's off and on tag team partner Homicide so maybe Walters can get some revenge here.

Trent Acid

This should be a very interesting match as the young and cocky Acid faces the veteran Jerry Lynn. Acid got a big win over Matt Stryker while Lynn started out with a competitive match against AJ Styles, albeit a loss.

Homicide

Homicide faces another technical wizard in Matt Stryker. Homicide beat Stryker's good friend John Walters on the first show while Stryker lost to Homicide's hated rival Trent Acid. We'll see who can get momentum going for themselves.

AJ Styles

These two had a couple very even matches in ROH and ECWA so they are no strangers to each other. The series has just about been even as well so consider this a rubber match between these two innovators.

In Block B Action...

Teddy Hart

A clash of styles here and Maff's second straight match against someone much smaller than himself. Can Teddy outsmart Maff or will he end up with another defeat?

Donovan Morgan

Another major difference here in styles and a large experience edge to Morgan here but you never know what Red can pull out! Don't count the little man out.

Samoa Joe

Joe, in an error of judgment, lost to Jay's brother Mark at the first show and Jay has beaten Joe before. Will we see another upset of the ROH champion or can Joe rebound and be the dominating force like we all know he is?

BJ Whitmer

This might be a sleeper match here to steal the show. Expect a very competitive match from these two young lions.

Edited October 1, 2004 by craig

[KCC]

B-Boy vs. John Walters

Trent Acid vs. Jerry Lynn

Homicide vs. Matt Stryker

AJ Styles vs. Xavier

In Block B Action...

Dan Maff vs. Teddy Hart

Donovan Morgan vs. Amazing Red

Samoa Joe vs. Jay Briscoe

BJ Whitmer vs. Mark Briscoe

[Pepsi]

Great diary, I tried doing one of these a long ass time ago but I didn't have the patience to write match after match after match....you're doing great though. Can't wait for an update.

my predictions:

Block A

B-Boy vs. John Walters

Trent Acid vs. Jerry Lynn

Homicide vs. Matt Stryker

AJ Styles vs. Xavier

Block B

Dan Maff vs. Teddy Hart

Donovan Morgan vs. Amazing Red

Samoa Joe vs. Jay Briscoe

BJ Whitmer vs. Mark Briscoe

[darrdor]

Your diary was actually my main inspiration for this idea Pepsi, and I finally got my butt in gear and did it so thank YOU. The Highlights of the Night part is ripped off directly from you, hope you don't mind Consider it a tribute Thanks for the kind words and the predictions, show should be up in the next half hour, a match and a half left to write.