Adrenaline Pro Wrestling

[RebornInFlames]

Just read all of this and I'm liking it very much. You have me very interested in the Haas/Strong fued. Keep it up.

[stonecoldfan12345]

oh alright...that makes sense...ne ways, here are my predictions.

APW - Summer Showdown

August 25th 2006

New York City, New York

Final Card:

APW Championship

Alex Shelley © vs. Jerry Lynn

30 Minute Ironman Match

Charlie Haas vs. 'The Messiah of the Backbreaker' Roderick Strong

'Classic' Colt Cabana and Samoa Joe vs. The Havana Pitbulls (Ricky Reyes/Rocky Romero)

Streetfight

Jay Lethal vs. Jimmy Rave

Sedrick Strong vs. Delirious

Danny Daniels vs. Milano Collection AT

Matt Sydal vs. 'Double C' Claudio Castagnoli

Triple Threat Match

Loser of the fall is fired!

Salvatore Rinauro vs. Fast Eddie Vegas vs. Hallowicked

Fast Eddie Vegas is pinned.

Triangle tag match

The Ring Crew Express (Dunn/Marcos) vs. The Aerial Express (Scorpio Sky/Quicksilver) vs. The Wildcards (Eddie Kingston/'Black' Jack Marciano)

[DFF]

APW - Summer Showdown

Final Card:

APW Championship

- Alex Shelley © vs. Jerry Lynn

Shelley to retain to keep the heel on top for a while longer.

- 30 Minute Ironman Match

Charlie Haas vs. Roderick Strong

Strong to win 3-2 in sudden death over time.

- Colt Cabana and Samoa Joe vs. The Havana Pitbulls

Colt to the the J.O.B.

- Streetfight

Jay Lethal vs. Jimmy Rave

Face to win the feud.

- Sedrick Strong vs. Delirious

Cos he has to win some day!

- Danny Daniels vs. Milano Collection AT

meh.

- Matt Sydal vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Sneaky heel win setting up the re-match next show.

- Triple Threat Match

Loser of the fall is fired!

Salvatore Rinauro vs. Fast Eddie Vegas vs. Hallowicked

Don't know who'll win - but Eddie to be fired.

- Triangle tag match

The Ring Crew Express vs. The Aerial Express vs. The Wildcards

[Guest words]

I really don't mean to be difficult, but I just thought you may want to know that Jack Marciano has been out of the wrestling business for over a year now, thus ending the Wild Cards team. Eddie Kingston mainly teams with Sabian or Joker (who he recently won the CZW Tag Team titles with) these days as part of the BLK OUT stable.

Quicksilver and Scorpio Sky also broke up earlier this year in PWG, but it's perfectly reasonable to ignore the storylines of other promotions. Scorpio Sky has also been unmasked and started teaming with The Human Tornado on a fairly regular basis as "Dark & Lovely" while Quicksilver and El Generico have been teaming as "Cape Fear."

[Timmoru Suzuki]

I knew Marciano was out, but wasn't sure how long it had been. Basically, at the start of the game, I wanted them in so I didn't think it would matter that much. As for the AXP I honestly wasn't aware of their split, but was aware of a bit of teaming with Tornado, which was one (admittedly one very small) reason for me bringing Tornado in for the 'Midwest vs. SoCal' series.

Thanks for looking through and bringing that up.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Summer Showdown

August 25th 2006

New York, New York

--- In three brief interviews on the home release version of the show, Colt Cabana talked about the tag match tonight as him and Samoa Joe take on the Havana Pitbulls. He says he and Joe will kick the Havana Pitbulls' ass, and Colt will get revenge for the attack he suffered at the hands of the Pitbulls last month. He is followed by Charlie Haas who did a very general interview ahead of the Ironman match with Roderick Strong, basically talking of how many times he has beaten Strong in the past, the fact Strong has never beaten him in a one vs. One match before and how tonight won't be any different. The final interview is with Jerry Lynn who says he's waited for a while now to get another crack at the APW Championship. He says unlike their last one-on-one meeting, he's fully fit now and before Shelley was just in the right place at the right time. Since winning the Championship, Shelley has been a nuisance – a nuisance he will get rid of tonight when he makes Shelley pay for his cheap tactics and devious actions, and more importantly regain the APW Championship!

1) Triple Threat Match

Loser of the fall is fired!

HALLOWICKED def. FAST EDDIE VEGAS and SALVATORE RINAURO (11:31). Good high-flying opener, plenty of aerial attack here with some really quick moves. Initially however, all three started the match in a very cautious way as none of the three wanted to be the one to lose the fall and thus their job. After a few slow minutes where everyone seemed very apprehensive of getting involved in the match, they realised it was maybe best to go for it and try and win to save themselves. The fact the loser of the fall was fired added an interesting dynamic to a triple-threat match in the fact that no-one tried breaking up a pin attempt or submission, because if they lost the match, but weren't pinned or submitted, their job was still safe. As the match wore on, Rinauro got a near-fall on Vegas after hitting the 'Phoenix Fury Leg Drop', Vegas only saving his job by getting a foot on the rope. A minute or so later, Hallowicked showed the new-found resiliency he has had in recent months by somehow kicking out of Eddie's 'Jumping Swinging DDT', surprisingly getting a shoulder up to save his job when it appeared the match was over. Not long later however, Eddie wasn't quite so fortunate, falling victim to Hallowicked's 'Monsta Mash' for a three count! Hallowicked's wining streak continues with his most important result to date, and he celebrated the win in the ring, then with the fans nearest the ring. Rinauro went to the back, obviously upset at the loss, but happy to still be employed. As Eddie came round, he left the arena dejected and upset at losing his job.

2) Triangle Match

THE WILDCARDS def. THE RING CREW EXPRESS and THE AERIAL EXPRESS (10:37) in a below average but not too bad match. Most of the good work came from the two 'expresses' who had some good cruiserweight style encounters, at one point doing some pretty good dives to the floor. The action also flowed slightly better when these two teams were legal as well, and the faster pace helped the fans get into the match more. That's not to say the Wildcards were bad, its' just their slower more power-based offence contrasted quite a bit with the faster work from the other two teams. There was a slower portion in the middle of the match as The Wildcards wore down Marcos, only not getting the win because of Marcos being saved by the others. This wearing down portion of the match went on a tad too long for some people's liking, but eventually the pace was quickened as the match went into it's last few minutes. Quicksilver got a near fall on Jack Marciano with the 'Silver Slice' as Eddie Kingston saved his partner. At the end, it appeared Dunn and Marcos had the win as they hit Kingston with the 'Assisted Slice Bread No. 2' then the 'Assisted Senton', only for Scorpio Sky to appear out of nowhere to break the fall. Dunn and Marcos both whipped him off the ropes, then as he returned to them shoved him in the back, using his momentum to send him over the top rope. Marcos followed up by vaulting over the top rope with a Cross-body to the floor. In getting rid of Sky, Dunn had failed to see Jack Marciano slowly getting into the ring, and waiting for his chance to strike. He snuck up on Dunn from behind, clubbing him in the back, then spinning him round and hitting the 'Russian Roulette' for the sneaky three count! The Wildcards get their first APW win! They head off to the back celebrating as Dunn, Marcos and the Aerial Express all slowly get to their feet and watch on in anger and frustration. Their revenge will have to wait for another day. Below average match that started and ended well.

3) DELIRIOUS def. SEDRICK STRONG (11:13) with the 'Chemical Imbalance'. Decent match. After a pretty even first few minutes, Strong began to dominate, working over Delirious with no real focus and getting a couple of near falls. Delirious fought back though heading into the finish which saw Delirious survive the 'Strong Hold' before hitting the imbalance a minute or so later for the win. Delirious pins one half of the APW Tag Team Champions in an acceptable basic match.

4) MATT SYDAL def. 'Double C' CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI (14:44). Respectable match, that was the best of their trio of singles matches in APW. Comfortable in the ***+ range, Sydal gets the pinfall with a ' Uranage' after almost quarter of an hour of action. The match started in a fast way with some death-defying moves from Sydal, including a corkscrew moonsault to the floor as he dominated early proceedings. Castagnoli used a couple of vicious European uppercuts to eventually slow Sydal down and to bring the match down to the mat where he could dominate Sydal with some interesting holds. Eventually Sydal made his big comeback, and after a small back-and-forth period, Sydal was able to pick up the win. Well above average match.

5) MILANO COLLECTION AT def. DANNY DANIELS (15:27) in an unexciting match. It wasn't bad by any means, neither did anything wrong and the match had the odd few moments of good action, it just lacked a certain 'spark'. Had a predictable formula as Milano raced to an early advantage before Daniels wore him down, targeting the neck that had been previously injured in the feud. Milano had a couple of unsuccessful comebacks before he did finally fight back into the match as the encounter came to a close. A simple finish for a simple match as Milano countered a 'Tombstone' attempt into the 'IR' to pick up the three count and to end the feud.

6) 'Classic' COLT CABANA and SAMOA JOE def. THE HAVANA PITBULLS (17:31) in a very good match. Joe and Cabana looked really good as they dominated the Pitbulls, the strength of the returning Joe playing a huge part. Just a few minutes in he hit the 'Ole Kick' on Reyes, and had his chokehold locked in on Romero a short while later, but only for a few seconds as Reyes made a quick save. One aspect of the match was the team-work of the Pitbulls. This coupled with a long time of tagging together played its part in the match as they isolated Cabana and wore him down for a long portion of the match. They really portrayed the Pitbulls as a well-oiled unit, at one point Romero distracting the referee as finally got a tag to Joe, meaning the referee didn't see the hot tag! A furious Joe was ordered back to his corner, protesting heavily, allowing the Pitbulls to double-team Cabana. Eventually around the fourteen minute mark, Cabana made the hot-tag and their was nothing the Pitbulls could do to stop Joe entering. Joe proceeded to kick ass, unleashing his pent up aggression to totally dominate Reyes and Romero. Soon enough though, the Pitbulls evened things out as the match came to a conclusion, which saw Joe take Romero out with a suicide dive, leaving Cabana and Reyes to fight in the ring. This lead to Reyes trying to clothesline Cabana, but Cabana was able to counter, ducking and grabbing the arm as Reyes went past. Cabana then had the time needed to hoist Reyes up for the 'Colt 45' and the three count! Cabana and Joe win!

7) Streetfight

JAY LETHAL def. JIMMY RAVE (16:58) with a 'Dragon Suplex' onto a chair. Decent action, but the worst of the Lethal/Rave matches, the more fight orientated gimmick didn't help them, and they seemed stuck for idea's in places. Still a perfectly acceptable match though, just maybe a bit too much brawling for the pair of them, including a good 3-4 minutes brawling in the crowd which dragged on a bit too much. When it was in the ring though, the action was good. Weapons aren't either man's forte, and these were wisely not used much, just the odd chair move. Lethal dominated the match about 60/40, but couldn't hit a big move to out a resilient Rave down for the three count. Rave had a period of dominance, after whipping Lethal hard into the crowd barrier and them spearing his back against the ringpost. This allowed him the chance to work on Lethal for a longer time and come close to victory. During his fightback, Rave hit a spear, but only got a two count, much to his annoyance. He took the padding off a turnbuckle, and tried to whip Lethal into the exposed steel, but Lethal countered and sent Rave flying into the solid steel before rolling Rave up. Many thought that was it, but Rave got a shoulder up at the last split second. The match went on for another minute or two, before Rave hit a 'Shining Wizard', but Lethal got a foot on the rope! In frustration, Rave went and got a chair. He got back into the ring and swung the chair at Lethal who ducked and kicked Rave in the gut. He tried for a powerbomb, but on picking Rave up, Rave countered by punching the temple of Lethal. Lethal dropped Rave in front of him, and Rave suddenly lifted Lethal into the 'Rave Clash'! 1-2-No! At 2.999 Lethal showed tremendous fight and courage to get s shoulder up! Rave went totally made, having a huge temper tantrum, before dragging the chair closer to him and Lethal. He picked Lethal up, and went for a second 'Rave Clash', this time onto the steel chair! He got Lethal's legs round his head, but as he went to tuck Jay's arms round his legs, Lethal struggled, and showed great body strength to pull his head and body up so he could punch Rave in the head to stun him, then locked his arms round Rave's head as he freed his legs and hit a DDT right onto the chair! The crowd applauded the counter. Rave may well have been out then, but to make sure, Lethal picked him up and hit the 'Dragon Suplex' right onto the chair again to pick up the big three count to end the feud! Lethal sold the match for a while, barely moving to get his breath and his bearings before leaving the ring, slapping the hands of a few fans. A dejected Rave stayed down for ages, before being helped out of the arena by officials to some jeers. Decent action, good last few minutes.

8) 30 Minute Ironman Match

'The Messiah of the Backbreaker' RODERICK STRONG def. CHARLIE HAAS 2-1 in sudden-death overtime (34:43). Very very good match, the match of the night until the main event. Match started with Strong in fine form as he really took the fight to Haas, and was getting closer and closer to scoring a pinfall, when totally against the momentum of the match, Haas rolled him up with a school-boy around the eight minute mark. Strong struggled to get his shoulders off the mat, but was unable to do so, and Haas scores the first fall of the match, totally against the 'run of play'. Strong was shocked, and as he looked for an equalising fall, this ultimately lead to him making a mistake - in this case trying to shoulder-charge Haas' gut in the turnbuckle, but Haas moved meaning Strong speared to ringpost – leading to Haas getting back into the match, and controlling the action his way. He wore Strong down for a lot of the middle portion of the match, but was unable to go 2-0 up to put the match further beyond the reach of Roderick Strong. Around the twenty minute mark, Strong came back and began to again take the fight to Haas, searching for a fall. He became stronger – no pun intended – and began to throw more and more at Haas, until around twenty-six minutes in, he hit a sequence of brutal backbreakers, moving from one to the next in such a fluid motion, and everyone thought that was the fall, but Haas somehow rolled a shoulder off the mat! However, just a few seconds later, Strong equalised the match when Haas went for a 'German Suplex', but Strong countered into one of his own into a small package to pick up the equaliser! The last few minutes were very even and the tension and drama were really cranked up as both went for it, trying to get the decision that would surely settle the match at this stage. It was literally counter-counter-move-counter-counter as the match swung back and forth like a pendulum, and as the match went into it's last scheduled minute both tried their various signature moves – the German Suplex and the 'Haas of Pain' from Haas, and a flurry of backbreaker and the 'CX03' from Strong – but neither man could land any of their big moves to settle it. Just as Haas was edging the exchanges and was maybe seconds away from hitting a match ending move, the timer ran out and we had a thirty-minute one-one draw.

Both men sold the gruelling match by staying still and getting some energy match, as officials discussed what to do. Haas seemed to want to call it a draw, but the crowd were chanting 'five more minutes' heavily. It was suggested the match continue. Strong seemed up for it, but Haas seemed to be reluctant to continue the match. The crowd chanted louder, and after looking out at the fans, Haas agreed to continue to fight. It was announced it was now 'next fall wins', and the crowd went nuts, this excellent match was to continue!

In overtime, Strong got a few moves in, but most of it was Haas dominated, firstly wearing Strong down more, after he had had a few minutes to recover, then he started hitting more 'mid level' moves for some near falls. Around the third minute of overtime, he his his bridged German Suplex, but Strong somehow kicked out! No-one could believe it, especially Haas, who banged his fists on the mat in frustration. He went back to work on Strong though, hitting more moves, when out of nowhere, totally without warning, Strong exploded, hitting an amazing, intense sequence of backbreakers in an almost singular, smooth fashion. It started when he countered a grapple with a go-behind and a double-knee backbreaker, then followed up with couple of regular backbreakers, a one-arm backbreaker, a pump-handle backbreaker, and his half-nelson backbreaker. The crowd popped huge for the vicious sequence, but it wasn't over as Strong capped the sequence off with the 'CX03'! Strong makes the cover, and the crowd, now at a frenzy after the gripping match, and the sequence of backbreakers they just saw count the fall at the top of their voices, 1-2-3! Strong gets the two-one overtime win! Strong slowly gets up, bent over with his hands of his knee's, and struggles for breath. The referee comes over and raises an arm, and the crowd cheer louder. Strong celebrates, as Haas gets to his feet. Haas looks into Strong s eyes for a second, then he raises Strong s arm, and nods his approval. He leaves Strong to celebrate in the ring, then to celebrate with the ringside fans as he makes a slow retreat, basking in the loud crowd response. Strong wins a great match, with some real drama and tension as it went on.

9) APW Championship

JERRY LYNN def. ALEX SHELLEY via DQ (15:38). Alex Shelley retains the APW Championship. Really good action here, and for what it was, was the match of the night, but the DQ finish may have been a disappointment. The story here was that Lynn was all over Shelley, dominating the match from the off. Shelley had little to no answer for Lynn's near continuous assault, and Lynn often countered any attempts from Shelley to gain some control of the match. There was only a couple of minutes in the middle of the match where Shelley got any meaningful offence in, the rest of the time relying on countering a move then heading to the outside to try and regain some composure and to try and bring down Lynn's momentum. In the end, Lynn was dominating the match nearly at 100% full control, and Shelley was getting nothing in. It would be a matter of seconds before Lynn hit the move to bring the Championship back to him, but the desperate Champion saw a chance of saving the belt, and raked the eyes of Lynn to buy himself a few extra seconds, but surely it was only delaying the inevitable title change. Shelley however used his time to get a chair from ringside – he'd obviously decided to lose via DQ but retain the title to fight another day! He got back into the ring, and swung the chair at Lynn, but Jerry was prepared for this blatant act of cheating, and ducked the chair-shot before drop-kicking Shelley, making him drop the chair! The crowd cheered loudly, as it appeared Lynn has survived Shelley's last gasp attempt at saving himself. The drop-kick sent Shelley staggering back against a turnbuckle, and Lynn followed up with a chin-lock Bulldog, sending Shelley crashing to the mat. The crowd reaction got louder as it seemed Lynn was now mere seconds from victory. Lynn signalled he was going up top, and came off the top rope with a frog-splash, but Shelley got his knee's up! The crowd booed as Lynn bent over on the canvas, clutching his abdomen, and booed louder still as Shelley picked up the chair and brought it crashing over Lynn's back for the instant DQ! Shelley loses, but retains the belt to fight another day! Shelley stood grinning in the ring as the decision was announced to the crowd, then as Lynn gingerly got to his feet, Shelley swung again and connected with a sickening shot to the forehead. Lynn crashed to the ground, and the camera showed he was bleeding badly from a cut on his forehead. Lynn lay motionless as Shelley collected his belt, then got back in the ring and stood over the downed Lynn, title in hand. He celebrated mockingly to the angry crowd, then as Lynn crawled over and sat against a turnbuckle, still extremely groggy, Shelley signalled for the mic.

Shelley got on the mic, and said once again he'd retained the APW Championship! But there's one problem. There's one person that is soiling this run for him. There's one person he hates more than anyone else, and his very presence is wrecking this title run for him. That person is the person that took him 'close, but not close enough' tonight, Jerry Lynn! The fact of the matter is, Shelley wants, no NEEDS, Lynn to be gone. He needs Lynn out of his life. That's why, he's prepared to give Lynn one final shot at the APW Championship next month. With one condition. If Lynn looses, he leaves APW forever! The crowd cheer the prospect of a match, as a very groggy, very 'out of it' Jerry Lynn, still slumped, bleeding against a turnbuckle is passed a mic by a member of the ring crew. Lynn says he hates Shelley just as much, and he wants rid of Shelley. He also says he'd love to fight for what should be his - the APW Championship – but the only way he's agreeing to the match is if the stipulation stands for Shelley too, if Shelley loses, he leaves APW forever! Shelley refuses, saying why should he sacrifice a career ahead of him for an old man on the verge of retirement? He goes to walk off, but Lynn reminds him what he'd just said, how much hate there is, and how much he wants Lynn to be gone. Shelley turns round, the anger visible in his eyes. Shelley defiantly says he wants Lynn off his back SO much, but isn't going to agree to the stipulation. Lynn has a compromise. The loser is suspended for ninety-days, that gets them out of the others way for a short while. Shelley likes the sound of that, but how does he know that after Lynn loses and comes back, he won't just come right for the championship again? Lynn suggests that on top of that, the loser NEVER gets an APW Championship match again, so long as the other is Champ. Shelley says no way, he isn't giving up on the belt should a miracle happen an Lynn win. He goes to walk up the ramp, and the crowd start to boo, and chant 'Chicken-shit'! Lynn gets on the mic again and runs Shelley down, ending by calling Shelley a 'spine-less, yellow son-of-a-bitch'! Shelley turns and power-walks to the ring. Shelley, as angry as he's ever been seen, asks Lynn if he wants the title match next month. Lynn nods. Shelley goes through the stipulations, asking if he wants the loser to be suspended for ninety-days. Lynn nods. Shelley asks if the loser will never get another title match so long as the other is champ. Lynn nods. Shelley says 'YOUR ON!' and slaps Lynn hard across his face. Lynn slaps him back harder, to the delight of the crowd. Shelley swings for Lynn, but Lynn blocks the shot and gives Shelley a shot of his own. Shelley again swings for Lynn, but Lynn blocks and again punches Shelley. Again. Shelley can't touch Lynn, as Jerry parry several attacks and has Shelley reeling, before clotheslining him over the top to the floor, Shelley dropping the Championship belt in the ring. Realising his belt in missing, Shelly reaches an arm into the ring to grab it, but Lynn kicks him away, and swings a leg at Shelley. Shelley jumps back, then scurries off to the back, leaving the belt in the ring. Lynn pus the belt on his shoulder, and pats it, admiring the fit, then gets on each turnbuckle in turn and celebrates with the belt, to the delight of the crowd. He finally gets down and puts the belt around his waits and raises his arms as the live show ends, the crowd chanting 'Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!'

--- One quick segment ends the home release. Ricky Reyes and Rocky Romero walk down a corridor, and stop outside an un-marked door. Romero goes to knock, but Reyes grabs his arm to stop him. Reyes asks if Romero is sure about this? Romero says come on, what's the worst that can happen? Romero says they just go in there, tell their story, say what they want to do. If he throws us out, or won't listen, isn't interested, whatever at least we've tried. Come on. Reyes agrees, and they knock on the door before entering the room.

- End Show -

Quick Results:

1)Hallowicked def. Fast Eddie Vegas and Salvatore Rinauro (11:31) ***

2)The Wildcards def. The Ring Crew Express and The Aerial Express (10:37) **1/2

3)Delirious def. Sedrick Strong (11:13) ***

4)Matt Sydal def. Claudio Castagnoli (14:44) ***1/2

5)Milano Collection AT def. Danny Daniels (15:27) ***

6)Colt Cabana and Samoa Joe def. The Havana Pitbulls (17:31) ***3/4

7)Streetfight: Jay Lethal def. Jimmy Rave (16:58) **3/4

8)Ironman Match: Roderick Strong def. Charlie Haas 2-1 (34:43) ****

9)Jerry Lynn def. Alex Shelley via DQ (15:38) ****1/4

Thoughts: An all round great show. APW wanted to establish this as a yearly event to look forward to, and this will have done the world of good. The last two matches are ****star plus and are worth getting the tape for themselves, if the Ironman match is more about drama and tension than it is about great ring-work (although the last ten minutes or so are great in that respect). The DQ finish to the main event does mar a fantastic match slightly, but adds to the build to next months match which could be a classic with the added stipulations. The Cabana/Joe vs. The Pitbulls tag match is very good also, and stands out from a solid midcard, which features a good Sydal/Castagnoli match, as well as a solid encounter from Delirious and Sedrick Strong. LethaL/Rave is the worst of their encounters, but not by any means bad, and Milano/Daniels is again unspectacular rather than bad. The two opening matches do the job, the three-way was exciting with some good spots, and the triangle match was 'there', not doing anything great but not letting the show down. Overall, lots of fun.

[DFF]

Very nice show, dude. I'm liking the Lynn v Shelley feud.

And Hallowicked HAS to be Delrious' partner!

[stonecoldfan12345]

Awesome, awesome show! Totally loved the Ironman match, and the Main Event. Can't wait for Shelley/Lynn One More Time in a Steel Cage. Should be off the charts! You've done an awesome job so far! Hope this continues to go strong!

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Thanks for the positive feedback, glad you enjoyed the show. I'm certainly trying to keep writing this, and trying to come up with things that make this go on. Thanks again.

News Round-up, All on the Line, and APW Lightweight Championship tournament!

--- One of the biggest stories heading into 'All on the Line' concerns JIMMY RAVE. Rave was scheduled to face EL GENERICO at All on the Line, but Rave has sensationally threatened to walk out on APW! Rave says it was highly unfair of APW management to book Rave in the Streetfight at 'Summer Showdown', especially since he'd beaten Jay Lethal 'so many' times before. He also says that the streetfight stipulation constituted 'unfair brutality and management negligence'. To stay with APW, Rave wants a full apology from management, and an instant APW Championship match.

Aside from the face Rave never endeared himself to management, APW will do anything possible to stop its main title belt being used as a ransom, or being degraded by individuals. The long and short of the story is that APW management feel they gave Jimmy Rave everything he had coming to him, and refused his demands. Rave is refusing to come to any more APW shows, so in short, don't expect to see Rave in APW any time soon.

We will announce a new choice of opponent for El Generico soon.

--- Looking at happier news, APW has selected a date for the upcoming Lightweight Championship tournament! Sunday (not the regular Friday) October 15th in Philadelphia will see the first ever APW Lightweight Champion crowned!

APW initially intended a two night, large tournament featuring sixteen to twenty-four competitors, but after negotiations with several top lightweights from around the world, decided to not overlook the excellent lightweight wrestlers already on the roster, and concentrate on a smaller, one night tournament of eight competitors. That doesn't mean that you wont see any top lightweights that you haven't already seen before however, as three international lightweights have signed for the tournament, two of which haven't wrestled in APW yet. We can hereby announce that one of these competitors is 'The Playa from the Himalaya', SONJAY DUTT! That's right, Sonjay Dutt will be apart of the tournament to crown the first ever APW Lightweight Champion on October 15th in Philly! This could be your only chance to see Sonjay Dutt in APW, because unless he wins the title, his contract is for one night only. If he does win the tournament, he will come back to defend the belt when his international schedule permits. Don't miss out on your chance to see this, it promises to blow the roof of in Philly. See the 'Events' section of this site for ticket info. The other competitors will be announced nearer the time.

--- There is one more piece of news for 'Lightweight Championship Tourney' on October 15th. A non-tournament match has been signed. October 15th will be the night RODERICK STRONG gets his APW Championship match for winning his feud with CHARLIE HAAS. He will face the winner of the ALEX SHELLEY/JERRY LYNN cage match. Strong is on a roll at the moment, and he could become a double champion on the night we crown the first APW Lightweight Champion.

--- Back to news for 'All on the Line'. Nothing much has been said by either ALEX SHELLEY or JERRY LYNN ahead of their All on the Line cage match. However, head to the 'Specials' section of the website for the feud history! Find out how did we reach this momentous match!

--- A huge stakes four-corners match has been added to All on the Line, where the winner gets a championship match at the title of their choice! MATT SYDAL, who won his professional rivalry with CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI is in. MILANO COLLECTION AT qualifies after winning his feud with DANNY DANIELS. Castagnoli himself qualifies for beating Milano at 'Second City Invasion', and the fourth competitor will be JAY LETHAL, who won the war against JIMMY RAVE! With championships at stake, its all on the line for Sydal, Milano, Castagnoli and Lethal, but who will prevail?

--- Speaking of MATT SYDAL, he has said he wants some of DANNY DANIELS. Daniels used underhand tactics to beat Sydal at 'Second City Invasion', and Sydal wants some vengeance! However, with the four-way already signed for All on the Line, and the Lightweight Championship Tournament coming the month after, it may be some time before Sydal gets his wish to face Daniels.

--- THE HAVANA PITBULLS say they aren't through with COLT CABANA. They say that someone else has joined their 'team' in APW, and it will send shock waves throughout APW. This person will reveal themselves at All on the Line. Cabana has said he will be there to see who has aligned themselves with the Pitbulls.

--- The Pitbulls themselves have a match at 'All on the Line'. They have been signed to face THE AERIAL EXPRESS of Scorpio Sky and Quicksilver. APW originally intended The Express to face SOUTHERN COMFORT, but with Chris Hamrick injured, the Pitbulls will face them instead.

--- The Tag team Championship match has been sorted for All on the Line! In probably the most bizarre combination to fight for the belts, DELIRIOUS will team with MILANO COLLECTION AT! Milano will be replaced in the four-way by DANNY DANIELS, who recently beat MATT SYDAL. Sydal also partly gets his wish to fight Daniels in APW, but not in the one-on-one contest he really wants. RODERICK STRONG is on a roll at the moment however, and this will be the ninth month of a wonderful title reign for the champions so far. Will Strong gain more momentum going into his APW Championship match next month, or will Delirious and Milano come through and win the belts?

--- You may remember back at the 'A Little Respect' weekend that HOMICIDE promised that he wouldn't cheat to beat CHARLIE HAAS, then went and cheated to beat Charlie Haas? Well, this time ahead of their match at All on the Line, Homicide has promised there will be NO promises, only the promise that Haas is going to get the beating of a life-time. Haas says Homicide is just all mouth, and will make Homicide regret cheating in their first encounter. Haas is also looking to bounce back following his recent defeat to Roderick Strong.

--- THE WILDCARDS and THE RING CREW EXPRESS will do battle on September 15th at All on the Line. These two teams are developing a little rivalry, most recently continued by the way The Wildcards won the three-way tag team match at 'Summer Showdown'. This match could have major implications for the tag team division.

--- HALLOWICKED will face the debuting, fellow CHIKARA graduate JIGSAW at All on the Line. In a match of two co-trainees, will Hallowicked keep his recent win streak alive? Hallowicked will almost certainly be apart of the tournament to crown the first APW Lightweight Champion, but can Jigsaw pull out a win? If he does, he may just squeeze in the back door for the tourney, otherwise, it may just be too late for him to enter.

--- A midcard rivalry ends on September 15th as JAMES KEENAN and JOSH DANIELS do battle. Both men need a win to move up the card, hell to even stay on the card. It's a battle to get noticed and get a good spot, so both men will be looking for a big win, particularly Keenan, who has been pinned twice by Daniels on recent shows.

--- SALVATORE RINAURO has stepped in to face EL GENERICO at All on the Line after JIMMY Rave sensationally walked out on APW. APW officials have decided to up the stakes for this match – the winner will qualify for the APW Lightweight Championship Tournament, the loser won't! With this on the line, will 'The Generic Luchadore' win on his debut, or will Rinauro get through for a chance at gold? Find out at All on the Line!

Edited March 22, 2006 by timmayy smothers

[stonecoldfan12345]

Looks to be a pretty good card. Have no idea, really, as to who will be joining the Pitbulls' "Pack", but I can't wait to find out, none-the-less. Like I said, you've come up with some great ideas so far, and I hope they continue to get even better. Good Luck!

Predictions

APW Championship

All on the Line STEEL CAGE MATCH

- Loser is suspended for 90 days.

- Loser will never get another APW Championship match, so long as the winner is Champion.

Alex Shelley © vs. Jerry Lynn

I think Jerry Lynn wins the feud, and goes on to defend in a great match against Roderick Strong.

APW Tag Team Championships

The Strong Brothers (Roderick and Sedrick Strong) © vs. Milano Collection AT and Delirious

Successful defense, allowing the Title defense to be "Champion vs. Champion"

Charlie Haas vs. 'The Notorious 187' Homicide

Four-corners match

Winner gets a title match of their choice!

Matt Sydal vs. 'Double C' Claudio Castagnoli vs. Danny Daniels vs. Jay Lethal

The Havana Pitbulls (Ricky Reyes/Rocky Romero) vs. The Aerial Express (Scorpio Sky/Quicksilver)

Josh Daniels vs. 'Sterling' James Keenan

Winner Qualifies for the APW Lightweight Championship tournament

Salvatore Rinauro vs. 'The Generic Luchadore' El Generico

Jigsaw vs. Hallowicked

The Wildcards (Eddie Kingston/'Black' Jack Marciano) vs. The Ring Crew Express (Dunn/Marcos)

[NobBe Nobbs]

Predictions

APW Championship

All on the Line STEEL CAGE MATCH

- Loser is suspended for 90 days.

- Loser will never get another APW Championship match, so long as the winner is Champion.

Alex Shelley © vs. Jerry Lynn

While I can see the merits in Lynn finally getting the win and knocking Shelley off his pedestal, that's become such a cliche in recent years that I don't think you'd do it. Hence, Shelley to win and put Lynn out of APW.

APW Tag Team Championships

The Strong Brothers (Roderick and Sedrick Strong) © vs. Milano Collection AT and Delirious

I'm a notorious Roderick Strong mark, so I'll have to go with he and Sedrick to retain here. They just seem to be more deserving and all-round better champions than Milano and Delirious would be.

Charlie Haas vs. 'The Notorious 187' Homicide

Wafer-thin decision here, as I love both guys' styles, but right now I just prefer Homicide.

Four-corners match

Winner gets a title match of their choice!

Matt Sydal vs. 'Double C' Claudio Castagnoli vs. Danny Daniels vs. Jay Lethal

I'm thinking Jay Lethal might steal it, but I have to go with Double C to keep the European presence alive.

The Havana Pitbulls (Ricky Reyes/Rocky Romero) vs. The Aerial Express (Scorpio Sky/Quicksilver)

Much as I love me some Quicksilver, the Pitbulls seem like the more obvious choice, solely because of the new member of the pack. I'm thinking a victory through his/her interference

Josh Daniels vs. 'Sterling' James Keenan

Because I've seen much more of Sterling than I have of Daniels

Winner Qualifies for the APW Lightweight Championship tournament

Salvatore Rinauro vs. 'The Generic Luchadore' El Generico

It wasn't long ago that Sal was fighting for his job, so there is no way he's going to beat El Gen in a normal match, let alone a qualifier.

Jigsaw vs. Hallowicked

Jigsaw = debutante. Debuting people do seem to win more often.

The Wildcards (Eddie Kingston/'Black' Jack Marciano) vs. The Ring Crew Express (Dunn/Marcos)

Just because.

[DFF]

Predictions

APW Championship

All on the Line STEEL CAGE MATCH

- Loser is suspended for 90 days.

- Loser will never get another APW Championship match, so long as the winner is Champion.

Alex Shelley © vs. Jerry Lynn

Shelley to win, but to lose the title before Lynn returns in three months time. Lynn returns, winning a number one contenders match. Shelley thinks he's safe with the 'so-long'as'he's champion' rule, only for it to be negated due to him losing it in the meantime. Or something like that.

APW Tag Team Championships

The Strong Brothers (Roderick and Sedrick Strong) © vs. Milano Collection AT and Delirious

I could honestly see Roderick becoming double champ, for a short time. I reckon Shelley to win the ME, then Strong v Shelley feud where they trade the belt. Shelley cheats to win the blow-off and loses the belt to Lynn shortly afterwards.

Charlie Haas vs. 'The Notorious 187' Homicide

By, you got it, cheating. A few more 'cheat' wins leading to a stipulation match where Haas wins. Possibly a cage match.

Four-corners match

Winner gets a title match of their choice!

Matt Sydal vs. 'Double C' Claudio Castagnoli vs. Danny Daniels vs. Jay Lethal

Don't ask me why - I've just a got a feeling with this one. I also like how its a title match of their choice. Have a feeling it will be for lightweight or tag titles. Kind of in a money i the bank kind of way.

The Havana Pitbulls (Ricky Reyes/Rocky Romero) vs. The Aerial Express (Scorpio Sky/Quicksilver)

Result doesn't really matter. I'm guessing it's here we'll see who the new pitbull will be.

Josh Daniels vs. 'Sterling' James Keenan

SJK all the way!

Winner Qualifies for the APW Lightweight Championship tournament

Salvatore Rinauro vs. 'The Generic Luchadore' El Generico

Can't see the 'replacment' winning, so ElGen it is!

Jigsaw vs. Hallowicked

Hallowicked has a big of a hot streak in APW. Can see this continuing.

The Wildcards (Eddie Kingston/'Black' Jack Marciano) vs. The Ring Crew Express (Dunn/Marcos)

meh

[Timmoru Suzuki]

All on the Line

September 15th 2006

Edison, New Jersey

--- Two small interviews start the home release version of the show, one with Homicide and one with Charlie Haas. Both are good, but very basic interviews, on hype duty for their match later tonight, 'Cide basically saying he's beaten Haas before, and he will again and Haas saying he is looking for a measure of revenge. We are told that ahead of the huge Cage match, we will have the thoughts of Alex Shelley and Jerry Lynn later on.

1) THE WILDCARDS def. THE RING CREW EXPRESS (10:05) in a below average opener. Ring Crew are fired up at first, and really take the fight to the Wildcards in the early going. They hit some dives to the floor to get the crowd fired up, but ultimately the Wildcards manage to isolate Marcos and wear him down in a part of the match that dragged on a bit too much. Eventually, Marcos gets the hot tag as The RCE get back into the action and the match comes to a close. The RCE had the better of the closing exchanges and it seemed they would win it. However, the finish sees Marciano pin Dunn with a low-blow/roll-up/hands on tights combo. The Wildcards pick up a second cheap win on Dunn and Marcos. Rather than leave it at that, Eddie Kingston takes Marcos' head off with a vicious clothesline, and he and Marciano set a table up at ringside. They throw the downed Marcos out of the ring, then pick-up Dunn, clubbing his back a few times to quash any potential fightback, then deliver a brutal double-powerbomb over the top rope through the table! The crowd reaction is a mix of boos and a 'Holy Shit' chant, as Dunn lays lifeless on the floor, surrounded by table debris. The Wildcards soak up the abuse from the crowd before leaving ringside, job very much done. Marcos gets to his feet, and sees his partner. He crawls over, and signals to the back for help. A bunch of officials come running down the ramp to help Dunn – rather carry the still lifeless Dunn – to the back. Sub-par opener, but nothing too offensive.

HALLOWICKED def. JIGSAW in a bad match (9:37). This was quite a bad match. For whatever reason, they just didn't work well together at all, and the match wasn't saved by even the slightest of good sequences or any memorable spots. The match didn't really seem to contain anything at all really, it was just a bland and boring and plodding ten minutes of action. Nothing at all happened, nothing went anywhere. The pair just didn't work well and the end result was a bad contest. Was literally like they had no idea what to do for time, which is slightly surprising. Hallowicked wins with the 'Monsta Mash' to keep his winning streak going into the APW Lightweight Championship tournament. Goldberg, eat ya heart out.

3) Winner qualifies for the APW Lightweight Championship tournament

EL GENERICO def. SALVATORE RINAURO (11:22). Another not too great match. This must be the worst three matches in a row this company has done, though to be fair only the second match was bad, this and the opener were just 'non-de script'. Not such a bad contest, it was solid and watchable enough. Generico appeared to be very 'spotty', having a few really good dives, including a corkscrew plancha to the floor, but not bringing much else to the table. This left Rinauro to do most of the wrestling basics, and he put in a decent performance. After about eleven minutes of so-so action, Generico wins by countering a backslide attempt into one of his own. Rinaruo kicked out at two, but got right up into a knee to the gut and the 'Brainbustaah' allowing Generico to score the win. The odd good spot and a good little patch toward the end were the bright sparks of an honest but in the end nothing close to special contest.

4) 'Sterling' JAMES KEENAN def. JOSH DANIELS in what was for quite a while the match of the night (12:59). These two really worked hard to bring a very enjoyable technical contest to the undercard in a good match. Keenan showed some resiliency, kicking out of several suplex varieties like a German and a Northern lights, and survived having his neck worked on during sections of the match, and Daniels looked good as he was just the more dominant. In the end, Keenan managed to hit the 'MK Ultra' to pick up a hard earned and impressive win. Good contest.

5) THE HAVANA PITBULLS def. THE AERIAL EXPRESS (13:18) in another perfectly good contest. Nice match on the card, but nothing to go ape-shit over. Fast paced opening as the Express hit some fancy speedy moves to have the Pitbulls reeling. Match then turned into a more strike based affair, particularly as the Pitbulls used some hard kicks and stiff chops, though the AXP put up a reasonable fight in this regard, this slightly different style was the one of the better parts of the match. Pitbulls were the slightly more dominant team, as they isolated Quicksilver for quite a while with a wide range of holds, before the hot tag. This lead to an enjoyable last few minutes, where The Aerial Express almost won on a few occasions, most noteablely when Quicksilver hit the 'Silver Slice' on Reyes, but in the end, Romero locked in his 'Jumping Armbar' on Scorpio Sky who had no choice but to tap out. The Havana Pitbulls win a solid tag team contest.

--- After the match, Colt Cabana comes into the ring, and says its time to find out. He asks who the newest member of The Pack is. Before either Reyes or Romero can answer, Samoa Joe comes into the ring, and stands next to Cabana with a 'come on' look on his face. Reyes and Romero shift on their feet, nervous at Joe's presence. Romero gets on the mic. “The newest member of 'The Pack' is.....” He stops, and pauses, building the tension. He starts again. “The newest member of 'The Pack' is.....” He stops again, it's almost like he daren't say. He's about to begin again, when Joe steps forward and stands alongside Reyes and Romero! The crowd have a stunned silence, and as what has happened sinks in, Cabana can be seen to mouth 'Son of a Bitch'. Joe grabs a mic, amid some 'You sold out' chants, but generally the crowd were either stunned silent, or just wanted to hear what he was going to say. Joe says this wasn't about Cabana. This wasn't to screw Cabana over, or to 'turn on Cabana' or to be a big 'turn', but for other reasons. Cabana asks like what? Joe says that he joined the APW roster to face the best competition in the world. And for a while, that was true, like in his feud with Christopher Daniels. But then Daniels left, and the great opponents for Joe dried up. What did he get after Daniels left? He isn't booked. When he is, He get's put in a throw-away triple threat with two 'curtain jerkers'. He gets a midcard tag team match as part of someone else's feud on what was meant to be the biggest show of the year. The point is, the great competition, the best competition in the world was gone. Being a member of 'The Pack' will find him the best competition in the world again. Joe says he did this because Joe wants good opponents. He says he did this for Professional Wrestling, because Samoa Joe IS Professional Wrestling! And if being in 'The Pack' makes him hated, then so be it. Colt shakes his head in disgust. Whilst Joe was talking, the Pitbulls very slowly began to move, and as Cabana shakes his head, they attack! They don't do much, but do give him some shots and then throw him out of the ring. Cabana, from the aisle looks into the ring, angry and goes to attack, but the Pitbulls stomp on him every time he tries to enter the ring. We see the sight of the newest group in APW, The Pack of Samoa Joe, Ricky Reyes and Rocky Romero standing tall probably put him off slightly! Cabana makes some threats about this 'not being over' and heads for the back, as Joe, Reyes and Romero play to a now booing crowd.

6) MATT SYDAL def. DANNY DANIELS, 'Double C' CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI and JAY LETHAL (15:45) in a solid four-way. Quite a technical affair, rather than the faster paced four-ways we normally see. Quite a lot of the match was more a feeling out process as everyone got a lot of ring-time to show their stuff, but with no-one being really worn down and no advantage was sufficiently gained by anyone. It was like that for around ten minutes, maybe more before the 'break down' that lead to the finish. This last five minutes was the most noteworthy part of the match after the slow, ground based start and began with Sydal and Lethal teaming up to do a double dive to the floor to take Daniels and Castagnoli out. Sydal threw Double C back in the ring and went for a cover, but Lethal broke it up, signalling the end of their team work. The match continued and in the next few minutes, all had their chances to win, Castagnoli almost pinned Sydal with his 'Money Dive Headbutt', but again Lethal was on hand to make the save. Lethal and Daniels traded finishers (the 'Dragon Suplex' and the 'Tombstone' respectively) but on both occasions Castagnoli was on hand to break the fall up. In the end, Lethal was still down from the Tombstone, and Daniels took Castagnoli out with a spiral bomb. Sydal came and attacked him, and they exchanged punches, before Sydal was able to hit the 'Uranage' for the three count. After, Sydal being the sportsman that he is, offered everyone a handshake. Lethal shook hands, as did a very be-grudging Claudio Castagnoli. Daniels got to his feet, and Sydal offered a hand out. Daniels took a look at Sydal, and for a moment looked like he would shake his hand, but then slapped Sydal across the face. The crowd jeered this lack of sportsmanship as Daniels got out of the ring, and stormed off to the back. Decent action.

7) APW Tag Team Championships

THE STRONG BROTHERS def. DELIRIOUS and MILANO COLLECTION AT to retain (16:26). Good match, with some funny comedy spots thrown in, mostly at Delirious and Milano trying to communicate, but with Delirious speaking gibberish and Milano speaking Italian with a heavy Japanese accent, that was always going to be tough! Crowd were quite split, but ever so slightly favouring the champions, until the finish when just a few more were cheering the prospect of a title change. Match started as a mat based contest, but one with a lot of counters so no hold was 'sat in' for long, but soon became a very fast wrestling contest with lots of different pro wrestling moves and counters rather than a slow, hold based match. This was actually pushed as the closest the Strongs have come to losing the title belts, as Delirious and Milano went move for move with them and on a fair few occasions were only a split second away from winning the belts. Delirious had Sedrick beat with the 'Chemical Imbalance' about twelve minutes in only for Roderick to make the last gasp save at 2.999, and a couple of minutes later, Milano hit the 'IR' on Roderick only to be denied by a foot on the rope at the last second. Delirious also almost won with a couple of different pinning combinations that the Strong Brothers only just kicked out of. This isn't to say the Strong's were dominated, because they got a lot of moves in too and the match was every much 50/50, but the challengers seemed to have the mist near falls. In the end though, the champions won through. Milano and Sedrick fought on the outside as Delirious and Roderick were in the ring. Delirious hits the 'Bizarro Driver', but only gets a long-two count, much to the astonishment of some in the crowd who thought that was it. Delirious is up, and seems to want to hit one last big move to out the match away. He lifts Roderick up, and sets him up for the 'Chemical Imbalance', but Roderick fights off with some elbows to the gut. Delirous though clubs the back of Roderick a few times and again goes for the imbalance. This time however, Roderick does a quick go-behind and hits his trademark 'Half Nelson Backbreaker', followed by a pump-handle backbreaker! The impact sends Delirious some way across the ring. The crowd sense this could be it, as the noise rises, but Delirious is right back up, acting solely on adrenaline. Delirious clenches his fists and shouts at the top of his voice, signifying he was 'in the zone' and charges at Strong. Strong hasn't seen this, as he took a second to get some breath back, and he begins to run at Delirious, they're both running for each other, head on. Delirious goes for a lariat – but gets turned inside out with a HUGE Yakuza kick! Strong goes for the cover. Milano slides in the ring – but Sedrick grabs his foot! 1-2-3! The Strongs retain again in a very hard-fought and close contest. All four shake hands after, and the crowd cheers the fighting, competitive yet very 'clean' effort from both teams. By scoring the win in his last three matches, and with a winning streak going back further, Roderick Strong is now at full momentum going into his APW Championship match next month.

--- There is a pre-taped interview on the home release with Jerry Lynn. Bit longer than a normal interview, and more of the style of a 'sit-down' interview than a promo. Lasted about three minutes. Lynn talks about being the first APW Champion, then how the feud with Alex Shelley started with Shelley calling Lynn selfish, and washed up amongst other things. Lynn goes on to say how heated the rivalry has become, and how Shelly has got himself into a situation he can't handle, into a battle he can't win, because with it all on the line, Jerry Lynn will shut Alex Shelley up for good, and once again be the APW Champion.

8)'The Notorious 187' HOMICIDE def. CHARLIE HAAS (20:17). Match of the night, a very good match. About as good as their match at 'A Little Respect' weekend night one, maybe even a touch better. After exchanging a lot of wild punches and letting the match become a mini-brawl for a few minutes – playing up the issue between the two of them – Homicide tried restraining Haas with various ground moves like Headlocks, chinlocks, arm-bars and the like, but Haas always found a way of escaping. This kept the flow of the match going, and was the theme of the match for a good portion, lasting until around the quarter of an hour mark where the action sped up and we had the typical 'all out finish' that so many matches have to really crank up the drama of the match potentially going either way. Last few minutes saw a lot of signature moves as Homicide scored two counts with an 'Ace Crusher' and had a 'Cop Killah' countered, and Haas had a German suplex blocked. He also locked the 'Haas of Pain' in, but only for a few seconds as Homicide was way too close to the ropes. For the finish of the match, Homicide hit a devastating 'Lariat' on Haas, and goes for the cover, 1-2-Haas kicks out! In frustration, Homicide gets up, and begins taking the padding off the nearest turnbuckle. The referee comes over to stop him, but Homicide shoves him off – not hard, but enough to keep him away for a few seconds. He uses this time to just practically tear the padding off the turnbuckle. He picks Haas up, and whips him toward the exposed ringpost, but Haas counters, and sends Homicide flying back-first into the steel! Homicide yells in pain and holds is back, whilst Haas takes a second to shake off the effects of the lariat. He then runs at Homicide, put the second or so's rest he took was long enough for Homicide to recover a bit from hitting the turnbuckle, and he gets a boot up to block Haas' attack. Undeterred, Haas shakes the boot off at runs and Homicide again, but Homicide side-steps, and as Haas goes past him, 'Cide shoves him in the back adding to Haas' momentum and Haas hits the exposed steel head first at great speed! Haas, damn near knocked out staggers back, and begins to fall to the floor. The notorious 187 stops him falling – but by locking him in position for the 'Cop Killah'! This is over, 1-2-3! After, Homicide celebrates his win as the crowd boo. Homicide taunts the crowd and swears insults before heading to the back, happy with his win. A very, very very groggy Haas sits up, and it becomes apparent he is busted WIDE open from the turnbuckle steel, blood pouring down his face. He gingerly gets to his feet and the crowd clap, in appreciation of the effort and for a good match. Still very shaky on his feet, he is helped out of the ring by the referee, but slowly makes his own way to the back, the majority of his face still thick with blood. Very good effort from both here, and it added a lot to their feud.

---- An Alex Shelley interview plays on the home release. Shelley says tonight it's all on the line and tonight he wants to get Jerry Lynn out of the way for good. He wants to put Lynn out of his misery and prove that Jerry Lynn is past it. He says Lynn was selfish coming into APW, keeping younger stars down, and he's been more selfish for continuing this vendetta against Alex Shelley and hogging the title scene because its stopping the younger competitors rising to the top. He wants Jerry Lynn out of his life for good, because he's sick of him, he HATES him. Shelley raises his belt, then looks at it. There is a moment where Shelley looks defeated, where he mentally says goodbye to his belt. This is only fleeting however, as the confident demeanour soon returns and Shelley finishes by saying he'll never have to worry about Jerry Lynn again after tonight.

9)APW Championship

Steel Cage Match

Loser is suspended for ninety days. Also, the loser will never get another APW Championship match so long as the winner is Champion.

ALEX SHELLEY def. JERRY LYNN (25:52) to retain. Good match. From a pure wrestling prospective this wasn't as good as some of their past matches, but the cage did add some added drama to the match, basically putting slightly more focus on story rather than in their previous matches. Still some very good wrestling though. Shelley refused to get into the ring at first, looking in fear at the cage structure, and stalling by walking round and round the ring, looking anxious at the cage. Shelley tried to escape at every opportunity early on, but Lynn was never worn down enough to make this a feisable plan. Realising he was locked in, and would have to fight his big nemesis, Shelley finally tried to wrestle the match, but as as Summer Showdown, Lynn was too good, often dominating exchanges, and it was beginning to look like a matter of time before he won the belt. Lynn was even more dangerous with the cage as a weapon, often ramming Shelley into the unforgiving steel, or running his head along the mesh. It wasn't long before the champion was bleeding steadily from a cut on his forehead. Whatever offence Shelley could get in was merely a delay in the assault, when just over quarter of an hour in, Shelley managed to get a sequence of moves in, ending with a brainbuster that got a two count. Not long after, Shelley managed to lock in the 'Border City Stretch'! It was in the middle of the ring, so many thought it would be the same end as the match where Shelley won the belt, and Lynn writhed in pain, before trying to make the ropes. He got about half-way to the ropes, before Shelley was able to lock the hold in at a worse angle, cranking up the pressure! Lynn looked sure to tap soon, and a few times his hand went as if to tap, but the big match situation and the opportunity he had (never mind pride) forced Lynn to hold on just that second longer, just that second longer, until he slowly clawed his way to the bottom rope! Shelley couldn't believe it, and kicked out al Lynn in pure frustration. This was to be Shelley's 'best' portion of the match though, as he was able to work on Lynn for several minutes, at one point believing he had the match won when he pulled out the 'Sliced Bread No. 2', only for Lynn to show great resiliency by getting a shoulder up at two. Shelley now was livid and threatened to attack the referee. His pure frustration soon got the better of him though, as a wild swing was ducked by Lynn and Lynn hit the 'Cradle Piledriver'! The crowd got on its feet and the place went wild as the crowd counted the fall, 1-2-NO!!! It's Shelley's turn to show heart and fight for the APW Championship as he barely rolls his shoulder off the ground as the ref's hand is milliseconds away from counting the three. Lynn runs his fingers through his hair, then picks Shelley up and continues to work Shelley over, as the champion barely gets any offence in for a couple of minutes, only really acting when he had to dive across the ring to stop Lynn going out of the door. Eventually, he fought back, and the pair exchanged counters, before Shelley went for the 'Shellshock', but Lynn twisted Shelley round and up into another 'Cradle Piledriver'! The crowd popped, but as Shelley was quite close to the ropes, and maybe not thinking 100% clearly after a long and brutal match, Lynn began to climb the cage. He was practically at the top before Shelley showed any signs of life whatsoever, and Lynn was to begin climbing over before Shelley was on his feet. Looking up at Lynn in despair, Shelley just flung himself at the cage and scrambled up slightly to grab Lynn's leg as Jerry was climbing over the top. Shelley pulled himself up, partly using Lynn's leg, and this also pulled Jerry slightly further back towards the ring. The pair met, both sat at the top of the cage, and the anticipation in the arena was huge. They began to trade punches. At first, these were shrugged off, but the more and more that came, the more the accumulative impact set in, and the groggier both looked. At one point, a punch had knocked Shelley off, but he began to fall to the outside, Lynn having to grab him to stop him falling to the ground and winning the match. Both had an opening to try and climb down, but the other always reacted quickly to stop an escape. After a tense minute or two slugging it out atop the cage, Shelley threw a right that sent Lynn toppling back into the ring, where he was crotched on the top rope! An expression of agony filled Lynn's face, and the crowd gasped (most of the guys in a kind of knowing wince). The punch however had unbalanced Shelley, and the Champion had to do a 'controlled fall' down the cage to meet Lynn on the middle of the top rope (this time he landed feet on the ropes though), supported by the cage wall. Shelley, with a height advantage (being stood to Lynn being kinda sat) punched away at Lynn, but the challenger fought back and soon had the champ reeling. Lynn came and joined Shelley in standing on the middle of the top rope, and punched him a few more times, before Shelley quickly blocked a punch, then wrapped his arm round Lynn's head. He pushed Lynn back against the cage, then with the headlock still applied jumped off the cage with a modified Shellshock! Shelley hits a top rope Shellshock! Lynn only lands next to him, so all Shelley has to do is throw an arm across Lynn's chest, 1-2-3! Shelley has done it! Against all the odds, Shelley has retained the APW Championship, and shown he can be a fighting champion when he needs to be. Lynn is suspended for ninety days, and can never get another APW Championship match so long as Shelley is the champion! The crowd can't believe it, but applaud the match and the effort of both men. Neither moves for a short while, selling the brutality of the match, before Shelley uses the ropes to pull himself up and is handed his belt. He has a shocked, almost look of non-belief on his face, before this turns to the usual cocky, arrogant smirk. He stands above Lynn, holding the belt above his head in celebration as the show ends.

- End Show -

Quick Results:

1) The Wildcards def. The Ring Crew Express (10:05) **1/2

2) Hallowicked def. Jigsaw (9:37) *1/2

3) El Generico def. Salvatore Rinauro (11:22) **1/2

4) James Keenan def. Josh Daniels (12:59) ***1/2

5) The Havana Pitbulls def. The Aerial Express (13:18) ***1/4

6) Matt Sydal def. Danny Daniels, Claudio Castagnoli and Jay Lethal (15:45) ***1/4

7) The Strong Brothers def. Delirious and Milano Collection AT (16:26) ***1/2

8) Homicide def. Charlie Haas (20:17) ****

9) Cage Match: Alex Shelley def. Jerry Lynn (25:52) ***3/4

Thoughts: A half and half show. The main event is great, maybe where it falls short in match quality compared to previous Shelley/Lynn matches, it makes up for in story and drama. Haas and Homicide is a very good match, and there are other good matches in the form of the tag team title match, the four corners contest and Keenan/Daniels. Pitbulls vs. Aerial Express isn't bad, but the new pack member is potentially a bit iffy. What lets the show down are the first few matches. The opening tag match and Rinauro/Generico are well below average, but not hugely bad. Hallowicked vs. Jigsaw however is very poor, and not close to being as good as you may think, its a very bad match. All in all, you will have seen much better, but much of the upper card is solid with a stand-out match in Homicide/Haas and it marks the end of the Shelley/Lynn saga.

[DFF]

Very niiiice show - and I predicted all the matches bar the opener!

Keep up the good work, man.

[stonecoldfan12345]

Great show. Main event was awesome, along wit the Haas/Homicide Match. The new member of the 'Pack' shocked the hell out of me. Samoa Joe was nowhere on my list of guesses. But hey....its all good! Can't wait for Shelley/Strong. should be a good match. Keep up the awesome work, man!

[Timmoru Suzuki]

--- Another competitor is signed for the Lightweight Championship tournament! B-BOY will feature in the eight man tournament to crown the first APW Lightweight champion. B-Boy was last seen in a losing effort to Charlie Haas back at Julys 'On The Rocks' event.

--- We also have a name for this night on October 15th. The show will be titled 'King of the Lightweights', and the winner will also receive a small 'King of the Lightweights' trophy to commemorate their win.

--- With the tournament taking up seven match slots at 'King of the Lightweights', there will only be space on the show for two non-tournament matches. One of these is the huge APW Championship match between ALEX SHELLEY and RODERICK STRONG. With so many issues in APW right now, from Cabana and The Pack, to Homicide and Charlie Haas to Sydal and Danny Daniels to The Wildcards and The Ring Crew Express, some of these men will have to wait until Novembers event when APW returns to Chicago. More on which feuds will be continued at King of the Lightweights in Philly soon.

--- With four of the eight slots in the APW Lightweight Tournament taken by competitors either not seen in APW before, or with only one appearance under their belts (Sonjay Dutt, El Generico, Spud and B-Boy), APW is keen to reward the more long-standing APW competitors with places in the tournament. Due to impressive performances and good win/loss records of late, MATT SYDAL and HALLOWICKED will also compete in the tournament. JAY LETHAL has also been added, after winning his war with Jimmy Rave, and the final place will go to DELIRIOUS! Delirious has been very impressive in recent title matches, but has always just fallen short. Will October 15th be his night?

--- As mentioned, DELIRIOUS impressed many in his recent defeat to RODERICK STRONG as he battled for the tag team championships. With similar displays in APW Championship matches recently, Delirious isn't short of praise from an increasing number of people who he has impressed, but he needs some big wins to cement his place as one of APW's top stars. His very impressive record means his place on the roster is certainly safe for now, but can he rise to a higher level?

--- More on the final match to be added to the King of the Lightweights show. HOMICIDE vs. CHARLIE HAAS has been signed for the show as their feud continues. There is one added twist however – the winner of the match will be the number one contender to the APW Championship! This is because of the high level of the competitors in the bout, because the stipulation will add even more to what has become a heated issue, and APW wants to elevate more wrestlers to face ALEX SHELLEY or RODERICK STRONG for the APW Championship.

--- This does mean a lot of APWs top stars won't be at the show. APW 'returns to normal' on November 17th in Chicago, Illinois. Three matches have been signed for this show already! Firstly, the winner of the Homicide/Haas match will get their title match right away at this event! Secondly, after the post match beatdown by THE WILDCARDS on THE RING CREW EXPRESS at All on the Line, these two teams will collide in a Tables Match! After beating the Express last month, the Wildcards put Dunn through a table in a heinous post match beatdown. Finally, the show will see the return of 'Extreme Warfare'! The six man elimination match with No DQ's and No count-outs returns, and the winner of the inaugural Extreme Warfare match, Danny Daniels has been signed for this one! Will Daniels make in 2-0 in this unique match-up?

--- APW are still waiting to hear from MATT SYDAL about which title he wishes to challenge for following his win in the four-way match at All on the Line. We expect Sydal will give us his choice after the lightweight tournament.

--- Another match signed for the November 17th event in Chicago. COLT CABANA goes head-to-head with THE PACK when he takes on ROCKY ROMERO! Cabana had originally wanted The Pack's newest member SAMOA JOE, but Joe says he only wants to fight the best, and Cabana hasn't proven that he is the best yet. Cabana will still happily settle for Romero, as his feud with The Havana Pitbulls continues.

--- The APW Championship match at King of the Lightweights has so much history going into it. ALEX SHELLEY and RODERICK STRONG have links going way back. It was on an ROH show in 2004 when Shelley founded the Generation Next group, with Strong as a member. The stable would go on to become one of the most dominant forces in the promotion. At the end of 2004 though, a power-struggle between Shelley and Austin Aries erupted as Aries, Strong and Jack Evans kicked Shelley out of the group he created. Shelley would be a long-time enemy of the group, both as a locker-room outcast, and as a member of The Embassy where he would again be embroiled in some violent matches with Generation Next. The pair haven't crossed paths in APW so-far, but there must still be some ill-feelings between the two. Strong is on hot form recently, scoring the pinfall in a long sequence of results, including an ironman win over CHARLIE HAAS. Shelley meanwhile just saw off his biggest foe in JERRY LYNN in that pulsating Cage match at All on the Line, and has been APW Champion for six months, a championship streak only surpassed by Strongs' nine month reign as one-half of the APW tag team Champions! Who can tell what will happen when the two form players in APW collide with gold on the line?

--- Finally, the brackets for the King of the Lightweights tournament have been drawn. It was a random draw, and throws up some interesting match-ups:

--- Firstly, DELIRIOUS will tackle 'The Playa from the Himalaya' SONJAY DUTT in a HUGE first round match-up. The winner of that blockbuster match between two incredible athletes will face the winner of HALLOWICKED vs. EL GENERICO! Hallowicked is on a huge win run in APW, but will be meet his match in Generico, who got his APW career off to a winning start last month to qualify for the tournament? The next match may seem to be a little more easy to call, as JAY LETHAL takes on SPUD. Lethal will be the favourite, but as UK fans know, SPUD is full of heart and fight and won't give up on a chance to be the Lightweight Champion. This means, the final match sees MATT SYDAL and B-BOY square-off in what is sure to be a great first-round match, and should be one well worth seeing. With these great first round matches, HOMICIDE/HAAS and SHELLEY/STRONG, this is surely a must see event!

[stonecoldfan12345]

Looks to be a great Tournament. Add in Shelley/Strong, and Haas/'Cide, this'll be a hell of a show!

Final Card:

King of the Lightweight Tournament

APW Lightweight Championship

QF1: Delirious vs. 'The Playa from the Himalaya' Sonjay Dutt

QF2: Hallowicked vs. 'The Generic Luchadore' El Generico

QF3: Jay Lethal vs. Spud

QF4: Matt Sydal vs. B-Boy

SF1: Delirious vs. Hallowicked

SF2: Jay Lethal vs. B-Boy

Final: Hallowicked vs. Jay Lethal

Hallowicked all the way! He's on too much of a role right now to lose this tourney...that, and Sydal-Wicked would be an iterestin match up, imo.

APW Championship

Alex Shelley © vs. 'The Messiah of the Backbreaker' Roderick Strong

Number One Contenders Match

Charlie Haas vs. 'The Notorious 187' Homicide

[Timmoru Suzuki]

King of the Lightweights

October 15th 2006

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

--- Charlie Haas interview opens the home release DVD. Haas just says that tonight is the night he gives Homicide some payback for the two cheap wins Homicide has over him, and for the spilt blood last month. He says victory will be twice as sweet tonight as by beating Homicide, he'll also become number one contender to the APW Championship!

1) APW Lightweight Championship Tournament

Round One

DELIRIOUS def. 'The Playa from the Himalaya' SONJAY DUTT (13:23). Very good match, maybe the best opening match APW has had so far. Great 'X' wrestling. No time for a slow build, the pair just delivered over thirteen minutes of quick, non-stop action from bell to bell. The match was very even all the way too, neither competitor having any real advantage for literally more than a few second to a minute at the most. Crowd cheered for lots after just a few seconds after the pair traded a series of armdrags, getting about five in each before a stand-off. Match continued at a similar blistering pace. Lots of finisher attempts here, as Sonjay countered the 'Chemical Imbalance' and kicked out of a 'Bizarro Driver'. In the end, Delirious was running at Sonjay, but Dutt countered into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. He quickly picked Delirious up and did a basic powerslam to further weaken his foe, before he signalled for the 'Hindu Press' to end the match. Dutt went up top, but Delirious was up. Delirious went up top to meet Dutt, and after exchanging blows and switching position slightly, Delirious was able to knock Dutt of the top rope to the canvas. Delirious stayed up top, and as Dutt got up, Delirious came off with a perfect 'Shadows Over Hell' splash for the win. Fantastic opener.

2) APW Lightweight Championship Tournament

Round One

HALLOWICKED def. 'The Generic Luchadore' EL GENERICO (10:02) in a good match. Hallowicked wins by simply countering the 'Brainbustaaah' into the 'Monsta Mash' to win. Match was a good, solid affair, an improvement of Generico's debut match last month, and a big one over Hallowicked's last APW match. Some good spots here and there (especially from the more 'spotty' Generico), but mostly just acceptable wrestling.

--- After the match Sal Rinauro comes out. He says that that was a big waste of time. Generico beat him last month, and then what? Generico fails, and he falls at the first hurdle. Rinauro says he should have been in the tournament anyway, and he'd have done a damn sight better than the poor performance El Generico just put in, it rendered their match last month pointless. He challenges Generico to a re-match next month, which Generico accepts. Rinauro vows to show he is better than Generico, would have done better than Generico, and that he is really the top lightweight in APW.

3) APW Lightweight Championship Tournament

Round One

JAY LETHAL def. SPUD (11:37) in a very good contest. In that gap between good and excellent, the already good match heated up a lot during the final few minutes that saw pinning combinations and quick counters a plenty, before Lethal was able to hit the 'Dragon Suplex' for the win. Match had begun at a quick pace with some nice dives, but then slowed as Lethal added a technical element to the match, working over the back of the diminutive Spud. Spud then showed the heart and fighting spirit that have made him a hit with the UK fans with his big comeback, and many thought he had Lethal pinned when he caught his foe with an inside cradle around the eight and a half minute mark. Alas, Lethal kicked out just on the verge of three, and after a very good finishing sequence that both men almost won, it was Jay Lethal who advanced to the semi-finals. Very good action.

4) APW Lightweight Championship Tournament

Round One

B-Boy def. MATT SYDAL in the longest first round match (14:10). Another good match, but not as good as Delirious/Dutt or Lethal/Spud. Quite a slow starter with a lot of headlocks, chinlocks, arm-bars, wrist-locks and other such moves taking up the majority of the offence in the first three to five minutes, which may not be to everyone's taste. Match picked up more after that, but was still going for a more deliberate slow pace, until the last five minutes when they really sped things up and provided the most enjoyable moments of the match. They saved the typical dives until late-on, Sydal executing a particularly good tope through the ropes, and B-Boy landing a good corkscrew moonsault on Sydal that got a near fall. By the end, Sydal was having the better of the offence, maybe around 60-40, but B-Boy countered a belly-to-back suplex by landing behind Sydal, and with the referee temporarily unable to see, B-Boy kicked Sydal down-stairs, sending Sydal sinking to the mat! On his hands and knee's, Sydal was easy pickings for a 'Shining Wizard' and a three-count. B-Boy pulls off a shock win to advance, but did look impressive anyhow.

5) Number One Contenders Match

CHARLIE HAAS def. 'The Notorious 187' HOMICIDE (21:45) in a very good MOTN contender, but it was an ever so slight step-down from their match last month at 'All on the Line'. They played off the story told in the last match, as Haas came out really fired up after being busted open last month and controlled the match early on. Homicide then tried the same tactic as last month – headlocks, chinlocks and other ground holds - to restrain Haas and stop his momentum, but this time round Haas was too fired up and intent on revenge and escaped the holds, always managing to quickly swing the match back in his favour. This forced Homicide to take a different approach – turning the match into a brawl, which worked in his favour for a while, allowing him to really beat on Haas and get several near falls (one with a top rope Ace Crusher) in the second third of the match. Haas also ducked a Lariat, which proved to be his way back into the match as he followed up with a Step up Enziguri, and both men fell to the mat to gain some valuable rest time. This was the momentum shift Haas was looking for and it marked the beginning of a back-and-forth finishing sequence. In the end, Homicide went for the 'Cop Killah', but as he hooked the arms of Haas, Haas pulled Homicide down into a backslide! Homicide tried to escape the pinning combination, but to no avail, in the end kicking out just after the referee had counted the three! Haas just picks up the win in a very good match.

--- After the match, Haas has his hand raised in victory, when Alex Shelley comes down to the ring. Shelley takes a mic and just ignores Haas, saying this is the interview time he requested. He boasts about beating Jerry Lynn last month, but keeps the boasting down a little, saying that its all behind him now he's 'run him out of town'. He says how he'll beat Roderick Strong tonight. He then says that he'll go on to beat Haas next month. Haas gets a mic and says he wouldn't be so confident of that. Haas says he is a month away from winning the APW Championship. Shelley laughs him off, and says whatever, he really didn't care who won the contenders match because he could kick either man's ass anyway. Homicide now has a mic and says that if that were true, then why not give him a title match as well, and we'll see who gets who's ass kicked. Haas says he never normally agrees with Homicide, but adding him to the match gives him a chance to kick both their asses at once and beat them both for the title. Before Homicide can react, Shelley laughs this off as well saying that he only has to defend the belt against people he wants to defend against, or people the company MAKES him defend against. He says he has to defend the belt against this 'piece of trash' Charlie Haas because he won a contenders match, he doesn't have to give Homicide anything. Homicide says he has beaten the hell out of Charlie Haas before, tonight was just a fluke. He also says he could beat the crap out of a pussy like Alex Shelley any time, so why not make next months title match a three-way match? Unless of course, Alex Shelley is SCARED to defend the belt against him? Shelley asks why he'd be scared of a wannabe gangsta? Homicide is pissed, and starts for Shelley, but Haas gets in front of them and points out they are forgetting the most important thing – he's the new number one contender for the APW Championship. He doesn't care if he faces Shelley, or Strong for the belt in one months time he's coming for the gold. Shelley and Haas stare down for a few seconds before Shelley grins a cocky grin and backs away, leaving the ring. He keeps his eyes on Haas and Homicide all the time as he backs up the ramp, nodding and smirking. Homicide is leaned over the top rope, shouting obscenities. Haas never takes his eyes of the APW Championship belt. After Shelley has disappeared behind the curtain, Haas and Homicide look at each other. They exchange some verbal abuse, but both seem cautious about starting on the other. Haas leaves the ring first, looking over his shoulder in case Homicide took the chance to sneak attack him, but he didn't. Homicide follows shortly.

6) APW Lightweight Championship Tournament

Semi-Final

DELIRIOUS def. HALLOWICKED (12:54) to advance to the final, and to end Hallowicked's long winning streak! Another good match, though a lot of it was mat based and slightly too reliant on rest-holds. This was maybe because it was both men's second match of the night, and one would have a third, so they were being cautious and trying to conserve some energy, Delirious in particular having a very energy zapping match earlier in the night. This meant it was more a solid, if slow and occasionally plodding mat based match until the last few minutes when the heat got turned up a little. One close call saw Delirious hit his running knee, the 'Panic Attack' on Hallowicked, and he looked to follow it up with the 'Shadows Over Hell', but Hallowicked dodged the top rope splash and quickly rolled Delirious into a small package! Many thought that was the finish, but Delirious kicked out of the hold just as the referees hand came down for the three. A few seconds after, Hallowicked believed he had the match won when he spiked Delirious right on his head with a very brutal DDT, but Delirious reached out and grabbed the rope. The finishing sequence saw Hallowicked hit several quick moves like short-arm clotheslines and drop-kicks as he tried to gain some momentum, and appeared to be on the verge of adding another notch to his winning streak. Out of nowhere Delirious came right back into the match with a lariat, and tried to follow up with 'Chemical Imbalance'. Hallowicked though squirmed out of trouble, and went for the 'Monsta Mash'. This time, Delirious escaped the hold, but Hallowicked was quick to react and kneed Delirious in the gut. He ran off the ropes looking to come back with some force for a clothesline or Lariat, but Delirious blocked the run with a boot to the stomach and hit the 'Bizzaro Driver' for the three count. Delirious makes it to the final, and Hallowicked's great win streak is over! After, Hallowicked seems a little dejected at the end of his streak. Delirious goes over and lifts his arm, before shouting 'BAH' in an encouraging fashion. If such a thing is possible. The crowd applauds, and Delirious is all smiles as he heads for the back. Hallowicked salutes the crowd, before leaving the ring. Mostly a solid, if slightly sterile affair with some fun last few minutes.

7) APW Lightweight Championship Tournament

Semi-Final

JAY LETHAL def. B-Boy with the Dragon Suplex (15:33). Another good match. Quite a technical match with a lot of holds and counter holds, but with some good 'ass-kicking' from B-Boy and a few good spots from Lethal thrown in to give the match some variety. Nothing much else to say about this, it was a good match but nothing new. The finish saw B-Boy go for the 'Shining Wizard', but Lethal lay down to duck the move, then sprang up and hit the 'Dragon Suplex' for the win! After the match though, B-Boy attacked Lethal from behind, laying Lethal out with some clubbing arms to the back, and plenty of kicks to keep him down. He then went to the outside, and shoved the time-keeper off his chair! With the crowd booing, B-Boy got back into the ring as Lethal was getting to his feet, and levelled him with a vile chairshot! Lethal crashed to the canvas! B-Boy dropped the chair, then dragged Lethal across to it. He picked Lethal up, and hooked the arms right for a 'Dragon Suplex' of his own! B-Boy gives Lethal his own finisher right onto the steel chair! B-Boy smirks, and leaves the ring job done. Lethal is unconscious, and a group of officials have to carry him to the back to allow the card to continue.

8) APW Championship

ALEX SHELLEY def. 'The Messiah of the Backbreaker' RODERICK STRONG to retain in a very good match (26:00). Shelley actually dominated the start of the match, with Strong getting barely any offence at all in during the first five or six minutes. He did fight back briefly, but Shelley soon brought the contest back under his control, by working over the right leg of Strong. This part of the match became a master class in isolating a body part and working it over, as Shelley used every move and trick in the book to injure the leg. He stomped and kicked, smacked the leg against a ringpost, used plenty of basic leg-locks, locked in a half Boston Crab which forced Strong to scurry to the ropes in much pain, and many expected it to be game over when he locked in a figure-four! Strong agonised in the hold for quite a while, and appeared to be close to tapping, before he was able to reverse the pressure, forcing Shelley to reach out and grab the ropes to break the hold. Around the thirteen minute mark though, Strong got back into the match and began to show why he'd gotten a title match, showing lots of heart to fight back. He began by turning Shelley's chest a bright red with some really hard chops, and then just generally kicked ass, including giving Shelley some backbreakers, but saving his best ones for later. He got a near fall with a superb gutbuster, and another one with a vicious clothesline, and the challenger was starting to think it could be his night. When he did have a chance to get back into the match, Shelley always went after that right leg of Strong, often getting him down with a swift kick. By now Strong was limping on the leg quite a bit and this stopped him winning the match when around the twenty-minute mark he took Shelley's head off with a Yakuza Kick (Shelley's head REALLY snapping back). However it was with the right leg and Strong fell to the mat in agony, clutching the knee and lower leg. It was several seconds before he was able to hop over and make the cover, giving Shelley time to recover enough to get a shoulder up. The champion started to beat on the challenger some more now, first with clubbing arms across the back, and then with a range of simple but effective moves like some vertical suplex's, a neckbreaker and a nice Russian leg-sweep, but suddenly, as has become his trademark, Strong exploded into life giving Shelley a couple of traditional backbreakers then in the same combination blitzing him with some incredible backbreaker variations, ending with his pump-handle backbreaker and his half-nelson backbreaker! It was the same combo, coupled with the 'CXO3' that saw off Charlie Haas! However, look wasn't on the challengers side as the impact of the final half-nelson backbreaker was so huge, that Shelley landed right on the edge of the ring and rolled out to the floor with the impact! Strong, looking frustrated as hell took a few seconds to get his breath back, then followed Shelley to the outside. He gave Shelley some shots to the temple, but Shelley saved himself, again kicking at the right leg of Strong. Strong fell down, and Shelley rolled him back into the ring, and again smacked the knee of Strong against the steel ring post! Strong rolled on the canvas in pain. The match continued for another minute or so, before Strong ducked under a clothesline, and hooked Shelley for another half-nelson backbreaker! This would surely end it! Strong lifted Shelley up – but his knee gave way under the weight! Strong fell to the mat, and Shelley tumbled down behind him. Strong got up on one leg, but Shelley drop-kicked it out from under him, and locked in the half-Boston Crab again! Strong was in real trouble now, screaming in pain. He reached toward the ropes, but Shelley dragged him right into the centre of the ring and really leaned back in the hold, cranking the pressure and the pain right up. Strong looked ready to tap, but the pride of not giving up in title match saved him from doing so for a few more seconds – until Shelley dropped back – letting go of the leg – and locked in the 'Border City Stretch' in a smooth motion! Whilst it wasn't hurting the leg, the 'Border City Stretch', a Crossface style hold is deadly in it's own right and being in the centre of the ring, Strong had nowhere to go! Still, he showed great fight, not giving up for over thirty seconds, until Shelley leaned right back in the hold. Strong struggled some more, until he had been in the hold for around forty-five seconds, when he had no choice but to tap out! Shelley retains the belt in a very hard fought match. Strong showed great fight and spirit, and may have come as close as anyone to winning the belt. In the end, the knee was key. Whilst it didn't 'end' the match, it saved Shelley from falling to the Yakuza Kick, and what would surely have been a match-ending second half-nelson – Strongs knee giving way, allowing Shelley to lock in the submission sequence that ultimately ended the match. Great wrestling.

9) APW Lightweight Championship Tournament

Final

APW Lightweight Championship

JAY LETHAL def. DELIRIOUS to win (13:42). Very good match. Could have been a MOTN contender on another show, but on a night where there has been some very good wrestling, it was bettered by Shelley/Strong and by Delirious/Dutt. The match was shorter than some expected, but this was both men's third match of the night, and tit had been a long show so the crowd was a little tired. Delirious works the head and neck for the first five or so minutes, as Lethal was still favouring this part of his body after the attack from B-Boy earlier. After a Delirious dominated opening, Lethal fights back, first with some clotheslines, and then nearly scores a quick win with a hurricarana that Delirious only just got out of at the last split second. All the time though he is clearly still in pain from the head and neck, making some of Delirious' moves like the 'Chemical Imbalance' and the 'Bizarro Driver' even more dangerous than before. Delirious went for the 'Chemical Imbalance' about nine minutes in, but Lethal escaped, and this marked a frantic last couple of minutes, with some thrilling near falls and action sequences. Lethal survived the 'Bizarro Driver', luckily being close enough to the ropes to break the resulting pinfall with his feet, and Delirious kicked out of Lethal's top rope diving headbutt. The finish saw Delirious hit the 'Panic Attack' and jump up top looking for 'Shadows Over Hell', but as he jumped, Lethal side-stepped the incoming back splash, and hit a 'Dragon Suplex'! The crowd counted along with the pinfall, 1-2-NO! Delirious somehow found the fight to kick out as the referees hand was about to hit the canvas! The crowd groaned in disbelief, then applauded the effort. Delirious however was still nearly out after the impact of the move, and kicking out had used the last of his energy. Calmly, Lethal picked Delirious up, and hit a second 'Dragon Suplex' for the three count and the title win! The crowd cheered loudly for the match and for the title win. Lethal celebrated, getting on the turnbuckles and playing to the crowd, who responded with more reaction. Delirious stumbled up to his feet, and he and Lethal shook hands, before Delirious left so Lethal could celebrate. Very good match that capped off a very good tournament and a great night of action!

--- After the match, Lethal is presented with a small wooden trophy with the inscription 'King of the Lightweights 2006' on it, the presence of which suggesting this may be an annual event. He was then awarded the championship belt, and the live show – as well as the home release – ends with Lethal first holding the trophy in one hand and the belt in the other, than with him standing the trophy on the canvas in front of him, whilst he holds the title belt over his head, cheering in a great visual.

- End Show -

Quick Results:

1)Delirious def. Sonjay Dutt (13:23) ***3/4

2)Hallowicked def. El Generico (10:02) ***

3)Jay Lethal def. Spud (11:37) ***1/2

4)B-Boy def. Matt Sydal (14:10) ***

5)Charlie Haas def. Homicide (21:45) ****

6)Delirious def. Hallowicked (12:54) ***1/4

7)Jay Lethal def. B-Boy (15:33) ***1/4

8)Alex Shelley def. Roderick Strong (26:00) ****1/4

9)Jay Lethal def. Delirious (13:42) ***3/4

Thoughts: A great, great show. Shelley/Strong and Haas/Homicide all reach four stars, and Delirious/Dutt and Delirious/Lethal almost make it, the former being probably the best opener in APW history. There simply isn't a bad match on the card - the two worst Hallowicked/Generico and Sydal/B-Boy - would have been far from the worst match on any other card and would were good matches. Add the other good matches and you have one of the best cards from an in ring perspective the company has done.

What may be the shows weaknesses come from a lack of variety as seven out of nine matches are 'lighweight/cruiserweight/X/Whatever you want to call it' style, but even then some of the matches place more emphasis on technical wrestling, and some brawling. It just maybe doesn't have the broad appeal to attact a more casual fan. This also links to another possible weakness in the fact some 'names' weren't on the show (Cabana, Joe, Pitbulls etc), and it takesa break from normal APW action as quite a few storylines are put on hold for the show.

Still, from a work-rate standpoint, this is one of the company's best yet, a really really good show and a good tournament.

Edited April 9, 2006 by timmayy smothers

[DFF]

Immense show dude! Nice tourney plus good progression with Shelley/Haas et al.

When's the next card up???

[stonecoldfan12345]

Yea, that show was freakin incredible! Also, waitin rather impatiently for next card post....lol