Adrenaline Pro Wrestling

[chazmers]

just read the whole diary loved it from page one. love the Charlie Haas Petition to get another title shot and the Lynn Homicide grudge matches, i was thinking of that for my WWE/ECW diary im doing at the moment but may change Lynn for someone different now.

Keep up the good work

Chalmers

[TheRyno]

I know what you mean with the game getting hard or boring. In my CZW game, I played through late 2008 until the business was in a huge slump and just about everyone on my roster had low morale and everyone I signed came in with low morale too making the game totally not fun. But I had played through over three years and kept track of everything that went on and, since I always saw my game as a diary, just decided not to continue with the game and started on the diary. I would suggest that you play some of your game through and then look at what you have and decide if you want to continue writing but it looks like you've done that already. I can't tell you what to do but it would be awesome if you continue with this diary since it's probably my favorite original indy diary. But if you don't feel like you should be writing it, fair enough. I'd rather not read a diary at all than read a half-assed one.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

APW - State of address

As fans of APW, you will be aware that recently a lot of top line indy talent have signed written deals with a mixture of TNA, ROH and a number of top Japanese feds. Aside from former APW competitors that have signed such deals in the past, the last few weeks and months have seen a long-list of talent that includes names such as Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness, Petey Williams, Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt, Jerrelle Clark, AJ Styles, Christian Cage, Rhino, Azrieal, Abyss, Jack Evans, Doug Williams, Austin Aries and Puma. As you can imagine, this has made top draw names in independent wrestling hard to come-by, particularly with some APW stars also signing such deals. All this means, there maybe isn't a lot of name talent to come into the promotion in the way we, at APW, would have liked. But we still have a hell of a lot of talent on our books, and it is talent that compares to that of any wrestling company, anywhere on the globe. We will fight the big names, and the APW roster is behind us on this. As such, in a sort of dedication to our talent roster, the upcoming February 23rd Show in Wilmington, Ohio, will be called 'Fighting Spirit'.

You may recall that APW had a top indy worker lined up to face Alex Shelley on the 9th of February for the APW Championship. It was someone new to APW, who deserved a chance at the championship. That fell through, but APW have signed someone else to challenge Alex Shelley for the APW Championship at Fighting Spirit. This is a competitor with a very accomplished background, and has held major titles in his career before. That man is 'Mr Wrestling' Kevin Steen!

Thank-You for your continued support.

[DFF]

APW Championship

Alex Shelley © vs. 'Mr Wrestling' Kevin Steen

Shelley to win, unless you are going for a mega upset.

APW Tag Team Championships

Matt Sydal and Delirious © vs. The Ring Crew Express (Dunn/Marcos)

A 'safe' defence for the champs.

Non-Title Triple Threat Match

Jay Lethal vs. Hallowicked vs. 'Sterling' James Keenan

SJK ftw!

No DQ

Samoa Joe vs. 'Classic' Colt Cabana

Charlie Haas vs. 'The Notorious 187' Homicide

The Havana Pitbulls (Ricky Reyes/Rocky Romero) vs. The Strong Brothers (Roderick and Sedrick Strong)

Southern Comfort (Tracy Smothers/Chris Hamrick) vs. The Aerial Express (Scorpio Sky/Quicksilver)

Bonus Showcase Matches!

'Cool' Seth Delay vs. 'The Generic Luchadore' El Generico

Trik Davis vs. Grim Reefer

[stonecoldfan12345]

APW - Fighting Spirit

February 23rd 2007

Wilmington, Ohio

Final Card:

APW Championship

Alex Shelley © vs. 'Mr Wrestling' Kevin Steen

APW Tag Team Championships

Matt Sydal and Delirious © vs. The Ring Crew Express (Dunn/Marcos)

Non-Title Triple Threat Match

Jay Lethal vs. Hallowicked vs. 'Sterling' James Keenan

Pinning Lethal, to prove he can beat him....

No DQ

Samoa Joe vs. 'Classic' Colt Cabana

Charlie Haas vs. 'The Notorious 187' Homicide

To give him some momentun into his title match

The Havana Pitbulls (Ricky Reyes/Rocky Romero) vs. The Strong Brothers (Roderick and Sedrick Strong)

Southern Comfort (Tracy Smothers/Chris Hamrick) vs. The Aerial Express (Scorpio Sky/Quicksilver)

Bonus Showcase Matches!

'Cool' Seth Delay vs. 'The Generic Luchadore' El Generico

Trik Davis vs. Grim Reefer

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Fighting Spirit

February 23rd 2007

Wilmington, Ohio

--- Interviews with Homicide and Charlie Haas start the home release. Homicide talks about the feud with Charlie Haas coming to an end finally tonight, but it should have ended long ago as all he has done is 'beat the fucking shit' out of Charlie Haas at every opportunity. Tonight will be no different, as tonight Haas will get his ass kicked AGAIN. Haas says that he wants to get even with Homicide for all the months of cheap wins, for all the times he's been busted open, for all the attacks and low-blows, and this is it. He says Homicide is nothing more than a cheap street thug, and his run ends tonight when Charlie Haas wins the feud. And after that, he is one show away from winning the APW Championship, a prise Homicide has distracted him from for far too long.

1) APW Tag Team Championships

MATT SYDAL and DELIRIOUS def. THE RING CREW EXPRESS to retain (12:30). Very good encounter, as good as a cruiserweight style tag match as you'll have seen recently, very good action. Delirious worked the majority of the match for his team, as they played up Sydal having a back injury after the attack from Cutting Edge last month. When he was in the ring, he moved more slowly than normal, and his back was 'stiff', making him move awkwardly. Some fun comedy shenanigans from Delirious at the start. One moment saw him lock Dunn in a headlock. Dunn squeezed his head free, but Delirious kept the headlock applied – to thin air, even wrenching the hold to apply extra pressure even though no-one was in the hold! He also rolled up in a ball, leaving a confused Marcos to roll him around the ring, over and over and over, until Delirious suddenly jumped up and pulled Marcos into a pinning combo for a two count. Once the comedy was done with, the fast paced action was very good. The RCE got a fair few near falls, including Sydal having to save Delirious after The Express had hit their 'Assisted Sliced Bread #2' on him. Sydal and Delirious just shaded proceedings though, and won when they were able to get Marcos down on the outside, leaving Dunn alone in the ring. Sydal hit a DDT, even though it pained him some to do so, giving Delirious chance to climb up top. Sydal patrolled the ropes to make sure there would be no save, as Delirious waited until Dunn was getting up before hitting the 'Shadows Over Hell' for the win. Very fun match.

2)' The Generic Luchadore' EL GENERICO def. 'Cool' SETH DELAY (10:25) in a decent match. This was the textbook definition of 'Perfectly Acceptable Wrestling'. Nothing great, nothing bad. Generico hit a nice cork-screw plancha to the floor a few minutes in. Delay got a reasonable amount of offence in, but it was Generico who was the more dominant, even surviving the 'Kool Krusher' but being close enough to the ropes to stick a leg out to break the count. In the end, Generico went up top, but Delay was quick to react and joined him on the top rope. They exchanged punches, before Generico won out, and shoved Delay to the mat. As soon as Delay crashed onto the canvas, Generico came off with a 450 Splash to pick up the win. Once again, Perfectly Acceptable Wrestling.

3) THE AERIAL EXPRESS def. SOUTHERN COMFORT (11:03). See above. Perfectly Acceptable Tag Team Wrestling maybe? Express hit the token dives to the floor early on, before Scorpio Sky is isolated and worn down. Hot tag, Quicksilver runs wild, into the finish. Textbook stuff, but by no means a bad match, just a decent match. The Aerial Express earn their first two-on-two victory over Southern Comfort when Quicksilver hits the 'Silver Slice' on Hamrick to pick up the win.

---- James Keenan does a little live interview, just going over what has already being said about how it should have been his shot at the First Anniversary Show, and how he was better than Lethal and Hallowicked, and that he would prove it next.

4) Triple Threat MatcH

Non-Title

'Sterling' JAMES KEENAN def. JAY LETHAL and HALLOWICKED (14:36) when he pinned Jay Lethal. Another good match, but another match that isn't going to blow you away. Better than the last two matches anyway. Had a definite build, as it started slowly, then the pace was upped a little more, into a solid match, then the last few minutes were great as all three came close to winning. Lethal almost beat Keenan again, after connecting with the 'Dragon Suplex' around eight minutes in, but Hallowicked was on hand to make the save. Hallowicked himself almost beat Keenan with a Step-up Frankensteiner, but this time it was Lethal who was on hand to save the match. Victory could have gone to any of the three men in the later minutes, before Keenan found himself down in the corner of the ring as Lethal and Hallowicked fought. Gaining the advantage for just a moment, Lethal hit a Northern Lights Suplex, 1-2-Hallowicked gets a shoulder up, but stays down. Lethal climbs up to the top rope, and signals for his Diving Headbutt! Lethal comes soaring off, but connects only with the canvas as Hallowicked rolls out of the way! Was he playing possum? Hallowicked gets up, and lifts up the groggy Lethal, and hits the 'Monsta Mash'! That's it, Hallowicked has beaten the champ! He's about to go for the cover, when suddenly Keenan, who has sneaked up behind Hallowicked, whips him shoulder first into the turnbuckle! The crowd boo as Hallowicked falls to the mat, clutching his shoulder. Keenan drops down, and pins Lethal himself to pick up the win! Keenan earns another shot at the APW Lightweight Championship by stealing a win over the champion! Fairly good match.

--- Trik Davis vs. Grim Reefer never went ahead. Davis headed to the ring but during Grim Reefers entrance, Cutting Edge jumped him at the top of the entrance way. They beat him down a little, then threw him into the crowd barriers hard. Reefer was helped out of the arena as Danny Daniels, Claudio Castagnoli and Jimmy Rave entered the ring. Totally ignoring Davis, Daniels got a mic, and said that Cutting Edge was formed because the three of them were sick of being over-looked, mis-used and under-appreciated. Despite this, no matter what they do, they still aren't used properly on APW shows! He boasts about the beating they gave to Matt Sydal last month, and then says that even after a 'landmark' moment like that, they still haven't got matches for tonight. Its at this moment that he noticed Trik Davis, still stood behind them in a corner of the ring. Daniels asks what he is still doing here. Davis is passed a mic, and he says he was scheduled to have a match. Daniels says that he saw what Cutting Edge did to his opponent, does Davis want the same to happen to him? Davis says nothing, but still goes nowhere. Daniels goes to attack Davis, but then stops, and says if Davis wants a match that badly, he can have one. Does he want Daniels, Rave, or Castagnoli? Either way, he's getting his ass kicked! Davis steps toward the trio, when a familiar voice is heard at the top of the entrance way. Its Matt Sydal, with Delirious! Sydal says how about we have a six man tag match, since as Cutting Edge are offering a match. He says he knows Trik wants a match, he is sure Delirious does, and he himself wants to kick Danny Daniels' ass! Daniels trys passing on the offer and goes to leave, but Sydal asks if he's chicken? Is he scared? Daniels stops, and says that he and Cutting Edge are scared of no-one, that's a stupid suggestion. Sydal asks him to prove it. Before Daniels can respond, Sydal and Delirious charge to the ring! Davis take this chance to drop-kick Daniels from behind, and we have a match!

5) Impromptu Six Man tag match

CUTTING EDGE def. TRIK DAVIS, MATT SYDAL and DELIRIOUS (14:23) when Rave pinned Delirious. Good match. After a strong start from the faces that saw them all hit dives to the floor on Cutting Edge, Trik Davis was isolated for quite a while as Cutting Edge wore him down, and were close to victory on several occasions. The match was mostly contested at a fast pace though, especially after Davis was finally able to tag Matt Sydal into the match about seven minutes in. After that, it was non-stop action that either side could have won, although Sydal, Delirious and Davis did have the edge. Sydal hit a 'Uranage' on Castagnoli for a two count, and Delirious hit the 'Bizarro Driver' on Daniels, but Rave made the save as the match built to a finish. The finish saw the rivals Danny Daniels and Matt Sydal get lost in a brawl on the arena floor, Davis dived to the outside to take Castagnoli out with a plancha, leaving Delirious and Rave in the ring. Delirious went for another 'Chemical Imbalance', but Rave fought him off with some elbows to the face. The pair then exchanged several blows as they fought for an opening, before Delirious got the advantage, as Castagnoli and Davis got to their feet on the outside. Delirious ran the ropes, but as he came off, Castagnoli reached in the ring, and tripped him! Delirious stumbled back into the middle of the ring, where he stumbled right into Rave, who scooped him up, and hit the 'Rave Clash'! Davis tried to make a save, but Double C jumped on him and kept him pinned down long enough for Rave to score the three count. Daniels managed to buy a few seconds from Sydal's onslaught with an eye-rake, and all three members of Cutting Edge met at the bottom of the entrance way, arms raised, celebrating. They head off to the back, full of it, as Sydal, Delirious and Davis re-group in the ring. Good action, and Rave pins one of the APW Tag Team Champions!

--- Before the next match, Ricky Reyes gets a mic, and very quickly says that The Havana Pitbulls are getting the next shot at the APW Tag Team Championships, and there is nothing The Strong Brothers can do about it.

6) THE STRONG BROTHERS def. THE HAVANA PITBULLS (21:21). Very good action, although not the classic tag team match some may have expected. The Pitbulls stopped the Strong's hitting any of their big moves early on, so they couldn't build any momentum quickly. They then isolated Sedrick for quite a while, working over the legs and lower body. Even after the inevitable hot tag, whenever Sedrick was involved in the action, he was always a touch slower than normal, really selling the working over Reyes and Romero gave him. The Pitbulls gained several near-falls with plenty of ground submission holds, but Roderick was always able to make the save. Further into the match, Roderick kicked out of a Romero Fisherman's Buster, and Sedrick had to be saved after Reyes landed a Northern Lights as the Pitbulls got the better of the near falls. The Strong's did have some near-falls and periods in control of the match, but it was only in the last few minutes that they really came close to winning. Reyes was in Sedrick's 'Stronghold' for quite a while, and was on the verge of tapping before Romero was able to make the save. Romero himself had his head taken off with a Yakuza Kick from Roderick, but was still able to kick out. One good aspect of the match was a constant Chop/Kick battle between Roderick Strong and Reyes, as Strong would deliver a hard chop, Reyes would retaliate with a stiff kick and so on as neither man would back down. Finally, during such an exchange, Reyes won-out, sending Roderick down on his knees. Reyes delivered a couple more kicks to the chest, and looked to have Strong ready to be beaten. Reyes delivered one more kick, but it had the effect of firing Strong up. Strong began to rise to his feet, and Reyes' kicks had no more effect. Reyes then swung for Strong to try and get him down again, but Strong ducked, and then exploded with a sequence of backbreakers – two traditional, a double-arm backbreaker, a pumphandle back-breaker, and finally a half-nelson, and the crowd went wild for it. Sedrick and Romero had been on the floor, and Romero saw this and dived into the ring, but Sedrick was quick to react, grabbing Romero's legs, and dragging him back out to the floor, as Roderick picked Reyes up and hit the 'CX03' to score the win after an explosive combination. The Strong Brothers win a good match with a great finish.

7) 'The Notorious 187' HOMICIDE def. CHARLIE HAAS (20:00) in probably the best Homicide/Haas match yet. Started off as a brawl, which Homicide dominated. Haas got some offence in, but Homicide was in his element, and could have finished the match off early. They began to include more and more 'wrestling' into the match, and Haas got more and more back into proceedings, but as an accomplished technical wrestler himself, Homicide still had chances to end the match. Still more of a brawl than their previous matches that were more technical, mostly just a fight, but it was a really fun match. Some noteable nearfalls included Homicide scoring a two count with an 'Ace Crusher' about halfway through, and a short time later surviving in the 'Haas of Pain' for quite a while before making the ropes. Haas was always able to avoid the 'Cop Killah', as he had Homicide's best known move well scouted, frustrating Homicide at times. The finish saw Haas score a couple of clotheslines on 'Cide, but when he went for a third, Homicide ducked, and Haas took out the referee! Homicide instantly went down-stairs with a low-blow, and the already booing crowd jeered louder as Homicide went to the outside, and grabbed a chair! He slid into the ring as Haas was getting up, and Homicide swung the chair – but much to the crowd's delight, Haas ducked the chair shot, went behind Homicide and executed a German Suplex! The crowd's joy was short lived however, as Homicide landed on his feet behind Haas in a great athletic counter, and instantly wasted no time in taking Haas down with a Bulldog. Homicide again grabbed the chair, and brought it down over the back of Haas with a great thud. Again. Homicide delivered one last chair-shot to the back of Haas, who was already a beaten man. Not content with that however, Homicide dropped the chair, and picked an almost life-less and totally defenceless Haas up, and gave him a brutal 'Cop Killah' RIGHT onto the steel chair! It really looked like he dropped Haas right on his head, and the whole audience seemed to wince at once. Homicide had a huge grin, obviously very pleased with himself at probably injuring Haas and having finally hit his finisher. Seeing the referee getting up, 'Cide quickly threw the steel chair out of the ring, and made a cover to pick up the win. After the match, Homicide celebrated to a jeering crowd as he headed to the back, that grin still etched on his face. People came down to check on Haas, who didn't move for a long time, and then had to be carried to the back, his neck obviously in a lot of pain, and he looked like he didn't dare try and move it. Maybe this still isn't over.

8) NO DQ

SAMOA JOE def. 'Classic' COLT CABANA (19:23) with a 'Muscle Buster' through a table! Another good match. Again, a lot of brawling to show the intensity of the feud, but with some good bits of wrestling in there as well. A fair amount of weapon use to play to the anything goes rules. Cabana was right out of the blocks, but Joe soon used his strength of fight Cabana off and get back into the match. After some of his moves, such as an 'Ole Kick', his powerful STO and his back-chop/Kick/Knee-drop combination didn't beat Cabana, Joe started using some of the weapons to both punish Colt and try and win the match. Cabana bled a lot here, but refused to be beat. Eventually, when his face was red behind the blood, he suddenly caught Joe with a huge right hand. Joe reeled back, taken by surprise, and went for Cabana again, but Colt gave him another huge hand, and another, and the fight-back was on! Cabana soon was very much back into the match, and used the odd chair shot to get even for the earlier abuse, but this time it was Cabana that couldn't keep Joe down, sometimes simply because the blood-loss and earlier punishment meant he couldn't go for pinfalls as quickly as he otherwise might. The match evened out at the end, as both took to trying to make the other submit, sensing how weak the other had got, and not having the energy in themselves to hit a high-impact move. Match could have gone either way, until the actual finish, that saw a table get set up over by one corner of the ring. The table didn't get used right away though, as they continued to fight with a renewed energy. Joe looked to lock his choke-hold in again, but Cabana was too close to the ropes, and Cabana picked out of the 'Island Driver', as he simply refused to be beaten by Joe. Colt also got a couple of near-falls with some quick pinning combinations. After refusing to be beaten by Joe for a second match in a row, a series of exchanges saw Cabana whipped into the corner by the table. Cabana countered by jumping up to the top rope. Cabana turned, and went to leap off, but at lightning speed, Joe was across, and shoved the leg of Cabana, making Colt loose his footing and fall, so he was basically sat on the turnbuckle. Joe lept up and showed great agility to kick Cabana hard, before getting Cabana set up for the 'Muscle Buster'! Joe brought Cabana into the ring up on his shoulders, before seeing the table. Joe carried Cabana across to the table, and drops Cabana through it with the 'Muscle Buster'! The crowd were buzzing for the move and popped loudly as they hit the floor. Joe slumps an arm across Cabana, and Colt who had refused to be beaten by Joe is eventually pinned with a shocking 'Muscle Buster' through a table! Cabana showed great heart and fight, but it wasn't to be as Joe picks up the very very very hard fought win. A brutal, and good match.

9) APW Championship

ALEX SHELLEY def. 'Mr Wrestling' KEVIN STEEN to retain (16:18). Fairly good match that completed a night of good action and a series of very good matches last off. Good technical wrestling, with some decent 'fighting' too. Steen was off to a good start, showing good strength and wrestling ability, but soon the champ was in control and wore Steen down. The match spilled to the outside, and a lengthy amount of time brawling on the arena floor saw Steen get back into the match a little bit more, around 60/40. The last portion of the match was more even, although overall Shelley was in control of the match a bit more than the challenger was. Steen came close to scoring the upset on a few occasions, once with a textbook Fisherman's Suplex, and even survived in the 'Border City Stretch' before making the ropes, but eventually Shelley closed-out the match winning with the 'Shellshock'. Good end to a good night of APW action.

- End Show -

Quick Results:

1)Matt Sydal and Delirious def. The Ring Crew Express (12:30) ***3/4

2)El Generico def. Seth Delay (10:25) **3/4

3)The Aerial Express def. Southern Comfort (11:03) **3/4

4)James Keenan def. Jay Lethal and Hallowicked (14:36) ***1/4

5)Cutting Edge def. Matt Sydal, Delirious and Trik Davis (14:23) ***1/4

6)The Strong Brothers def. The Havana Pitbulls (21:21) ***1/2

7)Homicide def. Charlie Haas (20:00) ****1/2

8)Samoa Joe def. Colt Cabana (19:23) ***3/4

9)Alex Shelley def. Kevin Steen (16:18) ***3/4

Thoughts: Very good show. Aside from Homicide/Haas which just may well have been the best APW match yet, there is the hugely dramatic Samoa Joe/Colt Cabana match, and a good APW Championship contest. The opener is very good too, and fans of quick action bordering on the spot-fest will love it. Very good showings from The Strong Brothers, The Havana Pitbulls, Cutting Edge, Trik Davis and again Sydal and Delirious really add to the card and go some-way to adding even more value for money to the show. A good triple theat match is the best of the rest of the card, but nothing on here is bad at all, its all stuff you could watch again and again. If the show has one draw-back it is that most of the under-card after the opener, whilst perfectly fine to good doesn't stand-out - but when it does, it does! Homicide and Haas really give a fantastic match, Cabana and Joe deliver a great story with good action, and Steen and Shelley put on a good wrestling match. There will be many a worse show this year.

[stonecoldfan12345]

Wow....that show was well worth the wait, man!!!! Absolutely loved the Homicide/Haas match, and Joe/Cabana was off the charts as well!! Can't wait to see what happens next in the Haas/Homicide situation, if it even continues, but with the end of that match...Haas will want revenge, I guaran-damn-tee it. lol...Well, keep up the good work, and I really hope writing this show has brought out your love for this diary. Good Luck!

[Timmoru Suzuki]

--- APW have two HUGE shows lined up for March! March 9th sees us return to Chicago, Illinois, and on March 23rd, all your favourite APW superstars will be in New York City. As usual, visit the 'Events' section for more venue and ticket information.

--- The main event for the 9th of March was already signed as ALEX SHELLEY defends the APW Championship against CHARLIE HAAS. Haas petitioned for his title shot after coming close to beating Shelley at the First Anniversary Show. Haas however is on a bit of a losing streak in 2007, falling to Shelley, and twice to Homicide. Can Haas end his streak and take Championship gold at the same time? Or can Shelley hang on to the title again? Either way, with two of the USA's best independent wrestlers in the ring, fans in attendance are sure to witness a great main event.

--- Just signed for the 9th of March is a huge grudge match that will settle a long-term score. 'The Notorious 187' HOMICIDE will clash with JERRY LYNN. These two have a long-standing feud going all the way back to last February as Homicide crashed Lynn celebrating a title defence and challenged him to a match. The feud escalated from there, and many feel Lynn only lost the APW Championship due to an injury sustained at the hands of Homicide. The pair have clashed before, in a draw last July, in a Homicide win at the First Anniversary Show, and in many other tag team matches as well. This hardly scratches the surface of what has happened in the feud, but it will end on March 9th! Both men will want victory to end the feud, as well as needing a big win for other reasons. Lynn has struggled for momentum since returning from suspension in December, and Homicide, who is on an impressive win/loss record as of late will want the big win to give him more momentum as he also looks to settle the score with rival Charlie Haas.

--- The third big match taking place on March 9th is the APW Tag Team Championship match as MATT SYDAL and DELIRIOUS defend against THE STRONG BROTHERS. This is the big re-match from the First Anniversary Show when Sydal and Delirious ended the brothers one year reign as champions! Will lightning strike twice, or will the brothers regain the championships that were there's for so long?

--- After pinning the APW Lightweight Champion JAY LETHAL at Fighting Spirit, 'Sterling' JAMES KEENAN has earned a shot at the title, and will receive that Championship opportunity on March the 9th!

--- CHARLIE HAAS wants one more match with HOMICIDE! The match the pair had at Fighting Spirit, which some are calling the best APW match yet was meant to end this long-term war, but HAAS feels cheated after Homicide used a chair several times in the decision to end the match. Eventually, Homicide gave an already beaten Haas the 'Cop Killah' on the steel chair, which could have caused long-term injury, and Haas has to be thankful that it didn't. APW officials know this war won't end until it reaches a satisfying ending with no cheating and no way either man can feel screwed over. However, Homicide has beaten Haas on many of occasions, and the match last show was hyped as the feud ender. Expect APW officials to announce more on this situation in the weeks after the March 9th show.

--- As you will all be aware, a lot of top line indy talent have been signed to written deals by other companies, which has made it harder for APW to bring in top talent to present to the fans. This was addressed last month in a 'State of Address'. APW officials have however been going all out to bring some new talent in, and now we can reveal the extent of these negotiations. Firstly, 'Mr. Wrestling' KEVIN STEEN will return on March the 9th, and has been signed in a special challenge match against 'Classic' COLT CABANA, who fell to Samoa Joe last time out. APW officials were happy to let Joe and Cabana have the show off to recuperate from their gruelling match, but Cabana requested a return to action so he can appear before the fans and get back to winning ways. This is sure to be a great wrestling contest. Secondly, international star KUDO has signed on for a full-time return to APW, and he too will appear on March 9th in a match that has yet to be signed.

There were two bigger negotiations going on however. Firstly, former IWA:MS Champion, and former ROH Tag Team Champion JIMMY JACOBS has signed a contract with APW! Jacobs is a great young talent, and adds depth and experience to the APW roster. Like all the talent APW have successfully negotiated with, Jacobs makes his APW debut on March 9th, against RICKY REYES! Reyes was without a match for the show, and officials saw the chance to pair him against the newcomer Jacobs in what should be a fine contest.

The final negotiation has an immediate impact on the APW Lightweight Championship. This is because APW have negotiated the full-time return of UK sensation SPUD, who appeared as part of the King of the Lightweights tournament last October that crowned JAY LETHAL the first APW Lightweight Champion. However, as part of the deal, Spud wanted an immediate shot at Lethal , who beat him en-route to winning the tournament. Spud feels he has much more to show USA fans than he did that day, and wants to prove he is better than Jay Lethal. Agreeing to the condition was the only way to guarantee signing Spud, who APW Officials really wanted to bring to the company, and so have agreed to the stipulation. On March 9th, Jay Lethal defends the APW Lightweight Championship against Spud! Of course, 'Sterling' JAMES KEENAN was due to receive a title match on the show. Keenan is still certain of getting a shot at the gold, and will now receive his title opportunity on March the 23rd.

--- We have a name for the March 9th show. In light of the four recent talent signings that are showing there are still some great indy wrestlers to be seen despite major talent signing deals elsewhere, and in light of the big grudge matches taking place at the show, such as the Shelley/Haas and the Lynn/Homicide matches, the show will be called 'Winning the War'.

---- CUTTING EDGE will be in attendance at Winning the War. Before the last show, they said they were frustrated at the lack of matches these 'Under-rated and under-utilised' wrestlers were getting. They responded by ruining one of the showcase matches, and this lead to Daniels, Rave and Double C winning an impromptu six man tag match over MATT SYDAL, DELIRIOUS and TRIK DAVIS. Cutting Edge say that a lack of a match for Winning the War frustrates them even more. In a memo sent to APW head office, they boast about pinning an APW Tag Team Champion in Delirious last time out, but then complain that it still doesn't appear to have gotten them anywhere. They said they should have made an impact with the dog-collar attack on Matt Sydal, and with the victory last show, but that obviously hasn't been enough. They vow to come to Winning the War to damn well make sure they have attention paid to them, and to 'finish the job', whatever that means. Speculation is going round the office that they will be after the Tag Team Champions at the show, as the Daniels/Sydal feud continues, and the victory over Delirious may lead Cutting Edge toward tag team gold.

--- Since his shot at the APW Lightweight Championship has been put back two weeks, 'Sterling' JAMES KEENAN, or 'SJK' has been booked in a special tag team attraction match to take place at Winning the War! This match will showcase the Lightweight division, and will see Keenan team with SALVATORE RINAURO to take on HALLOWICKED and EL GENERICO! Keenan and Hallowicked have been feuding as of late, how will that rivalry fit into what should be some great high-flying action courtesy of the Lightweight division?

--- Since as it was spoiled by CUTTING EDGE last show, the Showcase match pitting TRIK DAVIS and GRIM REEFER against each other will happen at Winning the War. It's a big chance for both men to go someway toward establishing themselves as APW regulars.

--- One final match has been added to the Winning the War card! It will be a continuation of the rivalry between THE IRON SAINTS and THE RING CREW EXPRESS! Dunn and Marcos eliminated Vito and Sal Thomaselli from the six-team match at the Anniversary show, prompting a challenge from The Saints to a re-match, which Dunn and Marcos also won. Now, Vito and Sal have teamed up wit brother BRANDON THOMASELLI to challenge Dunn and Marcos to a six-man tag team match on the show! Dunn and Marcos accepted, and them began the search for a partner. After learning that international star KUDO had signed on for APW full-time, but had no match for the show, Dunn and Marcos selected him as their partner! Can the Saints get a win over the very recently impressive RCE? How will KUDO fare in his return match? Find out at Winning the War!

--- SAMOA JOE will be at Winning the War. Like Colt Cabana, Joe was to be given the night off to let his injuries heal after the match with Cabana. Joe wants to be apart of the show. He doesn't have a match signed however, and will likely just accompany RICKY REYES to ringside for his match. ROCKY ROMERO will also attend the show in a similar role.

--- SOUTHERN COMFORT will return to APW action on March 23rd in New York City.

--- Exciting news just in. Expect the 'King of the Lightweights' Tournament to return soon! Officials are discussing a date(s) and format for the tournament, that may well come around sooner than you think.

--- Upcoming APW events:

Winning the War

March 9th 2007

Chicago, Illinois

- For full card, see below

March 23rd 2007

New York, New York

- APW Lightweight Championship: Jay Lethal/Spud © vs. 'Sterling' James Keenan

- Plus, Much more to be added!

[Mor149]

great diary love it.

APW Championship

Alex Shelley © vs. Charlie Haas - Shelley.

APW Tag Team Championships

Matt Sydal and Delirious © vs. The Strong Brothers (Roderick and Sedrick Strong) - Matt Sydal and Delirious

APW Lightweight Championship

Jay Lethal © vs. Spud - Spud,a great spotmonkey.

Grudge Match

Jerry Lynn vs. 'The Notorious 187' Homicide - 187.

'Classic' Colt Cabana vs. 'Mr Wrestling' Kevin Steen - mr wrestling.

Jimmy Jacobs vs. Ricky Reyes - JJ.

Hallowicked and 'The Generic Luchadore' El Generico vs. Salvatore Rinauro and 'Sterling' James Keenan - Hallowicked and Generico.

Trik Davis vs. Grim Reefer - reefer.

6 Man Tag match

The Ring Crew Express (Dunn/Marcos) and KUDO vs. The Iron Saints (Vito, Sal and Brandon Thomaselli) - The Ring Crew Express.

The Cutting Edge = Edge from WWE?

great diary.

[stonecoldfan12345]

sorry to see Salvatore go, but at least you get to keep him for this show.

APW - Winning the War

March 9th 2007

Chicago, Illinois

Final Card:

APW Championship

Alex Shelley © vs. Charlie Haas

APW Tag Team Championships

Matt Sydal and Delirious © vs. The Strong Brothers (Roderick and Sedrick Strong)

APW Lightweight Championship

Jay Lethal © vs. Spud

Grudge Match

Jerry Lynn vs. 'The Notorious 187' Homicide

'Classic' Colt Cabana vs. 'Mr Wrestling' Kevin Steen

Jimmy Jacobs vs. Ricky Reyes

Hallowicked and 'The Generic Luchadore' El Generico vs. Salvatore Rinauro and 'Sterling' James Keenan

Trik Davis vs. Grim Reefer

6 Man Tag match

The Ring Crew Express (Dunn/Marcos) and KUDO vs. The Iron Saints (Vito, Sal and Brandon Thomaselli)

--- Plus: Cutting Edge, Rocky Romero and Samoa Joe!

[DFF]

APW Championship

Alex Shelley © vs. Charlie Haas

Shlley to defend successfully.

APW Tag Team Championships

Matt Sydal and Delirious © vs. The Strong Brothers (Roderick and Sedrick Strong)

I expect a post-match attack from Cutting Edge, leading to a feud.

APW Lightweight Championship

Jay Lethal © vs. Spud

Lethal to retain (and hopefully drop it to SJK!)

Grudge Match

Jerry Lynn vs. 'The Notorious 187' Homicide

Lynn to win and to face Shelley in a series of non-title bouts, culminating in Shelley putting the no-title match clause on the line, Lynn winning, and winning the title.

'Classic' Colt Cabana vs. 'Mr Wrestling' Kevin Steen

Gives Cabana some momentum for the Joe feud.

Jimmy Jacobs vs. Ricky Reyes

Makes sense to have him debut with a win. Possible Romero/Joe beat down afterwards, leading to maybe a Joe/Reyes vs Cabana/Jacobs match down the line.

Hallowicked and 'The Generic Luchadore' El Generico vs. Salvatore Rinauro and 'Sterling' James Keenan

Fac team to win. Rinauro to "do the job" on the way out. Keenan to lay out 'Wickedpost match.

Trik Davis vs. Grim Reefer

Just because.

6 Man Tag match

The Ring Crew Express (Dunn/Marcos) and KUDO vs. The Iron Saints (Vito, Sal and Brandon Thomaselli)

RCE for the upset.

[Kane's Mullet Slacker]

APW Championship

Alex Shelley © vs. Charlie Haas

- Haas wins the title setting up Homicide vs. Haas for the APW Championship.

APW Tag Team Championships

Matt Sydal and Delirious © vs. The Strong Brothers (Roderick and Sedrick Strong)

- The Champions will retain, Cutting Edge will probably make a run in.

APW Lightweight Championship

Jay Lethal © vs. Spud

- Jay Lethal will retain.

Grudge Match

Jerry Lynn vs. 'The Notorious 187' Homicide

- See the APW Championship match.

'Classic' Colt Cabana vs. 'Mr Wrestling' Kevin Steen

- You know Joe and Rocky will get involved. Steen to make the save setting up Cabana/Steen against Joe/Rocky.

Jimmy Jacobs vs. Ricky Reyes

- Good job signing Jimmy. Jacobs wins his debut.

Hallowicked and 'The Generic Luchadore' El Generico vs. Salvatore Rinauro and 'Sterling' James Keenan

- The Masked Men will win with Rinauro taking the pin to keep SJK strong for his title match against Jay

Trik Davis vs. Grim Reefer

- I dunno I like Reefer better

6 Man Tag match

The Ring Crew Express (Dunn/Marcos) and KUDO vs. The Iron Saints (Vito, Sal and Brandon Thomaselli)

- The Saints need the win here

Edited June 19, 2006 by Sullen Slacker

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Winning the War

March 9th 2007

Chicago, Illinois

--- Samoa Joe does a really quick interview at the start of the home release DVD. Joe just talks about beating Cabana last month. He says fair play to Cabana, he took one hell of a beating, but he lost. Again. And now it's over. He finishes by saying he is here tonight to support Ricky Reyes in his match and that The Pack's time will come. Very soon.

1) 6 Man Tag Match

THE RING CREW EXPRESS and KUDO def. THE IRON SAINTS (12:07). Quite a good little match, the Ring Crew Express are on a roll of good matches in APW recently. A fast paced match, that was quite back-and-forth, bar a period in the middle of the match where KUDO was isolated from his partners. One of the most memorable spots of the match, and probably the night (because it was so well timed) saw Dunn, Marcos and KUDO hit simultaneous Suicide Dives to the floor to take out all three members of The Iron Saints about eight minutes in. This good opener ended, with the referee losing control and all six men coming in and out of the ring quickly to fight. KUDO took Brandon down with a very stiff kick to the head, but got taken out himself by a super-kick from Sal. Dunn and Marcos came to try and attack Sal, but Vito came to help his partner, and the two teams exchanged a few shots, before Marcos dumped Sal to the floor. This left Dunn and Marcos alone with Vito, and The RCE soon hit an 'Assisted Sliced Bread #2' for the win. Fun match.

2) TRIK DAVIS def. THE GRIM REEFER in a poor match (9:15). Just really sloppy, and nothing memorable occurred. Neither man gave a great account of themselves here. Davis won with a roll-up. Not exactly a really bad match, but nothing particularly good at all, and something that will get forgotten.

--- Cutting Edge came out for a brief appearance as the two competitors in the last match were leaving. They stopped Davis leaving the ring and Danny Daniels grabbed a mic. He said he thought Davis would have learned his lesson last month. Before Davis could say or do anything in response, they threw him over the top rope to the floor. Daniels then says that Cutting Edge made an impact with the beating of Matt Sydal, and by pinning one half of the APW Tag Team Champions last show, and still they haven't got a match signed. That should be all they have to do, but still tonight, they will finish what they started.

3) HALLOWICKED and 'The Generic Luchadore' EL GENERICO def. 'Sterling' JAMES KEENAN and SALVATORE RINAURO (12:20) when Hallowicked pinned Rinauro. Better match, solid with some good spots. Even though he was on the loosing side, Keenan was made to look good, getting several near-falls, and hitting a fair few 'big' moves on his opponents. They also played up the rivalry between Keenan and Hallowicked, as they often brawled or 'fought' more against each other than they did their other opponent. This decent tag team match ended when Hallowicked hit the soon to be departed Sal Rinauro with a 'Step-up' Frankensteiner, but Keenan was on hand to make the save. Hallowicked jumped right up however, and after ducking a swing from Keenan, clotheslined SJK over the top to the floor. Generico entered the ring, as waited a few seconds for Keenan to get to his feet on the outside, before running and hitting an amazing Corkscrew Senton over the top rope, landing right on SJK on the floor! The crowd were already cheering lots for the move, and cheered more as Hallowicked picked up the already downed Rinauro and hit the 'Monsta Mash' for the three count. Some good moments and otherwise decent action made for a fair send off for the ROH-bound Rinauro, and served to keep Keenan fairly strong ahead of his APW Lightweight Championship match next month.

4) RICKY REYES def. JIMMY JACOBS via submission (14:37). Reyes made Jacobs tap whilst in the 'Dragon Sleeper'. Fairly good match, probably the best of the under-card, even if it was mostly just a match to put Reyes over. Reyes dominated a lot of the match, with Jacobs just having little comebacks, before a bigger fighting effort toward the end. Reyes beat down on Jacobs with a lot of kicks, and several basic moves – just executed really hard! He got a couple of near-falls with several Suplex variations, for instance a two count from a Fisherman's Suplex around half-way through. When Jacobs did fightback, he did come close to winning however, getting some near-falls of his own, but Reyes still controlled most of the match, about 70/30. Jacobs had one big fight-back at the end, maybe could have had Reyes beaten, but as he went to finish Reyes off with a 'Contra Code', Reyes countered by simply slamming Jacobs down to the mat. Not giving him time to rest, Reyes lifted him backwards instantly, and locked in the 'Dragon Sleeper'. He hadn't had Jacobs on the ground for long before Jacobs tapped! Ricky Reyes picks up the impressive win! Fun under-card match, if as mentioned it was mostly to put Reyes over, who was brutal at times here.

5) APW Lightweight Championship

JAY LETHAL def. SPUD to retain (13:41) in a fairly good contest, but maybe not as good as their match last year at 'King of the Lightweights'. Lethal dominated a fair bit bit of the match, in a similar way to the previous match it was Lethal who had long segments in control of the match, with the occasional comeback from Spud. This was after a good opening sequence that saw Spud have Lethal in two quick pinning combination inside the first minute as he tried to finish the match quickly, and ended in a tope to the floor onto the champion after Spud had drop-kicked Lethal to the floor. After this however, Lethal began to show his domination, working over the neck for the 'Dragon Suplex' or a Diving Head-butt. This is where the match maybe dragged a little, but was mostly good action. Having Lethal wear Spud down allowed Spud to play the 'under-dog-' role he plays well. Spud fought back a few times, almost scoring the win with a small package around ten minutes in. Spud was in one of his 'comeback' periods, when he went up top looking for a cross-body, but Lethal ducked and rolled out of the way. Spud crashed onto the mat hard, giving Lethal the chance to land the 'Dragon Suplex' for the win in a solid mid-card encounter.

6) 'Classic' COLT CABANA def. 'Mr Wrestling' KEVIN STEEN in another reasonably good match (15:50). Not a lot of stand-out moments, just good wrestling. Cabana was a lot more serious than he has been at times, still with the smile, but no joking around. It's the same more serious Cabana as we have seen recently in the Joe matches. A more even match than the last two, but Cabana probably edged it, getting several near-falls with his unorthodox pinning combinations. Steen came close to victory with his trademark 'Somersault Leg-drop', and just before the end he had Cabana in position for the 'Package Piledriver', but Cabana was able to escape. In the end, the pair were on the mat, and exchanged a few pinning combinations – Cabana had Steen's shoulders on the mat, Steen kicked out at two and rolled Cabana into a pinning combination for a two, Cabana rolled Steen into a pinfall etc. After several near-falls each way, Cabana was able to get Steen's shoulders on the mat, and try as he might Steen couldn't get his shoulders up in-time! Steen struggled like hell to kick out, but Cabana had 'just' that little bit too much leverage and Cabana gets the three count. Good wrestling.

--- After the match, Colt gets on the mic. He says, hands up, Joe beat him last month. Joe won the battle, but he didn't win the war. He says that he lost once without ever being pinned or submitted, and once when he survived every single thing Joe could throw at him bar that Muscle Buster through a table, and even then he walked out of the arena that night and carried on competing. This isn't over until Cabana has nothing left in his body, and he has PLENTY of fight left, so if Joe wants to end this once and for all, then come on, one more time – Joe vs. Cabana. In fact, if Joe even wants to consider ending this at all, then he'd come down right now and fight. Nothing happened, so Cabana told Joe he knew he was backstage and to be a man and come out when his gets called out. Still nothing. Cabana then said to come on if you ever want this to end. Come on, or 'your family will know that your a pussy'! That got Joe storming to the ring. Cabana dropped the mic to the floor. Joe entered the ring and went to pick it up, obviously in a talking mood, but Cabana attacked without hesitation and the crowd pop as the fight is on! Joe and Cabana exchange a thunderous series of lefts and rights as they battle for dominance, before Joe seems to get ahead with a series of un-answered shots to the face that have Cabana reeling. Joe follows up with a kick to the chest, then more shots and this looks as if it could turn one-sided. But no! Cabana fight back, hitting the first shot out of nowhere, catching Joe off guard, then continues with hard lefts and rights. Joe tries stopping Cabana building any momentum with a hard right, but Colt blocks it and gives Joe a right of his own. Cabana continues, and gets Joe on the floor with a short-arm clothesline that has the crowd cheering. They soon boo however as Ricky Reyes and Rocky Romero run into the ring. Romero is slightly ahead and swings for Cabana, but Colt blocks it and sends Romero flying with a hard right. Reyes swings at Colt, who ducks and clotheslines him down. Reyes and Romero both roll to the outside to recover as Joe staggers to his feet in the ring. Cabana charges, and clotheslines Joe to the floor and the crowd go totally wild. Once back to his feet, Joe looks like he will start for the ring, but Reyes and Romero hold him off. If Joe really wanted to, he could have continued with his attack, but instead agreed with Reyes and Romero and they began to retreat to the back. Colt Cabana fights off The Pack! The crowd cheer and chant for Cabana. Cabana picks the mic up again, and asks if this means that on the next show does this mean its on? Joe vs. Cabana - The Final Battle? Still walking backwards up the entrance way, a very pissed off looking Samoa Joe, still holding his face after the fight just nods his head a couple of times with a 'hell yeah!' expression on his face. The crowd still cheer for Cabana as he takes a while to take in the fans applause of fighting off The Pack and getting the final match with Joe, before heading to the back himself, job very well done.

7) APW Tag Team Championships

MATT SYDAL and DELIRIOUS and THE STRONG BROTHERS went to a no-contest when The Havana Pitbulls interfered (18:39). This match completes a trio of solid matches but not great matches. The Strong Brothers started really well, isolating Delirious from an early stage and working him over as the looked to regain the tag team championships they held for so long. Delirious only got a little bit of offence in, and wasn't able to make the hot tag, but eventually did to Sydal after a good eight or nine minutes, and Sydal did the usual clearing house routine. This was the Champions way back into the match, as a lot of the next few minutes involved Sedrick being isolated from his brother, as the champions looked to make a successful defence of the titles. This had all been good but not great action, and was just picking up when the match came to its end. Delirious had had the 'Chemical Imbalance' countered by Sedrick, Roderick had taken Sydal's head off with a Yakuza Kick, but Sydal had then escaped the start of Roderick's trademark back-breaker combination, and the match was building to an exciting finish when The Havana Pitbulls appeared at the top of the entrance way. Hardly anyone noticed however, as Sedrick had locked the 'Stronghold' in on Sydal – and Delirious hit Roderick with the 'Bizarro Driver' at the same time! Neither 'pair' had seen what was happening to the other, and both Delirious and Sedrick thought they were moments away from winning the match! The crowd was cheering loudly at this point as Delirious may well score the fall at the same time as Sedrick got the submission and the destination of the belts was anyone's guess. Before Delirious could get Roderick into a cover, and as Sydal was still trying to make the ropes, The Pitbulls struck, storming the ring at the moment Delirious saw how close Sydal was to tapping out. Reyes attacked Delirious, and Romero attacked Sydal so it wasn't like the Pitbulls were favouring one team. The crowd jeered as the referee called for the bell to make the match a no-contest. Good wrestling, poor finish. Lead into a longer segment:

--- The Pitbulls stomped and punched away, but Sydal, Delirious and The Strong Brothers began to band together and fairly quickly fought back. The four-on-two advantage against The Pitbulls was too much, and before they could really start to get beaten-on, the did the heel tactic of running, probably showing that their attack was more to ruin the match than to attack any one person or team. Romero grabbed a mic on his way up the entrance way, and just said that The Pitbulls had said last show that they were getting the next shot at the APW Tag Team Championships, and since as they couldn't have it, no-one else was! Romero then points out that the Pitbulls intend to use their guaranteed shot at the belts as soon as possible.

After the Pitbulls had gone backstage, that left The Strong Brothers and Sydal and Delirious in the ring. They played up a bit of tension between the two babyface teams here as they seemed to be arguing over who would have won the match. The Strongs make gestures towards the title belts as if saying they would have been theirs tonight, and that they would be theirs soon. The Strongs are still gesturing towards the belts as they leave the ring, looking VERY pissed off, Roderick even kicking the ring-steps well out of place on his way to the back. This left Sydal and Delirious, the APW Tag Team Champions in the ring. They were about to leave when Jimmy Rave and Claudio Castagnoli attacked them from behind! They came through the crowd to get the surprise advantage! They stomped away on the champions as Danny Daniels came down the entrance way from the back – carrying the dog-collar that he whipped Sydal with a few shows back! The crowd boo as Daniels slides into the ring. Double C and Rave pick the champions up, and Daniels calls for them to 'get rid of' Delirious. Castagnoli sends Delirious to the floor, and climbs out of the ring to keep him at bay. He goes to work on Delirious on the outside. Meanwhile, Rave clubs Sydal across the back a couple of times, then standing behind him, holds him in place whilst Daniels lines up a shot with the dog-collar! Picking his spot carefully, Daniels whips the collar – but Sydal is just able to duck enough to avoid the shot, and Daniels hits Rave HARD right in the head with the dog-collar! The crowd cheer as Rave falls to the mat like he'd been shot and holds his head in great pain! Daniels is too shocked to react quickly, and Sydal is right on him pounding away with a fast flurry of lefts and rights! Castagnoli sees this though, and drags Daniels out of the ring before Sydal can do any real damage! The crowd boo again as Cutting Edge begin to retreat to the back! Rave rolls out of the ring, and Double C helps him to his feet and now the whole Cutting Edge trio are getting out of there after having their attack thwarted! Delirious joins Sydal in the ring as Sydal picks up the dog-collar that Daniels left behind and makes several whipping motions toward Daniels and Cutting Edge! Sydal and Delirious are now making lots of motions for Cutting Edge to come on and fight, but Cutting Edge play cowardly heels and disappear to the back after their attack went wrong.

The fans soon cheer again though as Sydal and Delirious just look at each other and jump out of the ring then run up the entrance way ready for a fight! The crowd are cheering even louder as they jump behind the curtain right on the tail of Cutting Edge!

8) JERRY LYNN def. 'The Notorious 187' HOMICIDE in the best match of the show so far (23:24). Great back and forth action that could have gone either way. Jerry Lynn was out of the blocks fast, actually managing to out 'fight' Homicide, before the 'Notorious 187' fought back and began to be in control of the match. Lynn had a few attempts at fighting back, but without any major success, and by the half-way mark of the match it looked only a matter of time before Homicide would win, getting his most notable near-fall with an 'Ace Crusher' around twelve minutes in. Lynn eventually fought back in t is very good wrestling contest, and the last five or so minutes were an excellent back and forth contest that saw both men come close to claiming that big win. The actual finish saw them tease the finish from the anniversary show as Homicide hit a clothesline for a two count, then sensing victory, signalled for the Lariat. Homicide ran off the ropes and timed his run so he was approaching Lynn as Jerry got to his feet. Homicide wound his arm back and swung for the Lariat, but Lynn ducked and went for the 'Cradle Piledriver'! Homicide however countered into a small package, exactly like at the Anniversary Show, and everyone thought that was it, 1-2-No! Lynn gets out of the pinning combination! The crowd cheer as both men are quickly up. Lynn swings, Homicide ducks. Homicide goes for the 'Cop Killah', but as he has the arms locked, Lynn blocks the move, twists Homicide round, and hits the 'Cradle Piledriver' for the three! Jerry Lynn picks up the big win much to the delight of the crowd. Lynn gets his arm raised and celebrates to the crowd as Homicide comes round very slowly, and makes a quiet retreat. Lynn scores the win in a very good wrestling match with an enthralling climax.

9) APW Championship

ALEX SHELLEY def. CHARLIE HAAS to retain (24:37) in the match of the night. Just some great wrestling. Haas out-wrestled Shelley in the early part of the contest, prompting Shelley to lose his temper a little, shouting at the fans and kicking the ring-steps in frustration. Shelley revised tactics shortly afterwards – time wasting and stalling to try and stop Haas building any momentum. When the two did begin to wrestle again, it appeared the champions tactics had worked as Shelley began to control the match, but Haas was able to avoid being hit with any particularly big moves and as such the match was mostly even with Shelley getting plenty of minor offence – a lot targeted at the neck – but Haas able to counter a lot and hit several moves of his own. The match continued a lot like this, but a gradually faster and faster pace as they built the excitement level in the arena. Haas got a near fall with his bridging German Suplex, and Shelley tried to make working over the neck pay-off as he went for the 'Border City Stretch' on a few occasions. He locked it in once, but Haas was way to close to the ropes. As the match went into the twenty minute stage, it looked like Haas was beginning to have the advantage, countering Shelley more often and getting more near-falls with 'bigger' moves. Eventually though when he had Shelley down and had a great chance to hit that one last major move to bring home the title, Homicide appeared at the top of the entrance way. Haas noticed him and was distracted as he and 'Cide exchanged some verbal abuse. Many thought this was the finish, as Shelley came up behind Haas and rolled him up, but only got a two before Haas flattened him again with a clothesline. Homicide slowly walked down to ringside and pulled up a chair at the announcers table as if he was here to watch the match. Haas smirked and then tried to ignore Homicide by focusing on Shelley. The match went back and forth for another couple of minutes until Shelley swung with a clothesline, but Haas ducked and went for another German. Shelley fights off with elbows to the face, then goes for a 'Shellshock', only for Haas to push him away and as Shelley turns back round, Haas hits a HUGE Exploder Suplex! The crowd erupt for a few moments as Haas has this won, but Haas is again distracted as Homicide jumped out of his seat as started for the ring. Haas turns to Homicide and beckons him to 'just try it'. Homicide stops before he enters the ring, but still engages in a heated debate with Haas, like it was the final stand-off before an all-out war. They spend a fair few seconds in this heated debate, almost waiting for the other to make the first move, but Haas very much the aggressor and Homicide slightly reluctant to actually go and fight. These seconds wasted were enough time for Shelley to recover. Shelley climbs to his feet, watches Haas and Homicide argue for a second, then turns the surprised Haas round and hits the 'Shellshock' for the win! Shelley steals another one, this time thanks to Haas and Homicide arguing at ringside! Haas' losing streak continues! Shelley rolls out of the ring with the title, half out of it, but aware enough to take the title and run! He staggers, dazed to the back. Haas comes round in the ring and the show ends with Haas up on one knee in the ring staring down a smiling Homicide stood at ringside. Homicide, still smirking begins to retreat to the back, very satisfied with himself, but still not breaking eye contact with Haas as the video blacks out.

- End Show -

Quick Results:

1)The Ring Crew Express and KUDO def. The Iron Saints (12:07) ***1/4

2)Trik Davis def. The Grim Reefer (9:15) **

3)Hallowicked and El Generico def. Salvatore Rinauro and James Keenan (12:20) ***

4)Ricky Reyes def. Jimmy Jacobs (14:37) ***1/2

5)Jay Lethal def. Spud (13:41) ***1/4

6)Colt Cabana def. Kevin Steen (15:50) ***1/4

7)Matt Sydal and Delirious went to a no-contest with The Strong Brothers (18:39) ***1/4

8)Jerry Lynn def. Homicide (23:24) **** 1/4

9)Alex Shelley def. Charlie Haas (24:37) ****1/4

Thoughts: Very good show. Bar the fairly poor Davis/Reefer match, everything before the last two matches is good, although can all 'run together' a little in the quality department as a card full fo solid matches means nothing really stands out, but does make for one hell of a well rounded and therefore well worth seeing show. The last two matches are what really make this a pretty much must-see show however, as Jerry Lynn and Homicide put on a fantastic encounter, only to have Alex Shelley and Charlie Haas top it with a great wrestling match. Add the progression of many storylines, mostly Joe/Cabana and Sydal/Cutting Edge then this is a show well worth going out of your-way to see with a very very solid card topped with two great matches.

Edited June 28, 2006 by timmayy

[DFF]

Nice show. You should push KUDO.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

--- After Winning the War, APW return into action on March 23rd in New York City! This is one APW show you DO NOT want to miss as SAMOA JOE and COLT CABANA do battle ONE LAST time. At Winning the War, Cabana challenged Joe to the match after he called Joe a pussy for not coming to fight him. Joe has beaten Cabana twice in their epic feud, but the first time Cabana was never pinned or submitted, and the second time Cabana was only beaten by a 'Muscle Buster' through a table. We all fought this was over, until Cabana showed guts and a fighting spirit by making the challenge at the last show, he doesn't want this to end with him losing twice in a row, so on March 23rd, its Joe vs. Cabana, THE FINAL BATTLE! This WILL be it, the last match, and after the long and brutal rivalry, it seems only right to let these two go at it. It will be No disqualifications, No count-outs, ANYTHING GOES, ALL is legal, Streetfight, but NO run-ins will be tolerated in this match, this feud needs a clean end. To see the end of this epic war must be worth the admission price alone, but as always with APW, we aim to give you SO much more, as you'll see as matches are added in the run up to The Final Battle!

--- As if one brutal match isn't enough, don't forget about that DOG-COLLAR match as DANNY DANIELS and MATT SYDAL look to end their feud. You all know the history here, from the beginning of the bad blood last summer to the brutal attack with the Dog Collar on Matt Sydal, to the thwarted attempt at attacking Sydal last show and everything else in between, so this match shouldn't need hyping. Its not a common type of match, but it is appropriate here and it should be very entertaining. Will Daniels and Sydal settle the score here? For these two men will it be their Final Battle?

--- April will see the return of King of the Lightweights! APW aim to make this an annual tournament, featuring the best lightweights available at the time. This years will be a limited field of twelve men to ensure the best competitors, and will take place over a double-shot weekend on the 20th and 21st of April! The 20th will feature the first round of action and will take place in Philly. The 21st sees APW return to Edison for the semi-finals, and the three-way elimination final! Both nights will feature other exciting non-tournament matches.

The winner of the tournament will get the 'King of the Lightweights 2007' moniker and trophy, as well as other benefits being worked upon. It is unknown if the APW Lightweight Champion, whomever that may be will enter the tournament or not. If he does, there is a chance the title will be defended during the tournament, if not, the winner must have a large claim to a shot at the title.

We can also announce the first five entrants into this years tournament! All entrants are via invite only. The winner of the first 'King of the Lightweights' and reigning APW Lightweight Champion JAY LETHAL was the first person asked to enter and he has accepted! Entry to the tournament was part of the deal that saw SPUD re-sign with APW, but officials would have invited him anyway after impressive performances both in APW and in his native UK. The other three all have excellent records in APW to date. One is HALLOWICKED, who had a great winning streak before losing in the semi-final of the last tournament, but has kept up a healthy record since. Aside from impressive records, the other two entered also have championship gold, in the form of the APW Tag Team Championships, as MATT SYDAL and DELIRIOUS will compete! This is shaping up to be a great tournament already, and we will announce the other seven entrants in this exciting competition as we head towards the double-shot!

--- Speaking of Lightweights, don't forget the APW Lightweight Championship match taking place at The Final Battle as JAY LETHAL defends against 'Sterling' JAMES KEENAN. This match got put back a show to accommodate Spud's shot at the title. This has been building since the First Anniversary Show, where Keenan ruined a match between Lethal and Hallowicked. Keenan lost a title match to Lethal, but the rivalry continued,and Keenan earned another spot at the belt by pinning Lethal in a three-way. Keenan is cocky, brash and very confident he will win, but Lethal has put together a very good title reign with a good looking list of beaten challengers. Does Keenan have reason to be confident, or will be just be another name on Lethal's hit-list?

--- The feud between the Havana Pitbulls and The Strong Brothers will continue at The Final Battle, as ROCKY ROMERO and SEDRICK STRONG go one-on-one. This match was signed due to the recent feud between the two teams. The Pitbulls ruined The Strong Brothers chance at regaining the APW Tag Team Championships at the last show, and The Brothers want revenge! Sedrick has never won a major singles match in APW however, so Romero is very confident of victory in this one, and is the favourite, although Sedrick should not be under-estimated.

--- A HUGE four-corner match has been added as a special match at The Final Battle with a special stipulation. The winner of the fall guarantees themselves a future shot at the APW Championship! We have selected four great competitors for this exciting attraction match. Firstly, 'The Notorious 187' HOMICIDE is in the match. Homicide has a very very very good win/loss record and many feel he has the momentum and more importantly the talent to dethrone Alex Shelley. After hearing of the match, CHARLIE HAAS begged to be in. Haas is on a very big losing streak, but is desperate to both get back to winning ways and to kick Homicide's ass! These two have one hell of a feud, and their rivalry will add an interesting dynamic to the match. Haas may not have a great record as of late, but we all know the sheer talent this man has, and he really believes he can win, and he is desperate to beat Shelley for the gold. The other two competitors in this match have issues with each other too. RICKY REYES beat JIMMY JACOBS last time out, and is a violent, brutal member of the dominating Pack! Reyes and his partner Rocky Romero are amongst the top contenders in the APW Tag Team Championships division, and they already have a guaranteed shot at those belts. Reyes looks to go for two pieces of gold here, and with Romero in action, this is his chance to get what he feels he deserves. RODERICK STRONG will be the fourth man. Strong had a very impressive singles run last year, including victories over Charlie Haas, but it is mainly his past as one half of the former APW Tag Team Champions with his brother Sedrick that gets him into the match. The pair were champions for an incredible year, beating many top challengers. Roderick recently expressed a desire to revive his singles career, and had a hard fought match with Samoa Joe recently. Only a fool would write Strong off as he looks to kick-start his singles career with a big win.

--- Speaking of the APW Championship, ALEX SHELLEY has been signed to defend the Championship at the show. A lot of top challengers have matches however, so the chance is there for someone else to take a shot at winning the belt, and APW officials have found just the person. This competitor has a very impressive win/loss record. He was an unfancied challenger against Shelley last year, and took the champion to a double-pin draw in over twenty minutes. This competitor never got a singles re-match until now. This competitor has championship gold himself. This competitor likes green things. This competitor is DELIRIOUS! Shelley and Delirious have history as we outlined here, and this is a great chance for Delirious to step-up and take down the champion. We know how impressive Delirious has been, and we know he can win titles. Shelley never beat him the first time, but he has had one hell of a title run so far. He's beaten some of the very best APW have had to offer, and he is DAMN hard to beat. Find out if Delirious can thwart Shelley again, or if the belt will stay around the waist of the Champion.

--- HALLOWICKED and EL GENERICO enjoyed teaming together at the last show where they beat James Keenan and Salvatore Rinauro. They enjoyed it so much, they want to team up again! At The Final Battle, they will team up to take on the veteran team of SOUTHERN COMFORT! Will this new team get another win as the Hallowicked express continues? Or will the wily veterans notch up another victory? Its sure gonna be fun either way!

--- KUDO vs. BRANDON THOMASELLI has been added to The Final Battle card. Both were recently involved in the rivalry between The Ring Crew Express and The Iron Saints as KUDO helped Dunn and Marcos and Brandon teamed with his brothers in a six man tag match last show, and now these two collide in New York.

--- A final match has been added to The Final Battle. With stable mate Danny Daniels in action, the rest of Cutting Edge, JIMMY RAVE and CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI requested a match on the card. They will face THE AERIAL EXPRESS in what could be a show-stealing tag team match if all four men are on form. Rave and Double C are looking to gel as a team and this will be a stern test of their tag team work as the Express are no easy targets.

--- One final, and somewhat surprising piece of news regarding the 'King of the Lightweights 2007' tournament. Former APW Champion JERRY LYNN wants to enter the tournament. Lynn says he is already a former champion, and since as he can't go toward regaining it while Shelley is champion, he is looking for another challenge. He says he wants to prove himself as première lightweight wrestler. With a history and background like he has, APW officials were only too happy to accept his request and now Jerry is the sixth man entered in this years tournament!

Edited July 5, 2006 by timmayy

[stonecoldfan12345]

The last show was great! And this one is looking to top the last one! I dont know how you do it, bnut the shows just keep getting better and better! Can't wait for the street fight, the dog collar match, or to see if Delirious will "dethrone" Shelley, or if your saving that up for the winner of the four corners match. Ya never know with you, man...Keep up the good work!!

APW - The Final Battle

March 23rd 2007

New York City, New York

Final Card:

The Final Battle

No Disqualifications, No Count-outs, no Interference, Anything Goes STREETFIGHT!

Samoa Joe vs. 'Classic' Colt Cabana

APW Championship

Alex Shelley © vs. Delirious

APW Lightweight Championship

Jay Lethal © vs. 'Sterling' James Keenan

Dog-Collar Match

Danny Daniels vs. Matt Sydal

Four Corner Match

Winner gets guaranteed APW Championship match

Charlie Haas vs. Ricky Reyes vs. Roderick Strong vs. 'The Notorious 187' Homicide

Rocky Romero vs. Sedrick Strong

Jimmy Rave and 'Double C' Claudio Castagnoli vs. The Aerial Express (Scorpio Sky/Quicksilver)

KUDO vs. Brandon Thomaselli

Hallowicked and 'The Generic Luchadore' El Generico vs. Southern Comfort (Tracy Smothers/Chris Hamrick)

[DFF]

APW - The Final Battle

March 23rd 2007

New York City, New York

Final Card:

The Final Battle

No Disqualifications, No Count-outs, no Interference, Anything Goes STREETFIGHT!

Samoa Joe vs. 'Classic' Colt Cabana

Colt to finally get one over.

APW Championship

Alex Shelley © vs. Delirious

Delirious to go very close. Although I'd love to see him get to upset win - even if just to drop it to Shelley in the re-match.

APW Lightweight Championship

Jay Lethal © vs. 'Sterling' James Keenan

SJK! SJK! SJK!

Dog-Collar Match

Danny Daniels vs. Matt Sydal

Sydal ftw and the push!

Four Corner Match

Winner gets guaranteed APW Championship match

Charlie Haas vs. Ricky Reyes vs. Roderick Strong vs. 'The Notorious 187' Homicide

He seems the least likely - so I'll go for him. lol.

Rocky Romero vs. Sedrick Strong

The battle of the b-partners! Romero I think.

Jimmy Rave and 'Double C' Claudio Castagnoli vs. The Aerial Express (Scorpio Sky/Quicksilver)

Rave and CC just HAVE to win this. I predict a tag title reign down the line.

KUDO vs. Brandon Thomaselli

Because his name is KUDO; it sounds cool.

Hallowicked and 'The Generic Luchadore' El Generico vs. Southern Comfort (Tracy Smothers/Chris Hamrick)

Cheat to win!

[Kane's Mullet Slacker]

The Final Battle

No Disqualifications, No Count-outs, no Interference, Anything Goes STREETFIGHT!

Samoa Joe vs. 'Classic' Colt Cabana

Colt will finally get the big victory ala his feud with Homicide in ROH and earn Joe's respect.

APW Championship

Alex Shelley © vs. Delirious

As much as I mark for Delirious Shelley will most likely retain but Delirious will take Shelley to the limit per usual.

APW Lightweight Championship

Jay Lethal © vs. 'Sterling' James Keenan

::continues chant:: SJK! SJK! SJK!

Dog-Collar Match

Danny Daniels vs. Matt Sydal

Even though I've never been right.

Four Corner Match

Winner gets guaranteed APW Championship match

Charlie Haas vs. Ricky Reyes vs. Roderick Strong vs. 'The Notorious 187' Homicide

The Battle of Gen Next

Rocky Romero vs. Sedrick Strong

Just cause I like Rocky Romero

Jimmy Rave and 'Double C' Claudio Castagnoli vs. The Aerial Express (Scorpio Sky/Quicksilver)

Future tag champs

KUDO vs. Brandon Thomaselli

Brandon Tomaselli does the J.O.B.

Hallowicked and 'The Generic Luchadore' El Generico vs. Southern Comfort (Tracy Smothers/Chris Hamrick)

The Hallowicked Express keeps rolling

[Timmoru Suzuki]

The Final Battle

March 23rd 2007

New York, New York

--- A fair few short interviews to kick things off on the home release. Firstly, Matt Sydal talks about the Dog-Collar match. He talks about the feud with Danny Daniels and Cutting Edge and about the whipping he took. He says tonight its over, because he will have what he has wanted for some time now. Revenge. Homicide does a quick interviews, saying how he will win the four-way tonight, and go on to win the APW Championship. And he'll add to Charlie Haas' losing streak in the process. Finally, we hear from Alex Shelley and Delirious. Shelley cuts a basic heel interview, just saying how great he is, listed the main people he's beaten, and says Delirious will just be the next in a long-line of victims. He says Delirious got lucky with his draw last time, but he won't be lucky again. Delirious cut a very spirited promo, but what he actually said is anyone's guess.

1) HALLOWICKED and 'The Generic Luchadore' EL GENERICO def. SOUTHERN COMFORT (10:06). Average at best action, but a good comedy match and a good way to entertain the crowd for the rest of the show. At the beginning of the match, Tracy Smothers got on the mic and said that due to the 'Stupidity and general ugliness of the crowd, there will be NO dance-off tonight'! This got a fair few boos. Of course, there was a dance off, Comfort attacked Generico and Hallowicked as they danced to get more heel heat, before Hallowicked and Generico fought them off, and then finished their dance which was all great fun. Smothers generally put in a great comedy performance, another notable example was having a move countered into body-slam, and shouting 'Ohhhhh Shhhhit' as he was slammed. After the dancing, the match properly began. It was basic stuff, but not particularly bad or offensive. Hallowicked hits Hamrick with the 'Monsta Mash' for the three count and to get another Hallowicked win!

2) BRANDON THOMASELLI def. KUDO (9:57). A second match around average. Nothing stood-out here, but it wasn't bad, just basic wrestling. KUDO controlled the match a bit more than Brandon did, but it was the Thomaselli brother who won, countering a back-slide attempt into one of his own, and putting his feet on the ropes for extra leverage to pick up the win.

3) JIMMY RAVE and 'Double C' CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI def. THE AERIAL EXPRESS when Rave pinned Scorpio Sky (10:23). Better match, but still nothing to stand-out. Did it's job as an enjoyable match on the under-card. The AXP frustrated Rave and Double C at the start of the match, countering nearly every move, and getting Rave and Castagnoli to pace to floor and kick guard rails in anger. This gave them the chance to hit simultaneous plancha's on the two members of Cutting Edge, much to the delight of the crowd. After that, the match became more of a vehicle to put Rave and Double C over, although The Aerial Express did get a few bits of meaningful offence in as the match went on. Rave and Double C did have a clear edge though. To finish the match, Rave hit a great running knee on Sky, and went for a cover, only for Quicksilver to make the save. Castagnoli was quick to react, stopping Scorpio Sky before he could hurt Rave at all, before pitching him out to the floor. This left Rave to pick the downed Quicksilver up, and hit the 'Rave Clash' for the win. Decent little match.

4) SEDRICK STRONG def. ROCKY ROMERO (14:14). Better match, and a very good effort from both men. It was however just that little bit short of being something great, but still a very enjoyable contest. With Sedrick not having won a singles match in APW, Romero acted very confident with a cocky grin and swagger, and generally acted like it was easy beating up Sedrick when he was in control of the match. Romero did dominate a fair bit of the match, often taking a break by playing to the jeering crowd, before going back to administer more punishment. When Sedrick had his comebacks, the action tended to improve as the match became a good, even contest with exchanges going each way. They last few minutes of the match were all like this as both men had near falls and chances to win, before Sedrick was able to lock in the 'Stronghold' right in the middle of the ring! The crowd were chanting for Rocky to tap, but Romero held on for quite a while, making a few futile attempts at making the ropes. Some thought he'd probably escape, but eventually he had no choice but to tap out! Sedrick gets his first major singles win in APW! The crowd popped a lot for the end of the match. Good contest, and it was good to see Sedrick get the win. After the match, as Sedrick was having his arm-raised, Rocky got back to his feet, and attacked Sedrick from behind, lunging forward and clubbing him across the back. With Sedrick down, Rocky stomped away on him a fair few times, before the referee pushed him away. Romero ignored the ref and went back to kicking on Sedrick again, but when the referee went to stop him a second time, Romero left Sedrick down in the ring, after showing his anger and getting a petty revenge for the surprise loss.

5) APW Lightweight Championship

'Sterling' JAMES KEENAN def. JAY LETHAL (15:11) to win! Another above average to good match without being anything particularly special. Was mostly just fairly solid wrestling, if a bit formulaic as Lethal controlled the start, before Keenan took control of the match, working over the head, neck and upper body of the champion, before Lethal fought back for an even last four to five minutes where the action really picked up. Keenan was good in the heel role, having a couple of verbal exchanges with fans at ringside, and generally using little underhand tactics like eyes-rakes etc. Keenan also showed his resilience by kicking out after a Diving Headbutt from Lethal – the crowd really gasped at that one, because they thought that was the match over. Lethal had a bit more of the final minute or so of the match, getting Keenan reeling and staggering backwards. Lethal saw his chance, and went for the 'Dragon Suplex', but Keenan countered beautifully in mid-air, and landed behind Lethal! In an instant, he quickly rolled Lethal up – and held the tights! 1- Lethal struggles frantically to escape - 2 – but can't – 3! Keenan steals the title! Keenan dives out of the ring, and a very shocked Jay Lethal leaps to his feet. Keenan falls over, then gets back up at the bottom of the entrance way, grinning from ear to ear! The referee brings the belt over too him and gives him the belt before raising his arm. After, Keenan clutches his newly won belt close to his chest, still grinning like a madman, before heading up the entrance way, celebrating and laughing and admiring the belt. Lethal is kicking the bottom ropes in frustration and looks pissed. He gets some 'sympathy' claps and chants and the like from the crowd, before he too leaves ringside, looking angry and upset. Fairly decent effort from both, and a new champion!

6) Dog-Collar Match

DANNY DANIELS def. MATT SYDAL after interference (16:03). This was a very good match-up. Sydal near totally owned Daniels for the first few minutes, really showing an anger and a fire in him to get revenge on Daniels and to win the feud. Daniels only got the odd punch in really as Sydal looked rampant, really beating on Daniels, and getting several good whips in with the Dog Collar to give Daniels a taste of his own medicine. Jimmy Rave and Claudio Castagnoli were at ringside, and after this opening, they kept trying to interfere slightly in the match, my either getting on the apron to distract Sydal, trying to trip him as he ran off the ropes, or by taunting him to come to the outside to fight them. This really didn't work in those first few minutes as Sydal had way too much momentum, but eventually, it paid off, as Rave was able to distract Sydal long enough for Daniels to get a few moments to recover. He then used the rules of the match to good effect, low-blowing Sydal to gain the upper hand. Delirious came running down here, having seen enough of the interference for his liking, and he began to brawl with Rave and Double C, and was able to separate them before to the crowds delight, he and Castagnoli disappeared through the crowd and to the back brawling, leaving just Rave at ringside. The match went on now with Daniels in control, wearing down Sydal, using the dog-collar to deliver some brutal shots, and Sydal was getting welts on his back again. Daniels was also wrapping the leather round his fists when he punched, and generally using the collar to make the beat-down process even more devastating. This left Sydal to play the 'Baby-face in peril' role he plays so well, with the odd slight comeback, but was always cut off. Finally, he did have the big comeback – to great crowd support - for the finish. The finish saw Sydal gaining great momentum and showing great hearts and guts to comeback and he looked like he was going to win. He had floored Daniels with some punches and then a couple of clotheslines. He power-slammed Daniels, and now was really building momentum. He took a second to gain the energy, then ran off the ropes and hit Daniels with a great leg-lariat! The crowd were really really into his comeback now, then Rave jumped on the apron – but Sydal punched him off! The crowd cheered, and Sydal turned back to Daniels – only to be met with a SICK chair-shot! Its Castagnoli! Castagnoli is back in the match, he must have escaped Delirious! Double C grins like crazy as the sound of the shot echoes round the building, and the crowd begin to boo. Double C drags Daniels and puts him over Sydal, before ordering the referee to count the fall. The referee is reluctant, but really has no choice to count the fall, 1-2-NO! Sydal just rolls a shoulder up! The crowd can't believe it. Neither can Daniels, or Double C, who look at each other in anguish. Daniels then gets up, and takes the chair for himself, before bringing it crashing into the torso of Sydal. Daniels covers again, 1-2-But Sydal refuses to be beaten! Daniels throws the chair back at Double C, then rolls Sydal onto his back. He whips Sydal with the dog collar, then Castagnoli brings the chair down hard. Daniels again whips Sydal, and again Double C follows it up with a huge chair shot. Delirious comes running down from the back now, and slides into the ring to make the save, only for Jimmy Rave to dive into the ring and cut him off. Rave kicks Delirious back out to the floor, then rams him head first into the steel ring post! Back in the ring, and the Double C/Daniels assault is still going on, and everyone lost count of how many whips and chair-shots they gave Sydal. Finally, the assault ends with probably the hardest chair shot of the lot, and Daniels rolls Sydal onto his shoulders. There was never any chance in hell of Sydal kicking out as he was pretty dead. Daniels wins. After the match the crowd really boo as Daniels gets up, celebrates for a while, then he, Rave and Castagnoli head for the back. Sydal still doesn't move, but he is encouraged too by the crowd. Delirious gets into the ring, himself a little groggy after meeting the ring post. He helps Sydal to his feet, who gets a round of applause from the crowd. Sydal can barely move and is very nearly out cold on his feet, but Delirious slowly helps him to the back as the crowd show their support and encouragement. They just get to the top of the ramp, when Alex Shelley appears, mic in hand, and points at Delirious. Shelley says that if Delirious is getting this title shot, its happening now! Delirious walks past him, taking Sydal behind the curtain, then comes back out to fight Shelley! The title match is on, now after a really good match with plenty of drama and story.

7) APW Championship

ALEX SHELLEY def. DELIRIOUS to retain (21:10). In one way, this what the crowd needed after the last match, as it was just an all-out, very quick back and forth match with plenty of near-falls and plenty of speed. They just went right for it with a back-and-forth match, counter-move-counter kind of match. On the other though, it was a long match following such a tiring and involving one, so some of the crowd maybe weren't as loud as they otherwise might be. In any event, the match was awesome! The two just had a fantastic, fantastic contest to claim the match of the night, and honestly put in a very credible contender for match of the year, the actual wrestling match was honestly that good. Delirious had the advantage in the opening few minutes, countering everything Shelley tried to frustrate the champion. As the match went on, everyone thought Delirious had won when he landed with the 'Shadows Over Hell' and many were counting along to the fall, 1-2-No! Shelley just rolled his shoulder up at the last split second! Delirious also got a near-fall with the 'Bizzaro Driver', but had to show great spirit to survive when Shelley locked him in the 'Border City Stretch' around seventeen minutes in. Delirious was in the hold for a fair while before making the ropes. During the last few minutes they managed to turn it up another notch somehow and both reversed each others finishing moves and scored two counts with roll-ups and other moves. Shelley rolled Delirious up and held the ropes, but still Delirious kicked out. Delirious used a belly-to-back to dump Shelley right on his head, but Shelley showed resiliency to again kick-out. In the end, Shelley showed that he is a damn good wrestler when he isn't cheating. Delirious went for the 'Chemical Imbalance', but Shelley countered, landing behind Delirious. He span Delirious round, and went for the 'Shellshock', but Delirious was very quick to react and shoved Shelley backwards off the ropes. As Shelley came back, Delirious gave him a backdrop, then hit Shelley with a clothesline as the champion got to his feet. Delirious clenched his fists and shouted something in gibberish as he felt his momentum rise and the crowd cheered in support. Shelley was back to his feet, and Delirious turned and ran at him. He got to Shelley, and threw out an arm, looking for another clothesline, but Shelley blocked the arm and quickly and out of nowhere hit the 'Shellshock' for the three! Shelley wins out of nowhere as Delirious had the match in control! The crowd were in a sort of stunned silence, but boo as Shelley gets to his feet and is given his title belt (though some cheer the match and the way in which he won the match). Shelley raises his belt for the crowd then heads to the back, pleased. Delirious gets up in the ring, and is given a loud applause for his effort in a really, really great match. He plays to the crowd a little then leaves the ring. Delirious really took Shelley close again.

8) Four Corner Match

Winner gets a guaranteed shot at the APW Championship

'The Notorious 187' HOMICIDE def. CHARLIE HAAS, RICKY REYES and RODERICK STRONG (18:49). Very good match-up. Maybe not as long as some may have expected, but the crowd loved the fact it was just end to end non-stop action, and with it being a fairly long show, then maybe having a shorter but quicker action packed four-way was for the best, rather than one with a slower build. It was a crowd pleaser too, as everyone got all their signature moves in, and the back and forth all out nature of the match lead to some really exciting exchanges at times. Homicide almost won early with a Lariat on Strong, and Strong almost pinned Homicide after a hard 'Yakuza Kick' inside the first ten minutes. As the match went on, one exchange saw Strong hit his flurry of back-breakers on Reyes, only for Haas to hit Strong with his bridging German Suplex, but Strong was able to kick out at two. Reyes had Haas locked in the 'Dragon Sleeper' before Homicide saved the match, and the match also included other trademark moves like Homicide's 'Ace Crusher', Strong's 'Stronghold' and a failed attempt at Haas to use the 'Haas of Pain' on Reyes. At the end, Haas was in control of the match, having pitched Reyes to the floor. Strong gave him a few stiff chops, but Haas blocked another one, and gave him a flat-liner. He picked Strong up, and hit a vertical suplex, but then rolled right back up, went behind Strong and hit a textbook German Suplex! The crowd were behind Haas as Haas was controlling the match and it was looking like his losing streak was seconds away from ending. Haas however, had taken his eye of Homicide who had been down in a corner of the ring. Once again, Homicide stole a victory over Haas, condemning Haas to another defeat through cheating. After hitting the German on Strong, Haas jumped back to his feet, then stretched out his arms and clenched fists in celebration and to get the crowd pumped. The joy was short-lived though, as Homicide sneaked up behind Haas, before rolling him up with a school-boy. Homicide pretty much leaned on Haas with his weight, as he used both hands – to gain the extra leverage he needed to get the three count! Homicide jumped out of the ring and had his arm raised at the bottom of the entrance way, then celebrated in front of the crowd who booed him. Haas was shocked and pissed off at losing again and the way he lost again to Homicide. Good match.

--- After the match, Haas gets a mic and calls Homicide back down to the ring to fight. Homicide accepts, appearing at the top of the entrance way and making his way down to the ring. He has a mic and raises it to his mouth to speak, but before he can even open his lips, Haas jumps him, and the fight is on! They both roll over each other, wildly swinging punches and struggling for the upper hand, before the fight spills out of the ring and out to the floor. They fight at ringside again wildly throwing punches, before 'Cide gets whipped hard into the steel barricade. Homicide pauses in pain, and Haas tries to whip Homicide into the opposite barrier, as the crowd get more and more pumped at the brawl, there is a real energy in the building. Homicide however counters, and sends Haas flying into and over the ring steps. Homicide shoves an official out of his ringside chair, and folds the chair up, before bringing it crashing down over the back of Haas. Haas sinks to the floor in pain, and Homicide follows up again. He drops the chair, picks Haas up and delivers a couple of solid shots to the face, before head-butting Haas down to the floor again. He goes under the ring, and begins pulling out all manner of weapons – canes, trash-can lids, a ladder, and a collection soon forms at ringside. Haas however is back to his feet, and picking up the chair, brings it across the back of Homicide, then a shot right to the head. Homicide falls down, sat against the ring his eyes glazed over. Haas puts his boot across the throat of 'Cide and chokes him between his boot and the ring! He does this for several seconds, pressing on harder and harder, before he releases when he spots various wires round the place that are linked to the cameras and other equipment. He gets some cord, and goes to choke Homicide with that, but 'The Notorious 187' saves himself with a rake to the eye, then a chair shot. Finally, he gets the trash-can lid and caves Haas head in with one hell of a shot! Haas crashes to the floor, eyes way glazed over – a very distant look in them – and blood begins to flow over his face. Officials who had really been too scared to get in between the two up until now take their chance to swarm round. Homicide goes over and watches the heavily bleeding Haas. He slowly reaches in and wipes some of the blood into his hands, then smears it across his face like war-paint! Homicide heads to the back at a slow but steady and calculated pace, not taking his eyes off Haas for a fair while. Half-way up the entrance way he finally does, banging his fists on his chest, shouting at the crowd and looking all fired up. The crowd boo loudly, but Homicide is too fired up to care, taunting the crowd some more before flipping them off and disappearing behind the curtain. A bloody Haas is helped up and staggers to the back to a 'clap' from the crowd who show their support of him.

--- A long interview with Colt Cabana plays on the home release. Cabana details the whole feud with Joe, going back to last year when Joe joined The Pack. Cabana talks of their two fights, and says for all the heart and fighting spirit he showed, Joe was still able to win but Cabana never said die. He says that he has to win tonight, he has to prove to himself and to everyone that he can beat Joe. Joe beat him once when he never got pinned or submitted and once by one hell of a bump through that table, but it won't work tonight because Colt knows what he is in for and he is coming to kick Samoa Joe's ass! And tonight he will finally earn the victory over Joe and end this long war because one thing is certain – tonight, Joe CANNOT beat him!

9) The Final Battle

No Disqualifications, No Count-outs, anything goes, all is legal! Streetfight!

'Classic' COLT CABANA def. SAMOA JOE (26:40). Good match. Wrestling wise not the best match between the pair, but a very good fight and with the backstory and drama of it being the last match it was a memorable encounter. Much more brawling than normal, but with some good wrestling exchanges. It was mostly a 'story' match though. It followed a basic pattern, the same as the previous bouts with an even opening, before Joe took control of the match, using weapons like a chair to enhance the punishment given to Cabana. They played to the previous matches with Joe beating the hell out of Cabana, utilising every move and combination in his repertoire to try and win, but Cabana always tried to fight back and refuse to lose. He kicked out of the 'Island Driver' and the 'Muscle Buster', and Joe's Boston Crab/STF/Cross-face combo, and survived some vile weapon use that busted him wide open. Each time he came fighting back with lefts and rights only for Joe to cut him off. They then played off the two previous match finishes, as Joe locked in his choke-hold right in the middle of the ring. Cabana struggled, but couldn't break free, and it looked like he was going to pass out. The referee raised Colt's arm and let go – it fell right to the mat. He raised it again, and the same happened. In the first match, Cabana's hand fell a third time – but not this time, as Colt barely managed to stop it falling, just above the mat. He fought back, struggling, enough to loosen the hold, but not enough to break it totally. He began to inch his way slowly to the ropes, and finally after an eternity in the hold, he made the bottom rope to break the hold and the crowd were wild. A couple more minutes of fighting followed, which saw Colt almost sneak it with a couple of his pinning combinations, before a table was set up in the ring. Joe whipped Cabana into a corner, but Colt countered, jumping on the top rope. Joe though was way to quick to react, and showed his agility by leaping and kicking Cabana. The crowd sensed what was coming next, as they went for the finish of match two. Joe locked Cabana in position for the 'Muscle Buster', and brought Cabana into the middle of the ring – then gave him the 'Muscle Buster' through the table! The crowd went totally wild for it, and counted the fall as Joe draped an arm over Cabana, 1-2-NO! HOLY CRAP! Cabana kicked out! No-one could believe it as Colt refused to lose. Joe banged his fists on the mat rapidly in pure frustration, then took a moment to cool himself. With purpose, he lifted a seemingly dead Cabana off the mat, and wound back for a right hand – which Cabana blocked and gave Joe a right of his own. Joe tried again, but Cabana again blocked and punched Joe himself. Again. Joe looked pissed off as hell and turned to really crack Cabana, but before he could get anywhere, Cabana gave Joe a harder shot, sending Joe reeling. Grabbing a nearby chair, Cabana summoned up every little bit of fight and strength the had left, reeled back and absolutely cracked Joe with the chair! That was one of THE stiffest chair shots in ages! It was sick. Joe fell like lead to the mat, as did Cabana, exhausted whilst the crowd showed their appreciation of the shot. After a few seconds, Cabana jumped on top of Joe and made the cover, 1-2-Joe just rolls a shoulder-up. It wasn't a kick-out, as Joe is only half concious, but he had enough to merely roll a shoulder up. Whilst it may not have brought the win, the chair shot did even the match out for Cabana, and the last couple of minutes with both men running on empty and showing great resolve and heart to continue were even. Joe tried for his signature moves again, but Colt always found a way to escape. Colt himself had a few more unorthodox pinning combinations that got two counts, and went for the 'Colt .45' a couple of times, but Joe was too heavy to lift and Cabana was too worn-out. They fought on, until Joe again went for the 'Muscle Buster', but Cabana dropped behind Joe. He turned Joe round and gave him some solid shots, so Joe was reeling again. Cabana then took the last energy he had and used all his strength to lift Joe onto his shoulders – 'Colt .45'! The crowd cheer as Cabana lands the move and sinks into a cover, 1-2-3!!!! Cabana did it! He finally pinned Joe! The crowd go really wild for the win and 'Colt Ca-Bana' chants fill the arena. Neither man moves for an eternity, until Cabana slowly gets to his feet and has his hand raised. An emotional Cabana signals to the crowd, after he finally beats Joe and ends the feud with The Pack!

After the match, Ricky Reyes and Rocky Romero come down to help Joe back. They help Joe to his feet as Cabana is still celebrating his win and getting his breath back. Cabana turns and sees them. Joe steps forward and offers a hand. After a slight hesitation of a second or two, Cabana shakes the hand of Joe! Joe nods a few times and signals his respect. He signals to the rest of The Pack, and you can hear him say “This was only ever meant to be about wrestling. Cabana nods, and he and Joe looks at each other one last time, before Joe, Reyes and Romero head for the back slowly. The show ends with Cabana taking a second before going back to getting some energy back and celebrating his big win with the crowd.

- End Show -

Quick Results:

1)Hallowicked and El Generico def. Southern Comfort (10:06) **3/4

2)Brandon Thomaselli def. KUDO (9:57) **3/4

3)Jimmy Rave and Claudio Castagnoli def. The Aerial Express (10:23) ***

4)Sedrick Strong def. Rocky Romero (14:14) ***1/2

5)'Sterling' James Keenan def. Jay Lethal (15:11) ***1/4

6)Dog Collar Match: Danny Daniels def. Matt Sydal (16:03) ***1/2

7)Alex Shelley def. Delirious (21:10) ****1/4

8)Homicide def. Charlie Haas, Ricky Reyes and Roderick Strong (18:49) ***3/4

9)Streetfight: Colt Cabana def. Samoa Joe (26:40) ***1/2

Thoughts: Overall a great show. The end of the Cabana/Joe feud is great, but the real match of the night is the all out match between Alex Shelley and Delirious. This great match is almost worth the tape alone, but when you add an upper card that also includes the epic end to the Joe/Cabana war and a very good, fun four-way then there is no reason to not check this show out.

As it turns out, those three matches are supported by a damn fine under-card, of which a very good wrestling match between Sedrick Strong and Ricky Reyes and the brutal Dog-Collar match are the highlights. The Lightweight Championship match is fairly good too, and there is a solid tag match as Cutting Edge face The Aerial Express. Indeed, the worst two matches, the opening tag match and KUDO/Thomaselli are far from bad, and would be far from the worst match on plenty of other cards, they are perfectly fine, but just average matches on a great card.

Overall, this may be one of the shows of the year so far, and one you should all check-out.

[Guest Audiobank]

Wow....this is a long running diary.