A Johnny Goodman Production

[Mr. X]

[backstory]

H2WRESTLING CANCELS ALL EVENTS AFTER COURT BAUER LEAVES PROJECT DUE TO ISSUES WITH OVERSEAS INVESTORS

by Mike Johnson @ 11:23:00 PM on 7/23/2004

With its debut show just a week away, H2Wrestling has for all intents and purposes shut down operations as Executive Producer Court Bauer resigned from the project this evening after issues arose with his overseas investors, WGO Properties. Fans who purchased tickets for H2's 7/31 event will receive refunds via Paypal.com this weekend. Bauer issued the following statement to PWInsider.com in regard to the situation:

Dear fans,

After careful thought and consideration as of Friday July 23, 2004 I tendered my resignation from the H2 Pro-Wrestling project. Our investors have decided due to my resignation and other factors to not proceed with the project effective immediately. As such, all H2 events are now cancelled as the venture has come to an end. All those who paid for tickets will be refunded immediately. My heartfelt and sincere apologies goes out to the dedicated H2 crew and fans for this difficult announcement.

See you at the matches.

Sincerely,

Court Bauer

The problems with WGO actually had nothing to do with H2Wrestling itself, but Bauer's former promotion Major League Wrestling. In recent weeks, WGO (which had purchased the assets of the company after MLW shut down in February 2004), had decided to revive MLW in order to produce new footage to be syndicated in the Asian markets. WGO had originally approached Bauer about heading MLW again several weeks back, but Bauer declined, citing a lack of time and interest due to his H2 responsibilities and outside commitments.

Bauer instead suggested a number of names to take charge of the MLW project including Terry Funk, Steve Corino, Afa, and Stephen DeAngelis but all were rejected by WGO. During a conference call this evening, the investors again informed Bauer that they wanted him to head up MLW and that they wanted to him to produce a live show by the end of August. When Bauer declined, he was informed that he would have to work on both the H2 and MLW projects, or WGO wasn't interested in funding H2Wrestling. Bauer opted out of both projects.

H2's debut had been scheduled for 7/31 in Braintree, MA. Their initial debut show last month had been cancelled after issues with the scheduled venue in Somerville, MA. Over the last week, the promotion had found themselves head to head with Ring of Honor over both promotions scheduling shows on 8/28 in Braintree, which H2 attempted to difuse earlier today by announcing an afternoon belltime. The promotion had also announced that Teddy Hart, originally touted as one of H2's Executive Producers, had been relegated to talent only after going into business for himself on an Internet radio show and making baseless claims about the event.

Bauer noted tonight that he has no additional plans to get involved in the promotional end of the business again. He intends to focus on a screenplay he has written and is in the process of trying to get produced.

-Source: http://www.pwinsider.com

As the internet fans/columnists started buzzing about who would take over as head booker for MLW Version 4.0, WGO had already started searching the continental US for a replacement that could lead MLW into a new direction. After a month of talks WGO had narrowed down the search to three possible candidates: Gabe Sapolsky (ROH), Jim Kettner (ECWA), and Johnny Goodman (small indy booker). WGO really were keen on Sapolsky and Kettner but both stated that they would not be willing to leave their respected promotions in order to head MLW. WGO realized Goodman was the only guy left and after negotiations a deal was established between both parties.

Goodman had been a very vocal fan of professional wrestling and was a fan of US Indy and Puroresu styles. Goodman wasn't the most qualified out of WGOs candidates but he showed a lot of enthusiasm and had some very creative ideas that got WGO executives interested in him. Goodman was a native of Chicago and grew up in the rich wrestling history surrounding the Mid-West and held wrestling on such a pedestal many believed he was too entwined with the form of entertainment. Goodman, at a still young age of 31 had now been offered a job that he couldn't refuse. And on August 31, 2004 he had finally been given the green light to search the globe and create a roster in order to have a show ready for September 17!

Goodman knew that since MLW would be based in Florida that it would be a good idea to try to get local talent, and borrow talent from a federation named Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Goodman was able to reach a deal with the Jarretts that he would use MLW as somewhat of an enhancement fed for TNAW, which wouldn't have an creative control but would be able to pull out contracted talent if MLW happened to devalue the talent. Goodman didn't really like the word "enhancement" as he wanted MLW to be a new fed but knew that getting a deal with TNAW would allow him to bring some top indy names to MLW and give immediate credibility to the tarnished MLW name. Goodman then contacted the longest reigning MLW champion, Steve Corino. Corino agreed to join up with the roster, which now meant MLW had again established a connection with Zero-One which added more talent to the pool. Goodman thought he had enough deals and was able to create a draft roster on September 7th, just 10 days before what was scheduled to be the re-debut show for MLW.

Goodman realized that as far as the fans knew, MLW still had a World Heavyweight champion in Steve Corino, Tag Team champions in C.W. Anderson and Simon Diamond (now known as Pat Kenney), and Jr. Heavyweight champion Sonjay Dutt. Goodman decided that since this would be a new era for MLW, the titles would be vacated and the first few months would be to decide on a World Heavyweight Champion. Goodman devised a Round Robin Tournament, with two blocks containing 4 wrestlers:

[Heavyweight Title Tournament]

Block A

Chris Hero

Pat Kenney

Satoshi Kojima

Sean O'Haire

Block B

Steve Corino

CM Punk

Taiyo Kea

Scoot Andrews

After contacting Hero, Kenney, Kojima, O'Haire, Corino, Punk, Kea, and Andrews it occurred to Goodman that he also needed to find some local talent and a few up and coming east coast talent to keep the opening matches entertaining and bring something new to the table. Goodman was able to pull 29 workers together and then hired staff to help run the show in the ring, in the announcing booth, and in the back.

[staff]

Announcers

Kingdom James

Larry Rivera

Referees

Bill Hamilton

Joe Macko

Nick Dumeyer

Road Agents

Andy Vineberg

[Roster]

Main Eventers

Scoot Andrews (F)

Sean O'Haire

Upper Midcarders

Adam Windsor (F)

Alex Shelley

Chris Hero (F)

CM Punk

Jason Cross (F)

Julio Dinero

Kaz Hayashi (F)

Pat Kenney

Satoshi Kojima (F)

Slash

Steve Corino

Taiyo Kea (F)

Midcarders

Michael Shane

NOSAWA

Petey Williams

Lower Midcarders

Anthony Michaels (T)

Ikuto Hidaka

Kazushi Miyamoto

Sonjay Dutt (F)

Openers/Jobbers

Jerrelle Clark (F)

Josh Daniels

Mickey Batts (F)

Marc Gore (T)

Roderick Strong

Managers

James Mitchell

Released

Kid Romeo (September 12, 2004 - Ripped Bicep- sidelined for 7 months)

MLW 4.0 ANNOUNCES DEBUT SHOW CARD: INCLD. STEVE CORINO, KOJIMA, HAYASHI, FL AND TNA TALENT

by Mike Johnson @ 7:49:03 PM on 9/11/2004

9/17/04

MLW PRESENTS...MAJOR LEAGUE COMEBACK

War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Block A

Satoshi Kojima vs.  Sean O'Haire

Pat Kenney vs. Chris Hero

Block B

CM Punk vs. Taiyo Kea

Steve Corino vs. Scoot Andrews

Roderick Strong/Alex Shelley vs. Mikey Batts/Jerrelle Clark

MLW Jr. Heavyweight Showcase Match

NOSAWA vs. Petey Williams vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Jason Cross

Anthony Michaels vs. Kazushi Miyamoto

PLUS... James Mitchell, Julio Dinero, Michael Shane, and others.

MLW Title History

MLW Heavyweight

Won By: CM Punk

Defeated: Taiyo Kea

Location: War Memorial Auditorium

Date: 12/31/04

Title Defenses:

- d. Chris Hero @ Wrestlefest 2005 (1/21/05)

MLW Global Tag Team Crown

Vacant

MLW Junior Heavyweight

Vacant

NOTE- This will be updated whenever a title changes hands or when a successful defense occurs. As you can tell, the new MLW titles are considered to be the offspring of the original belts and therefore have a new history. This post currently has no title information as there hasn't been a champion decided yet.

Edited October 3, 2004 by Mr. X

[Mr. X]

[Results]MLW "Major League Comeback", 9/17/04

War Memorial Auditorium

453 Fans

1. Kazushi Miyamoto d. Anthony Michaels (7:49) with a Swanton Bomb

2. Jr. Hv. Showcase: Petey Williams d. NOSAWA/Sonjay Dutt/Jason Cross (15:21) with a Tilt-A-Whirl slam on Cross

3. Roderick Strong/Alex Shelley d. Mikey Batts/Jerrelle Clark (10:21) when Roderick Strong used a double underhook backbreaker on Batts

4. Block A: Pat Kenney d. Chris Hero (13:25) with a roll-up

5. Block A: Taiyo Kea d. CM Punk (17:57) with a H50

6. Block B: Satoshi Kojima d. Sean O'Haire (14:08) with a Lariat

7. Block B: Steve Corino d. Scoot Andrews (23:36) with The ColbyKaze DDT

Notes

- James Mitchell, escorted by Slash, entered the MLW ring and stated that he is back in MLW to do one thing, manage the MLW GTC and World Heavyweight champions while reviving a stable that at one time was seen as a group of people so unorthodox that many refused to take a stand against them. Mitchell pointed to Slash and said that Slash was once part of the elite group and he is again part of the group. The fans seemed somewhat confused and Mitchell finally cut to the chase and announced he was bringing The New Church to MLW! Mitchell also said he would bring his tag team to the next MLW show to face anyone who thought they had a chance. (63)

- Miyamoto and Michaels came out to what was a rather lackluster match. Both men kept the match simple with an arm drag sequence, counter dropkicks, and various suplexes, including a Northern Lights that almost got Michaels the early upset. Miyamoto worked on Michaels midsection with knee's to the gut followed by an abdominal stretch into a modified camel clutch (shoulders into Michaels lower back with arms hooked under Michaels shoulder). Michaels tried to amount a comeback but he wasn't able to hit his Inverse Russian Legsweep as he was too weak in the lower back which allowed Miyamoto to hit a leg sweep of his followed by the Swanton Bomb for the 1-2-3. (48,30,66)

- The Junior Heavyweight Showcase Match showcased 4 of MLW's best Junior Heavyweights in a solid four corner survival match. NOSAWA, Petey Williams, Jason Cross, and Sonjay Dutt all started the match off by trying to get the crowd to give an electric atmosphere for the four to feed off. Williams and Cross started the match off and exchanged some very crisp dropkicks and arm drags. Williams tricked Cross into trying to clothesline him over the top rope by moving out of the way and hitting an enziguri to knock Cross to the outside. Dutt then came off the turnbuckles with a dragonrana and got a near fall, which NOSAWA broke. NOSAWA and Williams ended up tag teaming on Dutt for most of the match while Cross attempted a few moves to try to come out on top. During the last 5 minutes Cross hit a Crossfire on NOSAWA while Williams executed a Canadian Destroyer on Dutt. Cross and Williams fought for the last few minutes going back and forth until Williams ducked a forearm and hit a Tilt-A-Whirl Slam that put Cross down for good. Dutt and Cross shook hands while Williams was already heading to the back. NOSAWA seemed hesitant but eventually he shook Cross and Dutts hands to show his sportsmanship. (58,42,75)

- Roderick Strong and Alex Shelley, known as Generation Next in Ring Of Honor, faced Jerrelle Clark and Mikey Batts in the only tag team match of the night. Shelley and Strong looked really strong in the match, as did Jerrelle Clark. Strong and Batts started the match off with a trade of forearms and chops, which Clark did some extremely sour faces when Strong attacked Batts with the chops and forearms. Batts seemed to almost get nearly knocked out when Strong hit a backbreaker that sent Batts head lashing off of Strong's knee, and thankfully Clark made the save. Strong took Batts into the corner of Gen Nex and tagged in Alex Shelley who started to work on Batts arm. Clark was able to get Shelley's attention while Batts was able to slowly get the the corner and allow Clark to beat Shelley over to get the legal tag. Shelley was immediately taken down with a springboard dropkick followed by a knee to the face. Clark went for an early 630 but Shelley rolled out of the way and tagged Strong back in. Strong executed a devastating Canadian Backbreaker on Clark and got the 1-2-and nearly 3. Clark fought off Strong and got a tag to Batts but Strong was still too much for Batts to handle, even after 5 minutes of rest. Batts went for an armdrag but met a knee to the shoulder followed by a double under hook backbreaker to give Generation Next the victory. (50,26,75)

- Michael Shane strutted down to the ring to show himself on MLW grounds...again. Shane got into the ring wearing blue jeans and a black shirt with "ShaneBK" on the front. The fans really seemed to despise Shane as he had to hold off a minute before trying to talk on the mic as the fans heckled him. Shane was finally allowed to talk and announced he has returned to MLW to showcase what true talent and charisma is. Shane then talked about "a young boy who reminds me of someone I met in the ring during the fall of 2002 in one of the best independent federations alive today." Shane finally called out Adam Windsor to a challenge in the first ever Heartbreak Challenge Match on October 16th. (59)

- Two of the lesser known guys in the Heavyweight Title tournament faced off to kick off the tournament. Both men showed a strong desire to win and prove themselves as a worthy contender to the title. The fans got behind Hero after Kenney resorted to cheap tactics to try to get the pin fall. Hero worked on Kenney’s head for most of the match while Kenney would just aim for flash pin falls and illegal tactics, such as poking Hero's eyes and grabbing tights to add leverage for pins. Hero finally started to use illegal moves on Kenney to counter, but the ref saw Hero poke Kenney’s eyes and as the ref got after Hero, Kenney rolled him up for a 2 count. Hero positioned himself perfectly after the escape and locked Kenney in a triangle chokehold. Kenney fought towards the ropes as Hero started to shift his weight which cause him to hand outside of the ring while Kenney was still a few good inches of reach from the ropes. The ref finally slapped Hero in the stomach to break the hold and Kenney rolled around in the ring trying to catch his breath. Hero got back into the ring and called for a Heroes Welcome but Kenney instead got a school boy pin while holding the tights for the 1-2-3. (73.54.93)

- Taiyo Kea and CM Punk made their long awaited returns to MLW and both men put on the second best match of the night. The two matched up well with Kea only having a one inch and five pound advantage over Punk. Punk started the match off by trying to kick Kea's right leg from under him but Kea kicked back and sent Punk to the ground. Kea went for a sleeper hold but Punk was able to reach the ropes with his foot to break the hold. Punk tried to escape to the outside but Kea grabbed him from behind and went for an early H50 but Punk blocked Kea's left arm from getting his leg and got Kea with a swinging DDT for the 1-2-count. Punk grabbed Kea's leg and applied a STF but Kea was able to grab Punks head and apply a sleeper variation. Both men let go of their respective holds and stood up to face off in an equal position. Punk ran into the ropes and hit Kea with a lariat that barely made Kea move, which got Kea to try a lariat of his own but Punk used a trip to outsmart Kea. Punk grabbed Kea's leg again but this time locked on a single boston crab. Kea yet again showed his fighting spirit by pulling his and Punk's weight to the ropes and getting the needed rope break. Punk threw Kea into the corner and went for a knee strike but Kea caught Punk, put his right leg on the turnbuckles, and hit a H50, with support from the turnbuckle to keep his leg from giving out after Punk's brutal attacks. Kea got the 1-2-3 count. (66,52,81)

- Former WWE superstar Sean O'Haire showed some talent some thought he never had in his first match in MLW. O'Haire showcased a lot of power moves and a few kick/punch combos, which were learned in his small Z-1 tour that he just finished. O'Haire kept to simple moves as did Kojima but both did a very good job of keeping the match entertaining. Kojima teased Lariats throughout the match while O'Haire guarded his face and relied on mostly kicks to Kojima's torso. Kojima grounded O'Haire early with a sick lariat and O'Haire seemed to never be the same afterwards. Kojima nearly saw defeat when O'Haire blocked a lariat and came back with a jumping clothesline that caused Kojima to flip mid-air and land back-up on the mat. O'Haire tried to capitalize but after a failed shoulder tackle met adevastating lariat from Kojima which took O'Haire out for the needed 3 seconds. (69,59,79)

- NWA:Florida was represented in the main event when hometown star Scoot Andrews faced Steve Corino in the main event with the Heavyweight Title Tournament still in full swing. Corino came out with towel boys and his protégé Josh Daniels while Andrews was followed by Jerrelle Clark. Clark and Daniels immediately mouthed off to each other as Corino and Andrews tied up to start off their match, which got massive heat for Corino and pops for Andrews. Andrews got the first bit of offense with a headlock/leg sweep combo on Corino followed by buffalo sleeper. Andrews had the upper hand until about the 14 minute mark when Corino hit a northern lights bomb for a near pin fall. Corino battled Andrews on the outside and the two barely made it back to the ring before the 20 count expired. Andrews quickly went on the attack but he ended up falling victim to a leg lariat followed by the ColbyKaze DDT to allow Corino a victory and tied for first with Kea in Block B. (70,65,76)

[Heavyweight Title Tournament]

Block A

Pat Kenney [2]

Satoshi Kojima [2]

Chris Hero [0]

Sean O'Haire [0]

Block B

Steve Corino [2]

Taiyo Kea [2]

CM Punk [0]

Scoot Andrews [0]

Edited September 3, 2004 by Mr. X

[Mr. X]

MLW 4.0 ANNOUNCES "STRONG ENERGY" CARD

by Mike Johnson @ 2:53:39 PM on 9/30/2004

10/16/04

MLW PRESENTS...STRONG ENERGY

War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Block A

Sean O'Haire [0] vs. Chris Hero [0]

Pat Kenney [2] vs. Satoshi Kojima [2]

Block B

CM Punk [0] vs. Scoot Andrews [0]

Taiyo Kea [2] vs. Steve Corino [2]

Heartbreak Challenge Match

Michael Shane vs. Adam Windsor

The New Church vs. X

Strong Energy Showcase

Kaz Hayashi vs. Ikuto Hidaka

PLUS...Marc Gore, Anthony Michaels, Generation Next, NOSAWA, Petey Williams, Sonjay Dutt, Josh Daniels, Mikey Batts, and Jerrelle Clark.

[Mr. X]

[Results]MLW "Strong Energy", 10/16/04

War Memorial Auditorium

518 Fans

1. The New Church d. The Untouchables (9:51) when Slash used a double arm DDT on Gore

2. Strong Energy Showcase: Ikuto Hidaka d. Kaz Hayashi (15:02) with a Shawn Capture

3. Block B: CM Punk d. Scoot Andrews (11:37) with a flip neckbreaker

4. Heartbreak Challenge Match: Adam Windsor d. Michael Shane (12:27) with a roll-up

5. Block A: Sean O'Haire d. Chris Hero (13:41) with a vertical suplex

6. Block B: Taiyo Kea drew Steve Corino (30:00) when the time limit expired

7. Block A: Satoshi Kojima d. Pat Kenney (17:44) with a Koji Cutter

Notes

- The Untouchables (Marc Gore and Anthony Michaels) came to the ring to what they thought would be time to cut a promo, but before they could even get past announcing who they were a horrific scream ripped through the PA and dark satanic music played to which James Mitchell, Slash, and a man wearing a black cloak walked down the entrance and got into the ring. The Untouchables looked speechless as the three men stood up and Mitchell commanded the two men to step forward. Slash pulled out a sickle and the man who was still unidentified kneeled down and put a hand on the mat. Slash drew a satanic symbol in the air as the cloaked man finally stood up and revealed himself to be Julio Dinero. The crowd were somewhat surprised as were The Untouchables. Mitchell grabbed the sickle and the cloak as Slash and Dinero quickly attacked Gore and Michaels. Mitchell slid to the outside and taunted the fans as Slash and Dinero quickly threw Michaels over the top rope and gave a beating to Gore. Slash and Dinero spent most of the match tagging back and forth while keeping Gore away from Michaels. Gore got a close tag at about the 6 minute mark but Dinero knocked Michaels off the apron and Slash hit a double arm DDT on Gore to get the pin fall. Mitchell got back into the ring as Gore tried to get up by pulling himself up using Dineros tights. Mitchell grabbed Gore's head and held it backwards as Slash grabbed the sickle and began licking the tip, taunting Gore as Michaels attempted to get into the ring but was knocked down by Dinero. Slash finally dug the blade into Gore's head and swiveled it around as the fans seemed to be in complete horror and utter disbelief. Blood poured down Gore's face as The New Church stood above him and seemed to make a mockery out of what they had just done. (48,34,63)

- Ikuto Hidaka of Z-1 and Kaz Hayashi of All Japan put on a solid effort in a match to showcase Strong Energy, which is a MLW idea that incorporates great highflying action with great technical wrestling to back up the wrestlers status as above the stereotype of current lightweights in the US. Hayashi and Hidaka started the match off slowly and progressively worked faster to add build to some of the flashy moves the two used. Hayashi pulled of an extremely well executed reverse hurricanrana to nearly get the victory at 9:51. Hayashi kept on trying to keep Hidaka down with takedowns that effected Hidaka's neck/shoulders but Hidaka caught Hayashi a few times and tweaked Hayashi's knee enough to slow him down and make the match even between the two. Hidaka hit a hurricanrana and fluidly locked on an ankle lock. Hayashi used a lot of his strength keeping focused through the pain and to reach the rope to break the hold. Hidaka saw the opening and took Hayashi down again, this time with the Shawn Capture to get the submission victory. (57,34,80)

- CM Punk and Scoot Andrews faced in a match that would determine if either or both men would possibly be able to gain a spot in the top of group B. Punk kept up his straight edge antics by knocking on the Florida crowd, calling them illegal aliens and drunks. Andrews took offense to what Punk was saying got in some high impact offensive moves, including a crucifix power bomb/double arm DDT combination. Punk fought back in the last minutes of the match hitting punches to the stomach and eye gauges which enabled Punk to springboard off the rope and hit a flip neck breaker for the 1-2-3. Punk acted as if he was going to help Andrews up after the match but instead hit a Pepsi One (a regular pedigree). (74,55,93)

- The first ever Heartbreak Challenge went underway with Michael Shane challenging Adam Windsor. Shane, the cousin of wrestling superstar Shawn Michaels, proved his arrogance to all Florida fans when he stopped in the middle of the match to go into the crowd and kiss on girls, which resulted in the final girl slapping him across the face and Windsor jumping over the guardrail and hitting a cross body to send both into chairs. Windsor showed a lot of heart in the match and even kicked out of a high angle backdrop at the 9 minute mark. The finish came when Shane went for a fisherman suplex but Windsor rolled Shane up and hooked the legs to secure the three count. Shane got up irrate and began attacking the ref as Windsor exited the ring and received a "Please Come Back" chant from the crowd. Shane had to escorted to the back as MLW referee Joe Macko had to be helped to the back, and his condition was announced as a 1st grade concussion. (59,43,75)

- Jerrelle Clark entered the ring and started to talk about the verbal dispute he had with Josh Daniels at Major League Comeback. As soon as Clark turned his back to the entrance, out came Petey Williams. The crowd heckled Williams who got in the ring and told Clark that as of right now there wasn't time for a whiner in the ring...only a winner. Clark bumped chests with Williams as Josh Daniels came out from the back and nailed Clark from behind with a forearm to the back. Williams and Daniels laid out Clark with boots as the MLW crowd tried to scream for help. Finally, security came out (again) and was able to break off the attack. (45)

- MLW fans were in for a big surprise as Sean O'Haire and Chris Hero surpassed many expectations and solidified themselves as wrestlers who should be in main event level matches. O'Haire adapted his style to include more technical moves, but Hero was too well versed to be effected as much as other competitors might be. Hero caught a O'Haire kick and retaliated with a leg sweep and a muff stretcher. O'Haire tried to get to the ropes but Hero grabbed his right arm and twisted it around to apply pressure to another area. O'Haire fought with every ounce of strength in his body to get a rope break and when he finally did Hero realized how tough O'Haire was. O'Haire fought back with knee thrusts to Hero's face and hit a stalling vertical suplex, which he held Hero up for nearly 15 seconds, to add more to Hero's already damaged head. O'Haire pinned Hero at 13:41 to solidify himself as a guy to continue watching in the tournament, and in MLW in general. (75,59,91)

- Steve Corino and Taiyo Kea came into the match co-leading their respective Block B and neither would claim the top of the mound. Kea and Corino had a more Japanese approach to the match as both men used the mat effectively and didn't rely on anything from the turnbuckle or ropes. Kea hit an early lariat that kept Corino down for a 2-count but Corino fought back with a Old School Explosion that kept Kea down for a 2-count. The Explosion really seemed to have a big effect on Kea as he seemed to lose his accuracy with leg kicks and open handed shots to Corino. At the 15:00 mark both men used a burst of speed and countered lariats to only hit Mafia kicks on one another. The crowd roared with approval as the two fought to get to their feet and merely escaped the 10 count. Kea went for a H50 at 29:43 but Corino blocked the move and hit a Old School Expulsion to take Kea down. Corino spent the next 14 seconds getting his senses back and went for the pin 1-2-DING. Corino got up and celebrated as the fans were fairly disappointed that Kea wasn't the one to come out on top. But, referee Bill Hamilton talked to the time keeper and it was announced that the match was a draw. The crowd cheered as Kea kept his status as one of the top guys of Block B and Corino was still tied with Kea as leader of the group. (79,62,97)

- Some people questioned why MLW had Kenney vs. Kojima as the final match of the night but all realized why in the end. Both men put on a top notch performance and the crowd was as loud as ever. Kenney had a great presence in the ring while Kojima used his natural charisma to get the fans behind him for the majority of the match. Kenney and Kojima got into an opening chop fest and then Kojima did his lariat returns with Kenney, which Kenney shockingly hit a extremely strong lariat that sent Kojima to the mat for a few seconds. Kenney went for the pin but was only able to keep Kojima down for a 1-count. Kojima bounced right back up and hit Kenney with a lariat that sent him to the outside. Kojima jumped off the apron and used an elbow to Kenney's head, much to the delight of the fans. Kenney showed his spirit by fighting back and hitting a german suplex on Kojima to the outside to help move him as the favorite to win in the match. Kenney spent the next few minutes, after bringing Kojima back into the ring, using release germans and applying camel clutches to keep Kojima down. But of course Kojima saw an opening when Kenney failed to protect his abdomen and Kojima fury punched him to the point where Kenney let go of Kojima. Kojima hit a perfect Kojima Cutter and was able to pin Kenney to already give him a ticket to the Semi-finals in December. (81,63,100)

[Heavyweight Title Tournament]

Block A

Satoshi Kojima [4]

Pat Kenney [2]

Sean O'Haire [2]

Chris Hero [0]

Block B

Taiyo Kea [3]

Steve Corino [3]

CM Punk [2]

Scoot Andrews [0]

[Mr. X]

Major League Newswire

November 2004

- Petey Williams and Josh Daniels have accepted a challenge sent out by Jerrelle Clark and Mikey Batts for MLW's next show. As many know, Clark and Daniels have some heat that esculated at Strong Energy after a brutal assault. Batts is one of Clark's closest friends and has tag teamed with Clark.

- MLW is composing a Rules and Regulations handbook for MLW staff and workers in order to minimize some of the backstage incidents that have happened in recent weeks. MLW is also handing out a $15,000 fine to Slash, James Mitchell, and Julio Dinero for the brutal attack on Marc Gore at Strong Energy. Anthony Michaels has been granted a match against Slash and it has also been announced that Anthony Michaels will give word on Gore's condition.

- Tickets for Final Destination, the event which will feature the Semi-finals and Finals of the MLW Heavyweight Title tournament, are now on sale. Satoshi Kojima has already been announced as one of the four particapants in the Semi-finals and the other three will be decided at the next MLW show.

- MLW has also decided on holding four Junior Heavyweight Showcase matches and the four winners will be thrown into a round robin tournament to determine the new MLW Jr. Heavyweight Champion. Petey Williams won the first Jr. Hv. Showcase and the second winner will be determined at MLW's next show.

-Michael Shane's publicist has also announced that the idea behind Heartbreak Challenge is to have a best out of 5 series. The series consists of 2 singles, 2 tag teams, and 1 triple threat match. Adam Windsor has already told MLW officials he is ready to face Shane in any matches Shane still has in his bag and the next match of the HB Challenge will probably occur at the December show.

-Roderick Strong and Alex Shelley have an announcement to make at MLW's next show. Many are speculating what the two might be planning and MLW has been left in the dark as to what even a outline of what will happen.

MLW 4.0 ANNOUNCES "Destiny Road" CARD

by Mike Johnson @ 2:53:39 PM on 10/21/2004

11/26/04

MLW PRESENTS...DESTINY ROAD

War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Block A

Sean O'Haire [2] vs. Pat Kenney [2]

Satoshi Kojima [4] vs. Chris Hero [0]

Block B

Scoot Andrews [0] vs. Taiyo Kea [3]

CM Punk [2] vs. Steve Corino [3]

Slash vs. Anthony Michaels

MLW Jr. Heavyweight Showcase Elimination Match

Jason Cross vs. NOSAWA vs. Michael Shane vs. Adam Windsor

Josh Daniels vs. Mikey Batts

Breaking News

- Petey Williams has contacted the MLW offices and announced he will not be able to compete on the 26th due to a broken nose. It is expected that Josh Daniels will announce a replacement at Destiny Road. (11/20)

- To add to the news on Petey, MLW has just learned that Jerrelle Clark and Mikey Batts have decided to hold off the tag match until next month and in the meantime Mikey Batts will face Josh Daniels in a singles match.

Edited August 31, 2004 by Mr. X

[magell]

I'm liking the way this diary is going. A lot of your results aren't very predictable. Big names don't always win the matches.

I like the Round Robin Tournament to crown the new champion. It's a fairly original idea and you are pulling it off well so far.

The one thing I would complain about is that you had the fans cheer for a draw in Corino/Kea. Realistically crowds never cheer a time limit draw, but that's just a minor thing.

My only recommendation would be to use spell check or maybe read through your shows and clean up the writing a little bit to make the matches flow better. Another complaint I have is that all of the match write ups are about the same length no matter how long it is the match lasted.

[Mr. X]

[Results]MLW "Destiny Road", 11/26/04

War Memorial Auditorium

526 Fans

1. Josh Daniels d. Mikey Batts (10:53) with a Cobra Twist

2. Jr. Hv. Showcase Elimination: Jason Cross d. NOSAWA/Michael Shane/Adam Windsor (18:31). Cross used a leg lariat on Michael Shane (7:47). NOSAWA used a backdrop hold on Windsor (11:28). Cross used the Cross Fire on NOSAWA (18:31).

3. Anthony Michaels d. Slash (8:04) by DQ

4. Block A: Chris Hero d. Satoshi Kojima (9:25) with a roll-up

5. Block B: Taiyo Kea d. Scoot Andrews (13:09) with a tiger bomb

6. Block A: Pat Kenney d. Sean O'Haire (11:33) with the Simon Series

7. Block B: CM Punk d. Steve Corino (21:49) with a shining wizard

Notes

- Josh Daniels made his in-ring debut while Mikey Batts tried to get his record to 1-1. Daniels and Batts had an extremely hard time getting the crowd involved in the match and both seemed to somewhat give up on trying to get reactions and just stuck to the wrestling, which was a little below average. Batts got very little offense as Daniels just destroyed him with neck breakers and sleeper holds. Batts fought back a few times but barely got a minute of offense before Daniels would hit either a ddt, neck breaker, or apply a headlock to put Batts in more pain. Batts tried to get a flashy win when he escaped a backdrop and rolled Daniels up only to find himself in a cross-face hold. Batts struggled to the ropes but Daniels yanked him up and applied a Cobra Twist. Batts tried to fight off the pain but in the end he couldn’t go anywhere and tapped. (43,17,69)

- The second Junior Heavyweight Showcase Match exceeded the first and showcased some of the top junior heavyweight talent in the US. Jason Cross brought the biggest name to the group, NOSAWA represented a different race and somewhat different move set, and MLW super fans saw Michael Shane and Adam Windsor continue their feud in a uncontrollable environment. Cross tied up with NOSAWA after Shane blind sided Windsor and threw him to the outside to brawl in the entrance way. NOSAWA and Cross traded arm drags, which saw a very neat transition with NOSAWA rolling through an arm drag and kicking up to hit a hurricanrana on Cross who was thrown to the outside. NOSAWA saw Windsor and Shane fighting and he made a suicide dive that knocked both men down. Cross got back in the ring and saw the three other guys get up slowly and he hit a springboard SSP to knock everyone back down. Cross rolled Shane back into the ring and went for a Cross Fire but Shane ran up the turnbuckle and hit a beautiful belly to belly suplex and tried to follow it up with a Sweet Shane Music but Cross blocked the kick and hit a leg lariat that lead to the unexpected 1-2-3. NOSAWA and Windsor got back into the ring and all three worked well together. Windsor was eliminated after Shane got onto the apron and distracted Windsor while NOSAWA took advantage of the situation and grabbed Windsor for a backdrop hold to get the pin. Windsor and Shane fought to the back while NOSAWA and Cross battled it out for the right of getting into the final four of the Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament. NOSAWA got a near fall after he blocked a brainbuster and hit a tornado DDT on Cross. The crowd really warmed up during the end when NOSAWA missed a Twisting Sentonbomb and Cross came back with a Cross Fire to secure the victory. NOSAWA showed great sportsmanship again and congratulated Cross on the victory. (61,43,80)

- Anthony Michaels came to the ring, and appeared to be ready for his match against Slash. "Duality" by Slipknot played as Slash, with James Mitchell, walked down to the ring. Michaels grabbed the mic and leaned on the ropes furthest from the entrance, staring at Slash casually walking to the ring. Michaels announced that while Slash did cause Gore to lose a tremendous amount of blood that it wasn't enough to keep him out of action for long and sooner than later Gore would step back into the ring and The Untouchables would shed some New Church blood in retribution. Slash darted into the ring and a brawl broke out between the two. Michaels slammed Slash down with a spinebuster and got on top and unloaded rights and lefts as Slash tried to protect his face. James Mitchell jumped onto the apron and Slash used the diversion to grab a chair and used it on Michaels. The ref turned around and saw Slash throw it to the outside and went for the pin. The ref however would not administer the count and Slash blasted him with a big boot. Slash and Mitchell then double teamed on Michaels and held him down as Julio Dinero came out with a sickle. As Dinero was getting onto the apron Marc Gore bolted down to the ring and knocked Dinero down which cause the sickle to fall out of his hand and hit the steps to where it landed near the guardrail. The ref finally got up and awarded the match to Michaels as both teams were fighting. (54,41,68)

- Satoshi Kojima and Chris Hero wasn't a big deal as far as determining who would go to the Semi-finals, but Kojima did have the opportunity to become the undefeated man if he could get past the man who held last place of Block A, Chris Hero. Kojima seemed calmer in this match and didn't go for the big early strikes like he did against Kenney and O'Haire. Hero took advantage of this and used submission holds and kept away from striking Kojima, as he didn't want to swing the advantage over to Kojima's strong set of Lariats and punches. At one point Kojima had Hero in the corner and Hero chopped Kojima. Kojima unleashed on Hero with 10 chops and hit a lariat in the corner. Hero stumbled forward and Kojima jumped onto the middle turnbuckle and hit a cross body for the two-count. Kojima went for another lariat but Hero ducked and responded with a roll-up to get the win and to kill any hope of a Kojima winning streak. (73,53,93)

- Most of the fans felt let down when Kojima lost and many had hopes for Kea to beat Andrews to get the title of Undefeated wrestler of the tournament, that is if Corino would be upset by CM Punk. Andrews and Kea started the match with a strength test which saw Andrews stomp on Kea's foot and hit a fishermans suplex for a two count. Andrews tried to keep Kea down but failed and Kea hit a Yakuza Kick to send Andrews down for a near victory. Kea took advantage of Andrew's loopiness and applied a triangle chokehold that slowly decreased Andrew's movement, but Andrews used the last of his energy and was able to get his right foot on the bottom rope to break the hold. Kea picked Andrews up and hit a half nelson suplex to get another close count. Kea went to pick Andrews up for a second time but Andrews rolled Kea up for a 2-count. Kea seemed incredibly surprised that Andrews had been able to pull that off and helped Andrews to his feet to where both men were now on a somewhat equal level. Andrews threw forearms at Kea and Kea did the same back until both men knocked each other down. Kea got up first and went for the pin but only got a 2-count. Kea again went for a triangle choke but Andrews got to the ropes to break the hold before Kea was even able to apply it correctly. Andrews used a burst of energy to knock Kea down with a shoulder tackle and tried to hit a knee drop but Kea moved out of the way and hit a running knee, which seemed to be a pre-final attack, and came back with knees to Andrews head. As Andrews tried to get up Kea hooked his arms and hit a tiger bomb to get the 1-2-3. (65,51,79)

- Generation Next, Alex Shelley and Roderick Strong, came down to the ring to virtually little reaction from the crowd. Shelley grabbed the mic and began talking while the fans sat in silence as if they weren't even bothered to listen to what was being said. Shelley announced that the Generation Next that is known on the East Coast and Mid-west will be in MLW starting next month. Strong then grabbed the mic and told the fans that no one in the wrestling world can compare to the youth, athleticism, and grace of the members of Generation Next. He announced that he and Jack Evans would take care of the tag team division, Shelley would try to graduate to the Heavyweight roster in order to get a shot at the MLW Heavyweight Title and Aries would aim for the Junior Heavyweight title. The segment went over horribly and fans seemed to have a general disinterest in the whole segment which isn't a good sign. (37)

- "Irish" Pat Kenney and Sean O'Haire both came into their final Block A match with two wins a piece and a lot was on the table with this match. Kenney was on the top of his game while O'Haire seemed to not be as aggressive as he was against Hero. O'Haire tried use less kick and punches while focusing on his power to pick Kenney up for bodyslams, powerbombs, piledrives, etc... Kenney however fought back with incredible intensity and hit many of body presses and moves affecting O'Haires neck. One spot saw O'Haire go for a death valley bomb but Kenney countered it into a neckbreaker followed with a dragon sleeper. O'Haire fought back though and stood up, running backfirst into the turnbuckles so Kenney would break the hold. O'Haire used a sit out powerbomb but it only kept Kenney down for a 2-count. Kenney escaped a second sit out powerbomb and hit a enziguri followed with the Simon Series to get the 3-count. (68,55,72)

- CM Punk and Steve Corino ended Block B with a match that held a lot of history between the two competitors. Punk cut a small promo before the match saying that when he wins the MLW Heavyweight Title that he will bring prestige back to Chi-Town and people will finally not only accept sXe but they will also accept the fact that CM Punk is the best wrestling around the world. Corino came out and slapped Punk which started the match off quickly. Punk hit Corino with a closed fist so the ref pushed Punk into the corner and gave him a warning for doing so. Corino ran at Punk with a lariat but Punk ducked the lariat and hit a STO on Corino. Punk then started working on Corino's left leg with elbows to the knee and eventually a figure four. Corino used his ring awareness to break the hold quickly and Punk pulled Corino into the center of the ring and went for another figure four but Corino used a drop toe hold and applied a STF on Punk. Both men eventually got up and started exchanging punches. Punk blocked a punch from Corino and hit a forearm to start a 30 second exchange of forearms. Corino eventually got the upperhand and got a nearfall after a northern lights bomb at (15:51). Punk however fought back and after attempting a Pepsi Plunge only for Corino to counter with a ddt off the top rope it all seemed to point to a victory for Corino, until a series of lariat exchanges saw Corino fall down and Punk used the opportunity to nail Corino with a shining wizard to get the 1-2-3.

[Heavyweight Title Tournament - Final Standings]

Block A

Satoshi Kojima [4]

Pat Kenney [4]

Sean O'Haire [2]

Chris Hero [2]

Block B

Taiyo Kea [5]

CM Punk [4]

Steve Corino [3]

Scoot Andrews [0]

[Mr. X]

Major League Newswire

December 2004

- Generation Next is officially set to debut at Final Destination. TNAW offices are not too pleased with the announcement as Shelley originally told them he would not bring the group anywhere near TNAW but it seems as if Shelley is showing his true alliance with his fellow Gen Nex members.

- MLW is proud to announce that Satoshi Kojima, CM Punk, Taiyo Kea, and Pat Kenney are all in the Semi-finals for the MLW Heavyweight Title. Any one of them could bring MLW to another level.

- MLW has been in a great relationship with AJPW in the past few months which has been the main reason for Kojima, Hayashi, and Miyamoto being in MLW for more than the one month period originally stated. MLW has also been in very good terms with Ring of Honor, based out of Philidelphia. This just adds to the great feds MLW has recently been able to align with in order for the company to really take a stand in U.S. indy wrestling.

- Steve Corino has stated that he intends to support MLW and Josh Daniels 100% even though he will not be able to make more than 4-5 appearances next year as his Zero-1 schedule has grown substantially compared to this year. Josh Daniels has also impressed MLW officials and as of now has a spot held for him on the MLW roster as long as he continues to show his work is up to the MLW standard.

- The New Church vs. The Untouchable fued could possibly become as violent as any feud on North America if the Hardcore Match lives up to the expectations we might just see violence that MLW has decided to make the match un-sanctioned to keep any liability off its hands.

MLW PRESENTS...

FINAL DESTINATION

12/31/04

War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Heavyweight Title Final

Winner of Kojima/Punk vs. Winner of Kea/Kenney

Heavyweight Title Semi-finals

Satoshi Kojima vs. CM Punk

Heavyweight Title Semi-finals

Taiyo Kea vs. Pat Kenney

Debut Of Generation Next

Hardcore Match

The Untouchables vs. The New Church

Junior Heavyweight Showcase Match

Winner of Dutt/NOSAWA vs. X vs. Ikuto Hidaka vs. Kaz Hayashi

Josh Daniels/Petey Williams vs. Jerrelle Clark/Mikey Batts

Alex Shelley vs. Kazushi Miyamoto

Winner Gets Spot in Showcase Match

Sonjay Dutt vs. NOSAWA

[Gabriel]

PUNK 4 Prezident!

Good show. Like how you didn't just shove GenNext down our throats right away. AM looking forward to seeing Punk win the Title, and he'd better do it.

Looking forward to the next card, which better be the ascension of Punk as a major player.

[Michael]

Give Kenney the title, Punk would be okay, just as long as you don't give it to either of the Japanese guys.

[magell]

Kea's not Japanese he's Hawaiin.

I'm looking to see Punk or Kojima win the title.

I'm not a fan of Kenney at all and I've never seen Kea in action. The last show was pretty good but I'm not a big fan of the Untouchables/New Church feud. Bringing in Gen Next is lame. Using other people's stables just doesn't seem like good booking but I guess that's probably something MLW would do.

[YI]

Actually Magell, Gen Next are pretty much a stable wherever these guys wrestle now so I guess it is fairly realisitic. Not an amazing diary by any means ut it is quite solid. I lik the format of your results, very puro'ish write ups, if you get what I mean. I'll be keeping my eye on this, I hope you give Kojima the title, I was pissed when he lost it to Awesome only for Awesome to drop it straight away to Corino, then Kojima just faded out, hopefully you wont screw him over

[Guest DynamicJeremyS]

Good diary. I like how it's set up, really good work here.

[Mr. X]

I know most people won't like the Untouchables/New Church feud but it's a way to show some new talent and give The New Church a new feel. And if you add Generation Next to MLW it adds for an insanely talented group, which by the way (like YI stated) has been popping up in many other indy feds recently, that just adds to the pretty good depth of the MLW roster already.

If anyone wants to I'll be perfectly fine with people posting predictions and such, and no you don't need to guess time and/or finish, to possibly do a prediction contest. I'm not sure I want to go the typical: pick a winner, pick a talent for __ shows, or pick a match prize. That doesn't mean I won't do any of the above but I will be looking to do something more creative/new.

Edited September 5, 2004 by Mr. X

[Blaze N Amaze]

KOOOOOOOOOO-JJJJJJIIIIIIIIIIIII-MMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Thats who I want to see win the Title.

MLW PRESENTS...

FINAL DESTINATION

12/31/04

War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Heavyweight Title Final

KOJIMA

Heavyweight Title Semi-finals

Satoshi Kojima

Heavyweight Title Semi-finals

Taiyo Kea

Hardcore Match

The New Church

Junior Heavyweight Showcase Match

X (Dunno who it is)

Jerrelle Clark/Mikey Batts

Kazushi Miyamoto

Winner Gets Spot in Showcase Match

Sonjay Dutt

[Mr. X]

MLW Rules and Regulations

Ring: 22x22 Square Ring with Three Ropes

I. Divisions

    a. Height Requirements

        1. Junior Heavyweight - 5'11" or under

        2. Heavyweight - No Height Restrictions

    b. Weight Restrictions

        1. Junior Heavyweight - 220 or under

        2. Heavyweight - No Weight Restriction

II. Time Limits

    a. Non-Title Matches

        1. Opening Match - 15:00 minute time limit

        2. Lower Midcard - 20:00 minute time limit

        3. Midcard - 25:00 minute time limit

        4. Upper Midcard/Main Event - 30:00 minute time limit

      b. Title Matches

        1. MLW Tag Team - 60:00 minute time limit

        2. MLW Jr. Heavyweight - 60:00 Minute Time Limit

        3. MLW Heavyweight - 60:00 Minute Time Limit

III. Match Types

    a. Single Matches

        1. Regular Match

        2. Iron Man Match

        3. Cage Match

        4. I Quit Match

        5. Submission Match

        6. Ladder Match

        7. Last Man Standing

        8. Hardcore

    b. Tag Team Matches

        1. Regular Tag

        2. Cage Tag Match

        3. Ladder Match

        4. Hardcore

    c. 3-Way Matches

        1. First Pinfall Wins

        2. Eliminate Both Men

        3. Dogfight Rules

    d. 4-Way Matches

        1. First Pinfall Wins

        2. Elimination

    e. Trios Matches

    f. Four on Four Matches

          1. Elimination Match

          2. Captain's Fall Elmination

          3. Regular

    g. Battle Royal

          1. 10-Man Battle Royal

          2. 20-Man Battle Royal

          3. 30-Man Rumble Style

IV. Rules

    a. Legal Techniques

      1. All striking to legal areas of the opponent

      2. All submission except attacking less than three (3) fingers

      3. All squeezing techniques except grabbing throat directly

      4. All throwing tricks such as suplexes and tosses

      5. All holding techniques

      6. Stomping, knee attack and drop to the opponent's head or face are ok

      7. ABISEWAZA, such as body or hip press, to the opponent's face are legal

    b. Illegal Techniques

      1. Any illegal attacks to the opponent's eye, including gouging, summing etc.

      2. Hooking opponent's nose, ear, mouth or anus with a finger is banned

      3. Grasping using fingers, or pinpoint hitting to opponent's throat or carotid.

      4. Groin shot

      5. Hair pulling

      6. Finger locks are limited to three fingers or more.

V. Determination

    a. Pinfall

      1. Three Count

    b. Submission

      1. Tap Out

      2. Verbal Submission

    c. KO

      1. If a fighter cannot reach the referee's ten count

      2. If a fighter no longer is unresponsive

    d. Referee Stop

      1. If a referee finds that a fighter can no longer defend himself

    e.  TKO

      1. Towel Throw

      2. Doctor Stop

    f. Count Out

      1. If a fighter cannot reach the referee's 20 count while outside of the ring

    g. Disqualification

      1. If an illegal hold or strike is used in excess

      2. If another fighter interferes in the match

    h. Draw

      1. Time Limit Draw

      2. Double Count Out

      3. Double Disqualification

      4. Double KO

Young Lions Challenge

The idea behind the young lions challenge is to give young workers a chance to prove themselves to MLW and the fans that they belong in MLW. The young workers are subjected to a series of 5 matches against any variety of competitors. The stipulation is that if 3 of the 5 matches are won the worker gets a spot on the MLW roster, but if they lose 3 of the 5 matches then they aren't added to the MLW roster and must wait a minimum of 90 days before applying for another Young Lions Challenge.

Titles and Tournaments

There are 3 titles in MLW: MLW Heavyweight, MLW Junior Heavyweight,  and MLW Global Tag Team Crown. A committee of 3 decide on the #1 contenders for all titles and have power to book all title matches, unless otherwise awarded through contract signing or negotiation. Also a champion's ceremony will follow every defense. Titles must be defended atleast every 90 days and can be stripped at any time. Currently, MLW has only one tournament, the J Cup USA. MLW may bring in more tournaments and such for title shots and other various reasons.

Credit: Blaze N Amaze

Edited September 12, 2004 by Mr. X

[Hajjhowe]

Good stuff so far dude, lot's of unexspected wins and such.

MLW PRESENTS...

FINAL DESTINATION

12/31/04

War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Heavyweight Title Final

Winner of Kojima/Punk vs. Winner of Kea/Kenney

Heavyweight Title Semi-finals

Satoshi Kojima vs. CM Punk

Winner: Satoshi Kojima

Heavyweight Title Semi-finals

Taiyo Kea vs. Pat Kenney

Winner: Pat Kenny

Debut Of Generation Next

Winner: The fans

Hardcore Match

The Untouchables vs. The New Church

Winner: The Untouchables

Junior Heavyweight Showcase Match

Winner of Dutt/NOSAWA vs. X vs. Ikuto Hidaka vs. Kaz Hayashi

Winner: Sonjay Dutt

Josh Daniels/Petey Williams vs. Jerrelle Clark/Mikey Batts

Winners: Jerrelle Clark & Mikey Bates

Alex Shelley vs. Kazushi Miyamoto

Winner: Alex Shelly

Winner Gets Spot in Showcase Match

Sonjay Dutt vs. NOSAWA

Winner: Sonjay Dutt

[Mr. X]

Breaking News

- Kazushi Miyamoto tore his right tricep in a match for TNAW. He is expected to be out of action for atleast two months. This means that Miyamoto will miss Final Destination and MLW has announced Scoot Andrews as a replacement in the originally signed Kazushi Miyamoto vs. Alex Shelley match. (12/2)

- James Mitchell was attacked backstage at the TNAW Impact taping last Thursday. Early reports stated he was perfectly fine but Mitchell contacted the MLW offices and said he wouldn't be able to attend the next show as he suffered a mild concussion and a broken nose. Mitchell did say that The New Church would still face The Untouchables at Final Destination. (12/4)

Edited September 7, 2004 by Mr. X

[Mr. X]

[Results]MLW "Final Destination", 12/31/04

War Memorial Auditorium

504 Fans

1. Sonjay Dutt d. NOSAWA (10:47) with a Hindu Press

2. Jerrelle Clark/Mikey Batts d. Josh Daniels/Petey Williams (13:04) when Clark used a 630 Somersault on Daniels

3. Alex Shelley d. Scoot Andrews (12:31) with a Border City Stretch

4. Hardcore Match: The New Church d. The Untouchables (9:58) when Slash pinned Michaels

5. Heavyweight Title - Semifinal: Taiyo Kea d. Pat Kenney (17:12) with a reverse enziguri

6. Heavyweight Title - Semifinal: CM Punk d. Satoshi Kojima (18:57) with a Welcome to Chicago, Motherf*cker

7. Jr. Hv. Showcase: Kaz Hayashi d. Sonjay Dutt/Ikuto Hidaka/Jack Evans (15:23) when Hayashi used the Final Cut on Hidaka

8. Heavyweight Title - Final: CM Punk d. Taiyo Kea (19:37) with a shining triangle choke to become the 1st champion

Notes

- The show started off completely normal. The lights were turned way down and the first referee walked to the ring while the announcer greeted the fans to another show. Then... Interstellar Overdrive by The Melvins blasted through the PA as Generation Next walked out with Jack Evans on the right, Austin Aries in the middle, Roderick Strong on the left, and Alex Shelley pacing behind the others. Shelley grabbed the mic and stated that Gen Nex had finally landed in MLW and tonight would be the start of the golden days of MLW. Shelley announced that one member of Generation Next would be the mystery guy in the Junior Heavyweight Showcase match but wouldn't say who. The crowd reacted tons better than last month and all four looked very comfortable in the role they played during the intro of Gen Nex. (49)

- MLW fans were welcomed with the NOSAWA vs. Sonjay Dutt match to determine one of the remaining two unknowns in the Junior Heavyweight Showcase match. Both men brought their A game to the match and proved themselves as two of the top junior heavyweights on MLW's already talented roster. NOSAWA used kicks aimed at Dutts knee in an attempt to hurt Dutts speed during the match. Early on, NOSAWA hit a kick to Dutts knee which caused Dutt to kneel down and met a extremely powerful kick to the back of his head. NOSAWA got a near fall and seemed to have the match

under his control until Dutt regained his composure and hit a series of dropkicks followed by a hurricanrana to get a nearfall of his own. Dutt was able to get NOSAWA to the outside and hit an asai moonsault off the apron that sent NOSAWA into the guardrail. Dutt then brought NOSAWA back to the ring and after a nearfall after a NOSAWA brainbuster, Dutt was able to hit an enziguri and follow up with a Hindu Press to get the pin. (71,50,92)

- Jerrelle Clark and Mikey Batts had been waiting to face off against Josh Daniels and Petey Williams since November, but an injury sidelined the match until today. Clark and Williams started the match out and had a feeling out process while the crowd sat silently waiting for someone to pull a fast one. Clark teased hurricanranas while Williams kept trying to go for an early Canadian Destroyer. Williams tricked Clark with a punch and hit a dropkick that sent him into the corner and allowed Williams to tag in Josh Daniels, who immediately used chops on Clark to soften up his chest. Clark eventually fought off Daniels and was able to finally tag in Batts, who clobbered Daniels with a clothesline and followed it up with a neckbreaker for a 2-count. However, Daniels fought back afterwards and was able to take Batts down and apply a STF while also being near enough to Williams to where the two were able to make a tag in which Williams used a dropkick to Batt's face and get another 2-count for the heel-acious duo. Williams hit a Canadian Destroyer but Clark broke the pinfall and dragged Batts near the corner and tagged himself in. Eventually, Clark beat on Williams and caused Williams to tag in Daniels who was hit with a leg lariat followed by countless stomps to the faces. Batts got into the ring and hit a backbreaker while Clark balanced on the top of the turnbuckle and eventually hit a 630 Somersault onto Daniels. Batts was able to keep Williams away as Clark made the cover to grab the win. (53,31,75)

- Alex Shelley came out to the ring to finally showcase his much anticipated singles match against Scoot Andrews. Shelley and Andrews started match with a tie up in which Shelley was able to work on Andrews arm with an armdrag followed by an arm bar. Scoot was able to break the hold and underhook Shelley, which allowed him to throw a few knees into Shelleys chest and eventually lead to a Buffalo Sleeper hold. Shelley was able to get a rope break and jumped back up with a spinning heel kick that knocked Andrews into the ropes right into an enziguri. Shelley grabbed Andrews arm and applied a wrist lock while kicking at the elbow. Andrews was in an extreme amount of pain, as was visible through his facial reactions to every kick and turn of his wrist and elbow. Shelley picked Andrews back up and hit a backdrop and rolled through to lock in a cross armbreaker. Andrews would get the rope break and fought back with punches and a lariat that seemed to hurt his arm more than it hurt Shelley. Andrews hit a body press to get a two count and went for another lariat which Shelley used a leg lariat on and followed it up with a crossface hold. Andrews nearly tapped out until Shelley broke the hold and taunted Andrews to get up. Andrews would get up and went for a lariat only to have his arm caught by Shelley and thrown down into a Border City Stretch. Andrews tried to get another rope break but ended up tapping out. (74,54,94)

- The next match was the Hardcore match between two teams that absolutely hated each other and were looking for every reason to kill each other. The New Church came out minus James Mitchell, due to an injury, wearing street clothes. The Untouchables ended up coming out from the crowd and attacked The New Church from behind with chairs. Gore hit Dinero with a chair that send him to the outside and left Slash in the ring with two pissed off men with chairs. Gore and Michaels went for a conchairto but Dinero hit a missile dropkick to the back of Gore's head which made Gore push Slash into Michaels which got Gore in the way of the chair shot. Dinero threw Gore to the outside and brawled while Michaels got the chair booted in his face. Dinero ended up setting a table against the guardrail and brought Gore to the apron. Dinero went for a powerbomb but Gore was able to turn it into a hurricanrana that sent Dinero through the table. Gore and Michaels were able to double team on Slash until Sean O'Haire ran into the ring and killed Gore with a clothesline and hit a Burning Hammer on Michaels. O'Haire then grabbed Slash and laid him on top of Michaels for the three count. O'Haire and Slash helped Dinero to the back as The Untouchables slowly got up and seemed not so pleased with the turn of event. (53,41,66)

- Pat Kenney was the undeniable underdog of the whole tournament and showed great skills in the qualifying matches leading up to the semi-final bout against Taiyo Kea. Both men came out to standing crowd and would leave to standing ovation. Kea started the match off by controlling Kenney with palm strikes and a front sleeper hold. Kenney was able to bounce Kea of the ropes into a drop toe hold. Kenney proceeded to work on Kea's back with a modified camel clutch and a single boston crab. Kea was able to get a break after a missed elbow drop and again took control of the match with back to back brainbusters and another front sleeper hold. Kea nearly got a KO but Kenney was able to use a burst of energy to get a leg out of the ring to break the hold. Kea seemed to be irritated and began unleashing a furry of forearms and a high kick to knock Kenney down. Kea went for the pin but Kenney was able to kick out a 2 3/4! Kea picked Kenney up and went for a third front sleeper hold but Kenney hit a northern lights suplex to get a 2-count. Kenney got up first and went to the turnbuckle for a body press but met a forearm to the face followed by a superplex. Kea called for the end and picked Kenney up for a H50 but Kenney swung around and executed a perfect ace crusher to get a 2 3/4 count of his own. Kenney grabbed Kea's leg for a dragon screw and Kea tried an enziguri but Kenney ducked. Kenney still had a hold of Kea's leg and Kea was able to pull of a reverse enziguri that knocked Kenney down. Kea went for the pin and got the pinfall to advance the Heavyweight Title match. (81,71,91)

- The most anticipated match of the night took place and kept with the high expectations that was set for it. Kojima was greeted with orange and white streamers while Punk got a red, white, and blue shower of streamers. Kojima and Punk started the match off teasing each other with lariats and finally exchanged headlocks. Kojima seemed impressed by Punk and broke into an offensive attack with some open handed punches and an early lariat that got the crowd popping. Kojima kept up his attack with a shoulder tackle followed by stomps to the head, for a 2-count. Punk fought back with an eye rake and some forearms. Punk then went for a Mafia Kick but Kojima was able to hit a lariat that got him another 2-count. Kojima went for another Lariat but Punk ducked and countered with a neckbreaker for a 1-count. Punk dug his knee into Kojima's back while yanking on Kojima's neck to add pressure. Kojima escaped the move and again hit another lariat that got a nearfall. Kojima ripped his elbow pad off and signaled for another lariat but Punk quickly exited the ring while grabbing his now aggravated neck. Kojima went to the outside and exchanged forearms with Punk until Punk nearly get KO'd, which allowed Kojima to roll Punk back into the ring. Kojima went for the pin but still only got a 2-count. Kojima would hit back to back lariats in frustration but still Punk wouldn't stay down for the 3-count. Kojima went for a Koji Cutter but Punk was able to push Kojima away and hit a mafia kick followed by Pepsi Twist (Hammerlock into Clothesline). Punk went for the pin but Kojima kicked out at 2! The crowd realized neither man was going to lie down easily and the speed of which the two men attacked increased. Punk and Kojima fought back and forth until Punk was able to hit a tilt a whirl backbreaker followed by a Welcome to Chicago, Motherf*cker (Double Underhook Backbreaker) for the 3-count. (84,75,93)

- Next up was the Junior Heavyweight Showcase Match. Sonjay Dutt was the first out followed by Ikuto Hidaka then Kaz Hayashi. The three men starred around as... "Bully" by Eminem blasted through the PA and out walked Jack Evans. Evans and Dutt started brawling while Hidaka and Hayashi exchanged arm drags. Evans got caught with a nick up hurricanrana that sent him to the outside almost exactly when Hidaka used a head scissors takedown that sent Hayashi to the outside. Dutt and Hidaka then exchanged deep armdrags which saw Hidaka catch Dutt in a Shawn Capture. Hayashi and Evans barely got into the ring quick enough to break the hold and double teamed on Hidaka until Hidaka used a reverse hurricanrana on Evans and caught Hayashi with a super kick for a near pinfall, which was broken up by Dutt. Dutt used a missile dropkick to knock Hidaka down and followed it up with a Hindu Press but the pinfall was broken by an Evans standing corkscrew moonsault. Evans went for the pin but Hayashi picked Evans up and hit a backdrop. Hayashi then fought Hidaka and used a brainbuster for a 2 3/4-count. Evans hit a dropkick on Hayashi and went to the top rope but Dutt was able to climb the turnbuckle and hit a hurricanrana that sent both to the outside. Meanwhile, Hidaka got up and went for a crucifix powerbomb but Hayashi was able to slide down Hidaka's back and hit a Final Cut for the 3-count. (59,40,79)

- CM Punk and Taiyo Kea started off in a match against each other at Major League Comeback and now both were fighting in the finals of the tournament for the coveted Heavyweight Title. The match started off with Kea hitting a lariat trying to expose the still red chest/neck of Punk courtesy of Kojima. Kea picked Punk up and hit a suplex followed by a rear chinlock. Punk found back and eventually took Kea down and applied a boston crab to which Kea was able to roll out of and apply an ankle lock to Punk. Punk got the ropebreak and both backed off and nodded at each other. They then went for a strength test which saw Kea pull Punk towards him into a lariat. Kea then proceeded to stomp on Punks midsection and even saw Kea use a dragon sleeper which Punk was barely able to escape. Kea and Punk then knocked each other over the rope and the two began fighting in the outside. Kea was thrown headfirst into the guard rails and then suplexed onto the hard floor, which Punk exposed by moving the protective mats. Punk brought Kea back to the ring and went for the pin but only got a 2-count. Kea got back on the offensive after Punk stalled when going for a figure four and nearly killed Punk with dvd bomb. The crowd rose to it's feet as Kea picked Punk up and hoisted him up into the H50. Punk was able to hook his foot on the ropes, which kept Kea from bringing him further away from the ropes, and Kea's response was to just let Punk onto the apron and get murdered with forearm smashes. As Punk struggled to hold onto the top rope while standing on the apron, Kea ran at him full speed with a lariat but instead met a dropkick right to the face. Kea tried to get up and Punk saw an opening and hit a shining wizard that busted open Kea. Punk went for the pinfall but only got a 2-count so he went for another shining wizard. This time however Kea only wobbled around so Punk used another, which much to Punks amazement still didn't knock Kea down. Punk went for what looked like a 4th shining wizard but this time he did a shining triangle choke. Kea tried to stand up with Punk's legs locked around his head and left arm but Kea could only stand for merely 3 seconds only to fall back onto his knees. Punk shifted his weight around and eventually got Kea on his stomach which seemed to make Kea tap out. The champion's ceremony saw Kea, bandaged by the MLW trainer, secure the title around Punk's waist and hoist him in the air. The other 6 participants came out and took a big group picture with the title around Punk's waist. (79,75,84)

Edited September 12, 2004 by Mr. X

[Mr. X]

Major League Newswire

January 2005

- CM Punk has requested that the first challenger for his MLW Heavyweight Title be none other than Chris Hero. Punk and Hero have had many MOTYC's in the mid-west and Punk is wanting to make his first defense a memorable one. At the same time the championship comittee have decided to give Pat Kenney and Scoot Andrews a chance at the gold. A match has been set up for Wrestlefest 2005 and the winner will become #1 Contender.

- Taiyo Kea and Satoshi Kojima are getting closer to their final days in the US and both requested a singles match. The MLW booking committee has granted the match for Wrestlefest 2005.

- A tag team will be debuting for MLW at Wrestlefest 2005 under the banner "Asian Assasins". It isn't clear who they are or even why they are coming to MLW. MLW has decided to have this unknown team face off against the cocky but athletic tag team of Jack Evans and Roderick Strong.

- All of the 8 competitors from the Heavyweight Title Tournament were listed in the grapplefanatics.net Top 100 Workers of 2004. NOSAWA and Sonjay Dutt also made it onto the list to bump the number of MLW workers to 10. MLW is very proud of everyone who was listed and encourage every worker to stride to be on the list.

grapplefanatics.net Top 100 Workers

***MLW Workers Only***

15. CM Punk

18. Steve Corino

30. Pat Kenney

35. Chris Hero

37. Scoot Andrews

48. Sean O'Haire

58. Satoshi Kojima

67. NOSAWA

81. Sonjay Dutt

85. Taiyo Kea

MLW PRESENTS...

Wrestlefest 2005

1/21/05

War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

MLW Heavyweight Title

©CM Punk vs. Chris Hero

Heavyweight Title Contendership Match

Pat Kenney vs. Scoot Andrews

Satoshi Kojima vs. Taiyo Kea

Junior Heavyweight Showcase Elimination

Jerrelle Clark vs. Josh Daniels vs. Austin Aries vs. Ikuto Hidaka

Generation Next vs. Asian Assassins

Heartbreak Challenge #2

Michael Shane vs. Adam Windsor

The New Church vs. The Untouchables/X