By Chris Vetter, Torch Contributor

Florida-based Pro Wrestling Warfare hosted the two-day, 16-man “Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup” on June 16 and 17, 2006. The 2005 tournament featured wrestlers like Sonjay Dutt, Petey Williams, Delirious, Chris Sabin and Jimmy Rave. The tournament is to honor Peterson, a popular wrestler who died from cancer.

This year’s tournament features a nice mix of top indy wrestlers from around the nation who are having great years: Arik Cannon (2006 Chikara Young Lion Cup winner, IWA-MS champion in 2006), Joey Ryan (PWG champion all year), Davey Richards (ECWA Super 8 2006 winner), Ruckus (held the CZW heavyweight title in 2006) and Delirious (ROH 2006 Survival of the Fittest tournament winner.)

Before I get to the action, I want to address the DVD case. A large picture of Milano Collection AT is on the cover! (This picture leaves no doubt who won the tournament!) I have mixed feelings about the picture and the back of the case, which lists each match of the tournament – it essentially states which wrestler won each match and advanced throughout the tournament. (I recently reviewed a Border City Wrestling tournament DVD, where only the first-round matches were listed, leaving some mystery about how the tournament played out!)

Staying focused on the DVD art – nowhere does it state the date of this show (June 16-17). Why was that left off? Wrestling events do not happen in a vacuum – I consider it important to know when an event happened. One other comment about the DVD case – I was scared the matches were edited down to highlight clips, as the case states the DVD inside is “about 2 hours in length!” What??? There are 23 matches listed on the DVD case – it better be longer than 2 hours! Luckily, it was! The 3-disc, 23-match set is nearly five hours of wrestling, with no edits in the action.

Play-by-play is the usual ROH team of Dave Prazak & Jared David. The crowd on night 1 (in Sanford, Fla.) is perhaps 150 fans, this venue is well lit, and multiple cameras were used for taping this show. Sound is really good – it made me realized how ‘off’ sound has been on recent ROH releases, as I heard Prazak crystal-clear here.

No backstage segments. On to the action! Disc 1 features the eight tournament matches from night 1.

(1) Round 1: Ruckus defeats TJ Mack at 8:30. Mack is scrawny, and he wore blue pants. The crowd popped for Ruckus, a black man who has lost a lot of weight and has really stood out recently in CZW. Prazak on commentary does a great job of filling in viewers about Ruckus (which is impressive, as Ruckus hasn’t been on many shows that Prazak usually calls!) The match began, and each wrestler hit a nice headscissors takedown. Mack hit a summersault flip dive to the floor and he hit some chops. They brawled on the floor and onto a stage at one end of the building.

Ruckus nailed a Mafia Kick on the floor at 2:30, then he hit the Razzle Dazzle/cartwheels-into-a-back elbow on the floor, drawing a nice pop. In the ring, Mack hit a weak chinbreaker, a kneestrike to the head, and a spine kick. Mack stayed on top with a nice basement dropkick, a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall, and they traded chops. Ruckus fired back with a Pele Kick at 5:30, then he hit a running clothesline, and they were both down, and the crowd was hot.

Mack hit a neckbreaker for a nearfall. Ruckus hit a handspring-back-kick, then a rolling Axe Kick to the neck for a nearfall. Ruckus missed a corkscrew press, but he hit a nice flip kick as Mack was tied in the Tree of Woe. With Mack still tied in the Tree of Woe, Ruckus hit a moonsault Van Terminator – leaping from one ringpost to the other! – and he nailed Mack, to score the pin. Mack was a bit sloppy; my first time seeing him.

(2) Round 1: Canadian Cougar defeats Jake Manning at 7:47. Cougar wears a mask; he is widely-known indy vet Tony Kozina under a hood now. My first time seeing Manning; he is bald, fairly muscular, and he wore black & blue trunks, and the crowd taunted him with a “You’re not (Christopher) Daniels” chant. Funny. Prazak talked about Cougar recently coming to FIP, and that Manning is from North Carolina. The match began with a nice mat tie-up, and Manning nailed Cougar with a forearm.

Cougar hit some armdrags, and he was in charge. Manning bailed, and they fought on the floor. In the ring, Cougar hit a nice dropkick for a nearfall at 5:30 as Manning was trying to hit a move off the ropes. Cougar hit a running double knees shot to the chest, then a basement dropkick, for a nearfall. Cougar hit a German Suplex! Manning hit a back suplex. Cougar applied a cross-armbreaker, and Manning tapped out. Basic match that stayed in first gear.

(3) Round 1: Joey Ryan defeats El Generico at 11:06. Fun match, and these guys know each other well (I’ve seen them fight in PWG and CZW before). Ryan lewdly rubbed his chest hair, and he wore pink flowered tight trunks. Ryan seemed more focused on flirting with the women at ringside than wrestling! Early in the match, Generico hit an Arabian Press to the floor, and he nailed some chops on the floor! In the ring, Generico hit his nice armdrags, then a nice basement dropkick to the back of the head at 4:00. Ryan crotched Generico on the top-rope. Ryan took control with some stomps & kicks, then a Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall.

Generico hit a back suplex, and they were both down at 6:30. Generico fired up with a series of punches, he hit a Kidman Dropkick, then a back heel kick. Generico stayed on top with a backbreaker over his knee and a split-legged moonsault for a nearfall, then a Tornado DDT for a believable nearfall. Ryan nailed a superkick for a believable nearfall at 9:00. Ryan set Generico up for the Mustache Ride/top-rope swinging neckbreaker, but Generico avoided it. Generico NAILED a Mafia Kick in the corner! Generico hit a half-nelson suplex for a believable nearfall! “HE got dumped right on top of his head!” Prazak shouted. Generico set up for a brainbuster, but Ryan escaped, and Ryan hit a second-rope powerbomb for the pin! Good match.

(4) Round 1: Milano Collection AT defeats Arik Cannon at 13:47. Good match. The fans heavily booed Cannon, as Cannon tried to get them to clap. They opened with some really nice mat wrestling, and Milano wrapped Cannon’s arm around the second rope. Milano applied a cool wristlock. Cannon fired back with some quick armdrags, and they had a standoff at 3:00. Milano hit a nice tilt-a-whirl headscissors takedown. Milano tied Cannon’s feet & wrists in the bottom rope, and Milano hit a running dropkick as Cannon was tied up. Cannon hit a chop and a kneedrop to the groin at 6:30, and he unloaded a series of punches, European Uppercuts, chops, then a swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall.

Milano came back with a modified Divorce Court armbreaker, and he kicked the left arm at 10:00. Cannon hit a neckbreaker over his knee. Milano hit a running dropkick as Cannon was in the ropes, drawing a pop. Milano nailed a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall. Cannon hit some knife-edge chops. Milano hit an enziguri. Cannon hit an Exploder Suplex at 13:00 and more stiff forearms. Cannon went for a clothesline, but Milano did a Matrix backward to avoid it. Milano hit a Superkick, then a Lionsault, and he applied an AT Lock/arm submission hold on the mat, and Cannon tapped out. Good match.

(5) Round 1: Rod Steel defeats Davey Richards at 13:42. Davey wore his white trunks, and he was quite popular here. Steel wore blue shorts, a black T-shirt, and he has black hair. Prazak said that Steel was a last-minute replacement for British wrestler Jody Fleisch. Prazak hyped Richards’ credentials, with his run in ECWA, PWG, ROH and FIP! Richards hit some quick kicks, and he applied a Texas Cloverleaf. Richards bridged backward and hit a kick, and he twisted Steel’s left right.

Richards peeled off Steel’s shirt at 6:00, and he hit some chops, kicks, and a guillotine legdrop. Prazak said that Richards is a favorite to win the tournament! Richards hit some hard spin kicks on the floor, and this match was looking like a one-sided squash! Steel came back with a twisting neckbreaker at 9:00 in the ring. Steel hit some chops on the floor, and Richards fired back more kicks. In the ring, Steel hit a Spinebuster! Richards nailed a top-rope superplex for a believable nearfall. Steel got a rollup out of nowhere, with his feet on the ropes for leverage, to get the pin; one of Richards’ shoulders was clearly up, too! Ugly finish.

Commentary: I can only assume that Richards was booked elsewhere on June 17; otherwise, I would have expected him to easily defeat an inferior wrestler like Steel, and win several matches in this tournament. When I looked at the DVD case and saw he didn’t advance to the second round, I was shocked! The way this was booked, Richards came off looking fairly strong, though.

(6) Round 1: “Reckless Youth” Tom Carter defeats Chasyn Rance at 10:31. Above-average match. Carter wore blue & white & black pants, and he’s an indy veteran. Rance wore black pants; he’s been in a few TNA squash matches, and he’s solid. Carter is bigger and strong, and he hit a shoulder tackle. Rance hit a crossbody block and a series of headlocks. Carter hit a dropkick to the face at 3:00, and he choked Rance in the corner, as Prazak talked about Jeff Peterson’s life and career. Carter hit a dropkick, and he faked a dive to the floor.

Rance hit a springboard dropkick, then he dove through the ropes to the floor! Carter hit a low blow kick as Rance tried a springboard move. Carter hit a Russian Legsweep, then he applied a cross-armbreaker, and he tied up Rance on the mat. Rance hit an enziguri at 8:00, and they were both down. Rance hit a cool back suplex, then a sitdown X-Factor faceplant for a believable nearfall. Rance hit a Sliced Bread #2/overhead flipping bulldog for a nearfall. Carter came back with a Hammerlock DDT for a believable nearfall. Carter hit a doublestomp on the arm, then he stretched Rance on the mat, and Rance tapped out!

(7) Round 1: Krazy K defeats TJ Wilson at 10:30. Good match. Wilson is tall, is almost entirely bald, except for a few hairs along his forehead; he’s a regular in Canada and the Northwest indies. Krazy K (perhaps best known for a disastrous ROH match against Jeff Hardy a few years ago) wore blue pants, and he has Hardy-like sideburns. Wilson opened with some quick arm tie-ups and armdrags. Prazak talked up Wilson’s credentials, saying he’s toured Japan and was in the short-lived Major League Wrestling in Florida a couple years ago. Krazy K came back with a nice spin kick to the face and a chinbreaker for a nearfall at 3:00.

Wilson hit a nice powerslam and a cool slingshot legdrop for a nearfall. Krazy K came back with a nice swinging DDT for a nearfall at 6:00, then a nice spin heel kick for a nearfall. Krazy K did a (Nigel) headstand in the corner, but Wilson ran in and hit a dropkick to the face! Wilson applied a Texas Cloverleaf, but Krazy K reached the ropes. Krazy K hit a doublestomp to the chest at 9:00 as Wilson was caught in the ropes, and they both crashed to the floor! In the ring, Wilson hit a reverse suplex, dumping Krazy K on his stomach. Krazy K hit the “Overdose”/Famouser legdrop for the pin.

(8) Round 1: Delirious defeats Human Tornado at 14:55. Good match, and my favorite of night 1. Delirious went crazy at the bell, running laps on the floor. So Cal Val joined the commentary team for this match. Delirious grabbed something out of the ref’s hair and ate it, acting goofy. Tornado is perhaps 4 inches taller than Delirious. Delirious complained to the ref that Tornado pulled his hair, and the fans, playing along, chanted, “Please don’t cheat!” Fun opening. They traded rollups and had a standoff, and they posed. Tornado hit a nice dropkick at 5:30, then an armdrag and a Tornado Clothesline.

Tornado hit his ‘jive dance’ kicks in the corner, drawing a nice pop. Delirious fired back with some hard chops. Tornado hit a headscissors takedown, sending Delirious to the floor. Tornado hit a flip dive over the top rope, landing SEVERAL rows deep into the crowd at 7:30! In the ring, Delirious tried to shake the ropes to crotch Tornado, but Tornado wouldn’t fall, and Delirious was irritated. Funny! Delirious nailed his Panic Attack/running knee in the corner. Delirious stayed on top with a spine kick and a doublestomp on the stomach. Tornado hit a neckbreaker, and they were both down.

Delirious went under the ring. He came back out another side, and they traded punches, and Tornado hit a back heel kick. Human Tornado hit a basement dropkick, then he nailed the (Monty) Pounce for a nearfall at 11:30. Delirious hit a low blow, but it had no affect! Delirious hit 50 short-arm clotheslines in the corner and a bulldog. Human Tornado came back with a spin kick to the face for a nearfall. Delirious applied the Cobra Stretch on the mat, and Tornado tapped out! Fun match, with good action mixed with some comedy.

DVD 1 ends at 1 hour, 42 minutes.

The tournament continued on June 17, 2006, in Pinellas Park, Fla. The crowd was closer to 300 for night 2, and considerable hotter! DVD 2 contains the rest of the tournament. Unfortunately, Tom Carter had a death in the family and had to leave after night 1, so six wrestlers who lost on night 1 had a chance to get back into the tournament. (It’s worth noting that Richards wasn’t in this six-man match, feeding my belief he was simply booked elsewhere on this night.) Wrestler Franciso Ciatso joined Prazak on commentary for night 2.

(1) Second-chance match: TJ Wilson defeats TJ Mack and Arik Cannon and Human Tornado and Jake Manning and El Generico at 13:09 to re-enter the tournament. Fun match. This is a one-fall match. Tornado and Generico (who have teamed in PWG) started, and they did a dance off. The other four wrestlers jumped in the ring and beat them up! Cannon did a (Scotty 2 Hotty) worm? UGH! Cannon nailed a European Uppercut on Tornado. Human Tornado hit his tornado clothesline in the corner, and he hit his jive dance kicks in the corner on Manning.

Wilson faced Mack, and the crowd chanted, “Let’s go TJ!” Funny. Wilson hit some hard chops on Manning, then a stiff kick to the head at 6:00. Generico hit a HARD chop on Cannon. Wilson hit a powerslam for a nearfall on Generico. Cannon hit a delayed vertical suplex on Generico for a nearfall. Mack hit a flying back elbow on Cannon at 9:00, then he hit a nice swinging dropkick while using the ropes! Cool move. Cannon hit an Exploder Suplex. Tornado hit an enziguri on Cannon.

Jake hit a back suplex on Human Tornado for a nearfall. Mack hit a frogsplash for a nearfall. Cannon nailed a brainbuster for a nearfall on Mack at 11:30. Human Tornado hit the (Monty) Pounce on Cannon! Tornado dove to the floor on several wrestlers, drawing a “Holy sh--!” chant. Generico hit a springboard moonsault to the floor! Meanwhile, in the ring, Wilson hit a flip guillotine legdrop as Mack was caught in the ropes, and Wilson got the pin! Fun action, and each wrestler got a chance to showcase their skills.

(2) Round 2: Ruckus defeats Canadian Cougar at 7:52. They shook hands, as this is face vs. face. Prazak said he didn’t know a lot about Cougar (pretending he doesn’t know Cougar is Kozina), and they opened with good standing switches and standoff. Prazak noted that Ruckus is in the best shape of his career. Cougar hit a nice headscissors takedown. They fought on the floor, and Ruckus whipped Cougar into the wall. In a cool spot, Ruckus did a backflip while launching off the wall and landing on his feet! Ruckus whipped Cougar into the ringpost, and Cougar favored his shoulder the rest of the match. Ruckus hit a Shooting Star Press off the ring apron onto Cougar on the floor at 3:00!

In the ring, Ruckus was in control, and the crowd was hot. Canadian Cougar fought back with a running double knees shot in the corner, but he grabbed his injured shoulder in pain. Cougar hit a springboard crossbody block. Ruckus hit a doublestomp and a twisting body press for a nearfall at 6:00. Cougar applied a cross-armbreaker, but Ruckus kicked at Cougar’s injured shoulder to escape. Ruckus hit a rolling fisherman’s suplex with a bridge to get the pin! Good match for the time given.

(3) Round 2: Joey Ryan defeats Rod Steel at 7:50. This was all comedy with virtually no wrestling. Funny stuff, though! A girl in the crowd presented Ryan with a pair of panties, and Ryan put them on over his small pink trunks, but he took them off and gave them back to the fan. Both wrestlers played to the crowd. Steel went to the floor and he tried to woo the female fan! Moments later, the referee went to the floor to hit on the female at ringside! Funny stuff. In the ring (as these two are generally heels), they hit a double eyepoke spot. They then hit eyepokes on the ref.

Steel ripped down the back of Ryan’s trunks (leaving Ryan in just a thong), and Ryan walked around ringside on the floor, prettymuch rubbing his exposed butt on every fan in the front row. Funny. “I’m at a loss for words,” Prazak said, stumbling to call this ‘action.’ Ciatso added, “This crowd is enjoying what they guys are doing right now.” Steel got a rollup with his feet on the ropes for leverage at 6:30. Ryan hit a superkick for a believable nearfall, then he got a Schoolboy rollup with a handful of tights for the pin. FUNNY and memorable, but little actual wrestling. Steel did nothing for me on either night of this tournament.

(4) Round 2: Delirious defeats Krazy K at 13:15. Good match. Delirious, as usual, went crazy at the bell, and he ran laps around the floor; Krazy K stood on the floor behind the rows of fans. They tied up in the ring, and Delirious hit a headbutt on the hand. Krazy K hit a nice armdrag, and they had a standoff at 3:00. Delirious played with the blue bandana Krazy K wore on his head. Delirious went to the floor, re-entered the ring, and told the ref that a fan in the crowd had pulled his hair! Delirious tied up Krazy K’s arms, and he SCREAMED in Krazy’s ear! Funny. Lots of comedy spots early. Krazy K fought back with some armdrags at 6:30, then a gutbuster across the top rope.

Krazy K hit a modified 619 as Delirious was lying across the top rope. Krazy K hit a nice legdrop off the ropes. Delirious fought back with the BAM leaping lariat for a nearfall, then a hard back chop that got a huge pop. Delirious slobbered on his hand and he wiped it on Krazy K’s face at 9:30. Delirious hit a back suplex for a nearfall and more chops. Krazy K hit an enziguri that sent Delirious to the floor. Krazy K nailed a top-rope corkscrew dive to the floor! The crowd rallied for both men. In the ring, Krazy K hit a suplex into the turnbuckle at 12:30, but he missed a moonsault. Delirious hit a hard field goal kick, then he hit a Cobra Clutch over his knee, and he turned it into a Cobra Stretch! Krazy K tapped out.

(5) Round 2: Milano Collection AT defeats TJ Wilson at 5:42. Really good action for the time given; I really wish this had been longer. They opened with quick armdrags and a standoff, and Milano hit a shoulder tackle. Wilson hit a nice snap headscissors takedown. Milano hit a running dropkick on the floor as Wilson was tied in the ropes. Wilson came back with a powerslam for a nearfall. Prazak stressed that both of these wrestlers have traveled across the world to wrestle. Milano hit a spinebuster and a snap suplex, and this was fun, fluid wrestling.

Wilson hit a nice dropkick and a back heel kick to the head, then a guillotine legdrop for a nearfall at 4:30. Wilson missed a springboard elbow drop, but he hit a basement dropkick on Milano’s knee. Out of nowhere, Milano got a rollup for the pin. These two clicked in the ring, and it’s too bad this was so short!

(6) Round 3: Ruckus defeats Joey Ryan at 7:09. Solid action, but like the previous match, a bit too short. They traded armholds and good reversals. Ruckus hit a headscissors takedown and a dropkick. Ryan stopped Ruckus’ dive attempt. Ryan faked a dive to the floor! Ryan hit a nice standing dropkick for a nearfall at 3:00. He faked a spine kick, and instead he applied a chinlock. Ruckus came back with a nice crucifix takedown for a nearfall. Ryan jawed at the fans.

Ruckus hit a handspring-back-kick, then his Razzle Dazzle/cartwheel move into the corner, and a Famouser ax kick for a nearfall. Ryan fired back by applying a Fujiwara Armbar, then he nailed a superkick for a nearfall at 6:30. Ruckus avoided a Mustache Ride/second-rope swinging neckbreaker, and he shoved Ryan to the mat. Ruckus immediately hit the Moonsault Legdrop on Ryan for the pin!

(7) Round 3: Milano Collection AT defeats Delirious at 11:55. Fun match, and the best on this show. Arik Cannon joined Prazak on commentary. Milano got tied up in Delirious’ tassels, and the tightness from the tassels hurt Milano’s arm! They each hit shoulder tackles with neither man budging at 4:00, and they argued over who should bounce off the ropes. Delirious flexed and posed; lots of comedy early. Milano hit some armdrags, and he tied Delirious in the “Paradise Lock,” tying his arms and feet in the bottom rope, then he hit the basement dropkick. Delirious fired back with the Panic Attack/running knee in the corner!

Cannon on commentary picked Milano to win the tournament, because Milano pinned Cannon in the first round! Delirious applied a Camel Clutch at 7:00, and the fans chanted, “Iron Shiek!” Milano came back with an enziguri as Delirious was entering the ring. Milano hit a series of chops, then a handspring elbow and a bulldog for a nearfall. Delirious hit a dropkick to the back, a Russian Legsweep, and he applied a Cobra Stretch, but Milano reached the ropes at 8:30.

Delirious went for the Shadows Over Hell/backsplash, but Milano sidestepped it and quickly applied a Fujiwara Armbar! Delirious reached the ropes. Delirious nailed the BAM leaping lariat, then he hit the Bizarro Driver/modified (Sabin) Cradle Shock for a believable nearfall. Milano hit a dropkick to the gut, then his corkscrew Lionsault. Milano applied the AT Lock/arm submission hold, and Delirious tapped out. Good match.

(8) Finals: Milano Collection AT defeats Ruckus at 9:53 to win the JPMC. Certainly an above-average match, but there were lots of better matches in this tournament. (I always expect the main event of the tournament to be -- if not the best, one of the best. This wasn’t.) All the competitors in the tournament gathered at ringside. Scoot Andrews (an indy wrestler who retired last year) joined Prazak on commentary. They opened with some good mat wrestling, and Milano twisted the left leg, and he tied up both the arms & legs. Ruckus came back with an armdrag, a dropkick, and a summersault dive to the floor at 2:00.

Scoot on commentary praised Ruckus for his weight loss, saying it allows Ruckus to be even more of a daredevil in the ring than he already was. Ruckus missed a top-rope corkscrew press. Milano tied the left arm in the ropes, and he continued to focus on wearing down the arm for the next couple minutes. Milano applied a cross-armbreaker, but Ruckus reached the ropes at 5:30. Ruckus hit some punches to the gut. Milano slammed the shoulder into the mat. Ruckus came back with a chinbreaker, a neckbreaker, and a standing Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 7:00!

Ruckus went for a handspring-back-kick, but Milano did a Matrix backward to avoid the kick. Milano hit an enziguri. Ruckus hit a handspring back kick for a nearfall, then a split-legged moonsault for a nearfall, and the crowd was hot! Ruckus tied Milano in the Tree of Woe, and he went for a flip Van Terminator, but Milano sat up to avoid the kick. Milano hit his corkscrew Lionsault for a nearfall. Moments later, Milano applied the AT Lock, and Ruckus tapped out. Several wrestlers entered the ring to help them to their feet. Milano was presented with a trophy, which he waved to the fans and he celebrated.

DVD 2 runs 1 hour, 30 minutes.

The third DVD in this set is comprised of non-tournament matches from both nights of the Cup. The first 4 matches on this disc are from night one, and the last 3 matches are from night two.

(1) Jerrelle Clark defeats Ryan Drago and Dagon in a three-way at 8:49. This match was a sloppy mess; there’s no kind way to say otherwise. I like Clark, from everything I’ve seen from him in ROH, FIP and TNA, and the crowd gave him a nice pop. Drago wore black trunks, and Dagon is bald with checkered boxers. Drago & Dagon teamed together to work over Jerrelle. Dagon hit a senton on Drago. Clark put Dagon in a Boston Crab, but Drago broke it up. Drago gave Dagon a bodyslam onto Clark at 3:00. Dagon hit a vertical suplex. Drago put Clark in a Bow & Arrow.

Dagon hit a powerslam for a nearfall, and Drago, for whatever reason, doesn’t attempt to break up the pin. Clark hit a springboard dropkick on both men, then he hit more dropkicks on each of them, and a handspring-back-moonsault for a nearfall on Dagon. Dagon hit a Finlay Roll on Drago. Clark nailed a hurricanrana on Dagon, then he hit the 630 Splash on Drago to score the pin. The match was choppy and awkward, and I didn’t like Dagon at all.

(2) Frankie Ciatso (w/Molly Holly) defeats Erick Stevens (w/So Cal Val) at 10:09. Stevens is tall and thick, and he has a black Mohawk, and he wore a black singlet. My first time seeing Ciatso; he is a bit chubby with shoulder-length hair and a black singlet. Sol Cal Val – who is a regular in the background of TNA broadcasting – choked Ciatso in the ropes, and Stevens hit some basic chomps and was in charge. Ciatso jawed at So Cal Val. Stevens hit some hard chops. Jared David noted that Stevens was trained by Roderick Strong. Ciatso rolled to the floor, where So Cal Val hit him with some kicks and more chokes, then she applied a headscissorslock in the ropes!

At 5:30, Ciatso left ringside! It looks like he was walking out! However, he returned to ringside with Nora “Molly Holly” Greenwald. Prazak said that now there will perhaps be less outside interference. Stevens stalled a lot, unsure what to do. Stevens hit some more stomps and chops, and he applied a dull, boring neck vice. Ciatso came back with a leaping clothesline for a nearfall at 9:00. There was a ref bump! Ciatso got a rollup, but So Cal Val jumped in the ring and rolled Stevens on top; Molly Holly then jumped in the ring, and she rolled Ciatso back on top! The ref awoke, and he counted to three, giving Ciatso the win. This action was ugly. Molly and So Cal Val were the real stars of the match.

(3) Billy Kidman defeats Naphtali (w/Dagon) at 10:27. Pretty basic match. Naphtali has a beard and a ponytail. In Full Impact Pro, he is the wheelchair-bound Mr. Milo Beasley. Kidman is just wayyy too muscular and bulky, even now, and he was greeted with an alarming number of boos! They opened with basic standing switches, and Naphtali hit a hurricanrana. Kidman hit a headscissors takedown. Naphtali avoided a running knee, and he kipped up and they had a standoff. Naphtali attacked Kidman from behind, and he sent Kidman shoulder-first into the turnbuckle at 3:00. Naphtali began to work over the shoulder. Naphtali peeled off his T-shirt, and the crowd made fun of his poor physique and pale skin. Funny.

Dagon worked on Kidman’s arm in the ropes. Naphtali applied a crossarmbreaker at 6:00, but Kidman reached the ropes. Kidman fired back with a flying forearm and a clothesline for a nearfall. Naphtali hit a spin heel kick, and they were both down. Kidman hit a hard enziguri for a nearfall. Naphtali hit a Death Valley Driver (DVD) onto a Digital Video Disc (DVD) that was lying in the ring. Ha-ha. Kidman came back with a nice dropkick. Kidman went to the top rope for a Shooting Star Press (yeah, right!), but Naphtali knocked him down and hit a Flair Toss to the mat. Naphtali missed a frogsplash. Kidman hit the Lo Down/(D-Lo) overhead powerbomb for the pin.

(4) Christopher Daniels defeats Roderick Strong at 15:09. This was the main event of night 1, and it was pretty good. This also is a first-time-ever one-on-one meeting! They shook hands and opened with an intense lockup, then they traded quick reversals, and Daniels ducked to avoid a chop! Daniels said he “didn’t want any bruises on his chest” before a PPV on Sunday! Funny. Strong hit a chop at 3:30, and Daniels IMMEDIATELY bailed! So Cal Val joined the commentary team, and she put over Daniels’ PPV match on Sunday. Daniels began to focus on Strong’s left arm and he worked it over.

Strong hit a backbreaker over his knee at 6:00, then a butterfly suplex for a nearfall, some chops on the floor, and he slammed Daniels’ back into the ring apron. In the ring, Strong stayed in control with a sideslam, then a Samoan Drop at 9:00, and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a nearfall. Strong applied a Camel Clutch, and the fans chanted, “Make Him Humble!” (Iron Sheik reference!), but Daniels reached the ropes! Daniels nailed an STO uranage, and they were both down. Daniels hit a clothesline, a chinbreaker, and a top-rope crossbody block.

Strong hit another backbreaker over his knee, then the Gibson Driver/butterfly powerbomb at 12:30 for a nearfall. Strong hit the Gorilla Press Gutbuster over his knees and a running boot for a nearfall. Daniels fired back with a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall, and they were both down, and the crowd came alive! They traded stiff forearms, and Daniels hit another STO uranage, but he missed the Best Moonsault Ever. Daniels went for an Arabian Press, but Strong got his knees up to block it! Strong went for a move, but Daniels ducked it, and he hit the Angels Wings/spinning Pedigree for the pin! Good match.

The last three matches on the disc are from night 2 of the weekend.

(5) Naphtali defeats OG Scarface and Havoc in a threeway at 7:42. OG Scarface wore black shorts and has several tattoos. Havoc wore a red Coke shirt and he’s heavy. OG shoved Naphtali into Havoc. Scarface hit a leg lariat, a backbreaker over his knee, and a dive to the floor, barely clearing the top rope. Naphtali hit a top-rope flip dive to the floor, and he traded chops with Havoc. Scarface hit a Lungblower on Havoc at 3:00. Several chairs and ladders were tossed into the ring! Havoc grabbed the ladder and he slammed it into both opponents. Havoc hit Scarface with a powerbomb onto the ladder, which was propped up in the corner.

Naphtali hit the DVD on the DVD in the ring on Havoc for a nearfall. Scarface hit a nice reverse tombstone for a nearfall on Naphtali, but Havoc made the save. Havoc hit a piledriver, and he went to get a table at 6:30. Scarface grabbed a computer keyboard, and he hit Havoc with it! All three guys fought on the ropes in the corner, and Naphtali pushed both opponents off the corner and through the table in the ring, and he covered Scarface for the pin. Basic hardcore match; Scarface was solid, but Havoc was not.

(6) Modern Day Theory (Scott Commodity & Preston James) (W/Molly Holly) defeat Bruce Santee & Pretty Fly (w/Amy Love) at 9:29. Santee is a bald guy who is quite muscular, and he wore white trunks (he looks like Perry Saturn without all the tattoos!) Santee got on the mic and said he was upset he wasn’t in the tournament. Amy Love, his valet, wore short bluejean shorts and a tiny pink top; she’s quite attractive! Santee introduced his partner (who he clearly didn’t want!), in Pretty Fly. Pretty Fly took off his shirt to reveal a flabby pale stomach, and Santee ordered Pretty Fly to put the shirt back on! Commodity & James wore identical black pants with lime green trim, making me think of the Ring Crew Express.

The match began with MDT working over Pretty Fly. Arik Cannon joined the commentary team. Santee tagged in at 2:30, and he yelled at his partner. MDT hit a double dropkick, sending Pretty Fly into Santee’s groin. Both Santee and Amy Love slapped Pretty Fly! Funny. MDT hit a hurricanrana on Santee. Santee slammed one of the MDT guys’ neck on the top rope, and he hit a standing neckbreaker. Pretty Fly hit a dropkick at 6:00. This match had little heat.

Amy Love beat up one of the MDT guys on the floor until Molly Holly chased her away. Santee hit a Samoan Drop. Amy hopped on the ring apron, but Molly pulled her down. Preston James made the hot tag at 8:30 – he has darker hair, and looks a bit like Alex Shelley – and he hit a backbody drop on Pretty Fly. Santee & Amy Love left! Prazak was stunned that they would leave their partner in the middle of the match! Preston hit a second-rope superplex, and Scott Commodity immediately hit a frogsplash for the pin. *3/4

(7) Billy Kidman defeats Lex Lovett (w/Buck Quartermaine) at 9:21. Lovett is bald, and he has been a regular jobber on TNA TV for a while. Lovett jawed with the fans at the bell. They opened with slow standing reversals. Wow, this action is SLOW. Prazak said this was among Kidman’s first indy matches since leaving WWE. Kidman hit an armdrag and a headscissors takedown, and Lovett bailed at 3:00. Quartermaine hit a clothesline on Kidman on the floor, and the crowd booed. In the ring, Lovett applied a dull chinlock. UGH. Quartermaine beat up Kidman some more on the floor, and he slammed his back into the ring apron.

Lovett missed a second-rope guillotine legdrop, and they were both down at 7:00. Kidman hit some punches, a flying forearm, and a second-rope bulldog. Lovett hit a flipping neckbreaker for a nearfall. Kidman hit a nice standing dropkick, and like on night 1, he went to the top rope for a Shooting Star Press! However, Lovett crotched Kidman in the corner, and Lovett hit a DDT out of the corner for a nearfall. Lovett and Quartermaine accidentally collided on the ring apron, and Kidman hit the Lo Down/overhead powerbomb for the pin. Ugly match. *

DVD 3 runs 1 hour, 23 minutes.

Final thoughts: The good first… Strong vs. Daniels was a fun match, but it is the only match worth watching on disc 3. The tournament was solid, as any match featuring Milano Collection AT, El Generico, Delirious, TJ Wilson or Arik Cannon was really good.

Best match of the show goes to Delirious vs. Milano Collection AT in the semi-finals, as these two are skilled, top-level indy workers, and they had a fluid exchange. I’ll give second-best to Strong vs. Daniels. Third best goes to Delirious vs. Human Tornado, then fourth-best goes to Cannon-Milano. All four of those matches stood out on this show.

With 23 matches, there is certainly plenty to like here, but there is some garbage too.

The bad: The whole third disc except Strong-Daniels. If you were a fan of WCW-era Billy Kidman, you’ll be sad to see how bulky and lethargic he looked here. Now that he’s out of WWE, he really needs to drop that unhealthy muscle mass he’s carrying.

The main event of the tournament should have been better. It wasn’t bad – I scored it above-average – but it wasn’t among the top matches of the tournament.

I haven’t seen a lot of TJ Wilson in the past year, but he was far more fluid and well-rounded than I remember, and I can see why he has signed with WWE.

Of the guys in the tournament I really didn’t know, Krazy K was the best of the group. (I had only seen him once before this event.) Of the other guys I didn’t know, I really didn’t care for TJ Mack, Jake Manning, or Rod Steel at all.

This show gets a thumbs in the middle. Yes, there are lots of matches and action for $20, and I’ve already highlighted the four standout matches. That said, there isn’t one single ‘must-see’ match here, either.

Purchase this DVD at www.rfvideo.com for $20.

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