By Chris Vetter, Torch Contributor

Full Impact Pro headed to Bushnell, Fla., on Oct. 14, 2006, for “Southern Justice.” This event featured a main event of Bryan Danielson defending his FIP title against Davey Richards, and the Briscoes winning the FIP tag titles.

First and foremost, I hate this venue. This appears to be a large high school gym, and most of the 200 to 250 fans are sitting in bleachers FAR AWAY from the ring. This is a problem! When fans are far from the ring, they are less likely to get emotionally involved (and vocally involved!) in the action. As fans sitting a distance from the ring, they just aren’t as loud.

As with all FIP shows, there are no backstage segments; all angles are done in front of the crowd. Also, this promotion tends to draw more children than its sister promotion, Ring of Honor, and those kids add a lot to the fun of matches (particularly when there is cheating in tag matches.) Sound, lighting and editing are all good. Again, because this is a gym, there aren’t any problems with a low ceiling.

On commentary are Dave Prazak and Jared David, with Prazak being the heelish play-by-play man here. To the ring!

(1) Canadian Cougar defeats Jaison Moore at 4:58. Solid opener. Cougar is indy veteran Tony Kozina in a white mask. He’s a white guy with a good physique, but heelish Prazak speculated that Cougar might be Papa Shango or S.D. Jones (who are both black men.) Good humor. Moore wore a black T-shirt and gray pants, and he clearly doesn’t have the physique of his opponent! They opened with some quick reversals, and Cougar hit some quick armdrags, so Moore bailed to the floor. Cougar went to the apron, where he hit a flip dive onto Moore on the floor.

Cougar hit a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall at 2:30. Moore came back with some chops, a rolling tumbleweed into the corner for a nearfall, a Falcon Arrow slam for a nearfall, and he was in charge. Cougar came back with a missile dropkick, and he was fired up! Cougar hit a running knee to the face, then a Northern Lights suplex, then he applied a cross-armbreaker, and Moore tapped out. Decent for the time given.

* Chasyn Rance & Steve Madison appeared at the interview area, and they talked about how they are “Young, Rich and Ready” for action. Good arrogant promo, as they ripped the city and its residents. Erick Stevens, who is much taller & thicker, sporting a black Mohawk, attacked them. Stevens took the mic and challenged them to a match! Sal Rinauro came out of the back to be Stevens’ partner.

(2) Chasyn Rance & Steve Madison defeat Erick Stevens & Sal Rinauro at 8:58. Average match. I’ve said this before, but Madison reminds me of Randy Orton with his heelish charisma. The heels jawed at the crowd. Sal started against Rance, and they traded basic armholds. Sal did a ‘chicken dance,’ and Rance was annoyed. Stevens tagged in and fought Madison. Stevens – again, he’s much thicker – hit some big shoulder tackles, and he hit bodyslams on both heels at 3:00. The heels bailed and stalled. Madison and Stevens traded stiff forearms. Rance entered and hit some stomps, and the heels were in control.

Rance hit a nice Mafia Kick. At 6:00, the ref missed a hot tag, and the crowd screamed at the ref to pay attention. Stevens hit a powerslam on Rance; Madison attacked Sal on the floor, so Sal wasn’t in his corner to make the tag. Stevens hit a powerslam on Rance, then a Bulldog Powerslam on Rance, and they were both down, and the crowd rallied behind Stevens. Sal made the hot tag, and he tossed Madison to the floor. However, Sal turned and nailed Stevens – his partner! – with a superkick! The crowd booed Rinauro, as they realized he had turned heel. The three heels hit a Spike Piledriver on Stevens, and Rance made the cover for the pin.

* The three heels continued to beat up Erick Stevens, until Seth Delay ran to the ring and made the save. Sal got on the mic and said that his “back hurts from Stevens riding my coattails.”

* Dave Prazak, Cyber Kong, Shingo and Mr. Milo Beasley appeared in the interview area. Seth Delay was still in the ring. Prazak yelled at Delay to leave, but Seth refused. Prazak sent Kong down to face Delay. (Prazak returned to the commentary table, and was not at ringside.)

(3) Seth Delay defeats Cyber Kong (w/ Mr. Milo Beasley & Shingo) at 6:06 via DQ. I’ve said this before, but Kong has black marker defining his muscles, making it look like he’s wearing a “Giant Gonzales muscle suit.” Kong wears a ridiculous metal mask, and he’s much stronger with a significantly larger physique than Delay. Kong overpowered Delay to start the match, easily shoving him to the mat. Kong hit a shoulder tackle, and he overpowered Delay in a knucklelock. Delay hit a monkeyflip. Kong hit a sloppy clothesline. Delay dove to the floor on Kong at 3:00.

In the ring, Kong hit a Stinger Splash in the corner, then a flying clothesline off the second rope that nearly decapitated Delay! Prazak & Jared David had a humorous conversation about Kong, talking about how he is part monkey, part machine, and may be from the future. Entertaining. Kong missed another Stinger Splash. Delay hit a missile dropkick, and he fired up, and the crowd rallied for him. They traded punches. Kong applied a claw on Delay’s head! Delay hit a flying forearm and a top-rope hurricanrana for a nearfall. Suddenly, Shingo distracted the ref; Kong got a pineapple and hit Delay with it. However, the ref saw the attack, and he called for the bell, disqualifying Kong!

* Prazak was frustrated that Kong lost. He made an open challenge for anyone in the back to face Shingo. Jerrelle Clark came out to answer the challenge!

(4) Shingo (w/ Mr. Milo Beasley & Kong) defeats Jerrelle Clark at 15:11. Good match. The crowd was all over Shingo. Clark worked on the left arm, and he applied a cross-armbreaker. Shingo, who is MUCH bigger than Clark, hit a shoulder tackle and a bodyslam at 2:30. Clark hit a headscissors takedown, and Shingo stalled on the floor. Back in the ring, Clark hit a Japanese Armdrag, a nice dropkick, and he went back to work on the left arm. Shingo applied a Cobra Clutch, and he did the Giant Swing. Shingo hit a clothesline, and he made an arrogant cover for a nearfall at 5:30.

Kong & Beasley beat up Clark on the floor, and the kids in the crowd went nuts over this blatant cheating. Jerrelle came back with a swinging Divorce-Court style armdrag on the floor. Cool. In the ring, Shingo was in charge, and he hit a kneedrop to the face for a nearfall. Jerrelle came back with some right & left kicks, an enziguri, and his handspring-back-moonsault for a nearfall at 9:00. Milo tripped Clark, and Shingo immediately hit a guillotine legdrop, and he posed. Shingo hit a DDT for a nearfall, then he applied a Sharpshooter, and he turned it into an STF, then into a Crippler Crossface. Nice. Clark reached the ropes. Clark got a Spinebuster in the corner, and they were both down. The crowd rallied, and they chanted, “USA!”

Clark got up and hit some stiff forearms, then a springboard crossbody block and a dropkick. Clark hit a top-rope crossbody block to the floor at 13:00. In the ring, Clark hit a Tornado DDT for a nearfall. Kong jumped in the ring, and he nailed a running Stinger Splash in the corner, and he hit a claw slam on the head! Shingo made the cover for a believable nearfall. Clark came back with a nice Crucifix Takedown for a believable nearfall! However, Shingo placed Clark across his shoulders and he hit the “Bloodfall”/modified Michinoku Driver, for the pin. Good action.

* The Heartbreak Express came to the interview stage, decked out in their ugly purple & pink singlets, to the tune of Warrant’s “Cherry Pie.” Sean Davis said he’s not happy, and he screamed at the fans to shut up. He said that Black Market had kidnapped SoCalVal, and they want Black Market to win the #1 contender’s match so they can get even with them. Sean Davis definitely has a gift for gab.

(5) Mark & Jay Briscoe defeat Shawn Murphy & Machete (Black Market) at 6:13. Fairly basic match. The Briscoes wore their Confederate Flag boxers, and they were treated as heels. Murphy is heavy and THICK, Machete is much skinner, and they both wore black. The Briscoes jumped the Black Market, and all four fought. Murphy & Machete hit a flapjack on Jay, and the Briscoes stalled on the floor. Prazak on commentary speculated on what happened to SoCalVal. The Black Market team beat up Mark, and they hit a team suplex for a nearfall. Machete hit some chops. Mark hit a spin heel kick on Machete at 3:00.

Jay hit a nice dropkick, and the Briscoes both hit blows to Machete’s back, then they hit their football team shoulder tackle. Mark hit a Northern Lights Suplex. Machete and Jay hit simultaneous crossbody blocks, and they were both down. Murphy finally made the hot tag, and he hit clotheslines on both Briscoes. Mark hit a springboard crossbody block on Murphy. One of the Briscoes hit a Falcon Arrow. Murphy hit a spear. Mark got a schoolboy rollup on Murphy at the same time that Jay nailed Murphy with a Yakuza Kick to the face, allowing Mark to get the pin. Solid action.

* Sean & Phil Davis returned to the interview area and said the tag title match would happen RIGHT NOW!

(6) Mark & Jay Briscoe defeat Sean & Phil Davis (the Heartbreak Express) at 0:49 to win the tag titles. All four fought in the ring. Mark hit a springboard Superkick. Mark then hit the springboard Hart Attack clothesline, and Mark pinned Phil! I had NO IDEA this match was going to be this short! The crowd POPPED for the title change, as the Briscoes grabbed their belts, walked through the bleachers, and celebrated with the fans. The Briscoes fully turned faces with this act, as they posed for pictures and let kids hold the titles. Sean was in the ring SCREAMING and crying. Funny.

* Eric Stevens came to the interview area and he called Sal Rinauro a “yellow turncoat Bas**rd.” Sal attacked him from behind. Stevens leaned him against the guardrail and chopped him. They brawled all over the arena, going up into the bleachers. This was pretty basic, standup brawling, and it actually got a bit dull. They climbed into the ring, when suddenly Rance & Madison attacked Stevens! Seth Delay & Roderick Strong made the save. The heels bailed. Strong got on the mic and called out Matt Sydal!

(7) Roderick Strong defeats Matt Sydal in a #1 contender’s match at 17:39. The crowd booed Sydal, even though Matt wasn’t really acting like a heel. Sydal hit some quick armbars, and the crowd was hot and definitely behind Strong. Strong applied a modified Japanese Stranglehold, and they had an intense lockup. Sydal hit a monkeyflip and another armdrag as the action sped up. Sydal hit a nice dropkick, and Strong bailed at 5:00. Back in the ring, Strong hit a LOUD chop. On commentary, heel Prazak was confident that Bryan Danielson could beat either man. Sydal hit a springboard crossbody block for a nearfall, and he hit some stomps in the corner, then a nice catapult basement dropkick in the corner at 7:30.

Strong fired back with a Samoan Drop, and Sydal bailed. Strong followed him to the floor, and he dropped Matt throat-first on the guardrail, then he hit another loud chop. In the ring, Strong applied a Full Nelson Leglock, then he applied a Camel Clutch, and he hit two backbreakers over his knee, and he tied Matt in a pretzel on the mat. They brawled to the floor, where Strong hit some more chops, and they traded stiff forearm shots on the floor. In the ring, Sydal went for a second-rope moonsault, but Strong got his knees up to block it, and Strong got a nearfall at 12:30. Matt came back with his Floatover Famouser for a nearfall, and he hit an enziguri and a baseball slide dropkick, and Strong bailed. Sydal hit an awesome twisting swan dive to the floor at 14:30!

In the ring, Sydal went for a hurricanrana, but Strong blocked it and hit a backbody drop, then a Falcon Arrow slam for a nearfall. Sydal hit an enziguri-style kneestrike in the corner, but he couldn’t hit the Jump Up Rana in the corner. Sydal hit his standing moonsault for a nearfall. Prazak left the booth to get Danielson ready for the final match. Sydal hit a snap hurricanrana for a nearfall at 17:00, and they were both down. Strong hit a backbreaker, an Alabama Slam, and he applied a Boston Crab, and Sydal tapped out! Good match, but I’ve seen them have a better one in PWG last year.

* Strong took the mic and said he would be the next FIP champion!

(8) Bryan Danielson (w/Prazak & Beasley) defeat Davey Richards at 16:46 to retain the FIP title. Danielson came out to “Obsession,” another cheesy ‘80s song. The crowd was all over Danielson, and he stalled for a LONG time on the floor before he finally got in the ring to start the match. The kids here were all over Danielson, chanting, “You suck!” at him much of the match. Jared David called this one solo. The match began, and Danielson twisted the left arm, and he bailed to avoid Richards’ quick kicks. Richards overpowered Danielson in a knucklelock at 2:30. Danielson applied a headlock on the mat, but the crowd remained hot and was all over him!

Richards hit a kick to the chest that might have caught Danielson in the chin; Danielson bailed to the floor and held his mouth & checked his teeth. In the ring, Richards hit a shoulder tackle and a weak clothesline – it appeared they screwed up a move – at 5:30. Danielson began hitting closed-fist punches to the gut and head. Richards applied a headlock on the mat, grounding Danielson repeatedly. Prazak complained that Richards was pulling the hair, even though Danielson here is bald. Richards sped it up with a headscissors takedown. Danielson hit a back suplex, and he posed, then he tossed Richards to the floor. Milo nailed a running elbow drop off the apron to the floor, and Prazak “helped” Milo back into his wheelchair at 8:30.

In the ring, Danielson choked Richards; Prazak & Beasley also choked Richards. Danielson hit a nice butterfly suplex and a running elbow drop for a nearfall, and he yelled at the ref for making a slow count. Richards hit some stiff forearms. Danielson applied a Camel Clutch at 11:00, and he pulled on the nose. Richards hit a plancha to the floor, then a missile dropkick in the ring. Richards hit a running forearm in the corner. Prazak grabbed Richards’ ankle, allowing Danielson to get a rollup for a believable nearfall. Richards hit a running Bulldog Powerslam off his shoulders, then a second-rope frogsplash for a nearfall. Danielson came back with a top-rope superplex for a nearfall at 14:00.

Danielson applied the Crossface Chickenwing on the mat, but Richards was able to power out! Richards hit his handspring-back-enziguri for a nearfall. They traded stiff forearms, and Richards hit his right & left kicks. Richards hit a clothesline for a nearfall, but he couldn’t hit a second-rope superplex. Richards applied the Stretch Muffler/horse collar around his neck, but Prazak hopped on the apron. Richards hit Prazak, but this allowed Danielson to grab a pair of brass knuckles, hit Richards with them, and scored the tainted pin. Good match.

* Strong came out and got in Danielson’s face. Danielson pushed Strong into Richards. Richards turned around and he jawed at Strong, and those two wound up shoving each other.

Final thoughts: DVD runs 1 hour, 59 minutes. This is a two-match show. You should purchase this DVD based on how interested you are in Sydal-Strong and Richards-Danielson.

I’ll give Sydal-Strong best match. The crowd was hot for Strong, and Sydal slowly won them over; he could have resorted to cheating, but he didn’t. These two click well in the ring. As I noted, I thought a match they had in PWG last summer was better, but this was still quite good. This was a good ROH-style match in FIP.

Danielson-Richards, while quite good, was more of an “FIP-style” match, as Danielson worked a bit slower and milked the crowd for plenty of heat. The stalling on the floor before the match began was well done, and the kids there couldn’t wait to see Danielson get beat down. Shingo-Jerrelle earned third best.

Nothing else stood out, though. I would not have guessed that the two Briscoes matches – combined – would total less than 8 minutes of bell-to-bell action. That was surprising, and a bit disappointing, as their listed two matches here was one of the reasons I selected this DVD.

I’ve written this countless times before, but Rinauro is a MUCH better heel than face. They did a good job in setting up the swerve, but they made one minor mistake – Rinauro jumped off the ring apron to brawl with Madison on the floor. He should have been “pulled” off the ring apron by Madison. By Sal jumping off the apron when Stevens desperately needed a tag, gave away the upcoming heel turn.

Jaison Moore doesn’t bring a lot to the table. I like the “Canadian Cougar” gimmick and the fun they are having with it, trying to guess who is this “mystery masked man.” I just don’t care about Kong. Delay was solid, but he did nothing memorable.

I love the Mr. Milo Beasley character, and more indies should have a character like this! The guy jumps out of the wheelchair, hits a running elbow drop off the apron, then is “helped” back to his wheelchair! What’s great, of course, is the ref sees none of this.

This DVD gets a thumbs in the middle. The top two matches are very good, but the under card is lacking a lot. This DVD is for sale at www.rohwrestling.com for $15.

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