IYFW Coronation Cup 2011 RESULTS/REVIEW

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this In Your Face Wrestling event was going to be my first foray into the very real world since the recent tragedy in my life. I was looking forward not just to the show, and the fun, laid back atmosphere, but also to have an evening where I didn't need to worry about someone coming up to me expressing their condolences or asking me how I was "holding up" or asking me "what happened?!?"...

Please, please, please don't misunderstand me. Since my younger brother's passing I have been overwhelmed with warm thoughts, bowled over with hugs, and concern, and affection. I truly appreciate every single card, phone call, text, email, FB msg, etc that has been sent my way. It's really been a beautiful thing.

But it's also been very exhausting. It really was nice to be among fun people watching a fun show. Hope all of that makes sense. On with the show...

From what I saw, the show drew a slightly larger crowd than their April event in the same venue. It really was close. There were a lot of familiar faces in the crowd, notably the trio I politely refer to as the RiffRaff; three guys who arrive at the show all good and buzzed from an early jaunt to the bars and are usually the most fun fans to watch/interact with. Not sure what the final headcount would be, but I would guess over 100. The Ballston Area Community Center was extremely humid and sticky up until just prior to belltime, when the air conditioning was mercifully turned on. Until then, I have to be honest when I say that I was more than concerned at how bearable it would be in those atmospheric conditions.

The show, of course, featured the annual 8-man Coronation Cup tournament, this time with the IYFW Championship belt up for grabs, and it kicked off with the first of TWO 4-way matches in the tourney. War, Scott Scarsdale, "Loverboy" Ricky Williams, and Drake Evans hit the ring to quality reactions from the crowd, looking to set this show off right. Before the bell rang, War made it clear that he was on the payroll of the "Millenium Millionaire" Scott Scarsdale, much to the chagrin of the fans AND the babyfaces. This match showcased Ricky Williams and his stellar selling ability and the double teaming of Scarsdale and his brutal henchman. Things really went south when Drake Evans was handcuffed to the turnbuckle, outside the ring, unable to save Ricky Williams from succumbing to a sleeper hold by Scott Scarsdale, giving the Millionaire a HUGE win. IYFWrestling.Com heavily pushed Scarsdale as the favorite and, at this point, I was nervous.

Let me be clear... Scarsdale is a fun performer. His character is crafty and generally smarter than everyone else. I can dig that. But he is far from the most exciting or credible performer on the roster. Given his position behind the scenes... you can understand my concern.

I *DID* like Evans being handcuffed. It's been done a million times, but it fit well. Loved the aftermath where, after being unlocked and emancipated by another referee who had appeared from the back, Drake Evans loudly exclaimed, "They've always got the key AFTER the fact!" and went to attend to a hurting Ricky Williams (who sold that submission thru intermission. I love this guy.). Overall... a decent opener that made you wonder how this was all going to play out.

Up next, Walt Ball introduces the Special Guest Referee for the upcoming match (hmmm...), Maxx "The Ax" Burton. Having looked Burton up on YouTube, etc... this is what I know about Burton. He is a great promo guy... and he is generally an asshole heel (?) So, I wasn't sure what to expect. Things got more curious when the match participants came out. Rocco Perrelli would take on Nocturne.

Nocturne Flies At Night

Perrelli was fun to watch at "Defy the Odds" in April and I was excited to see him again. His over the top Italian gimmick is nothing all too new, but he does it well and has his own take on it. Nocturne impressed me also, interacting and jawing amiably with the fans throughout the match. Only bad thing I can say about this match is that they set the Indoor Record for Most Armdrags in a Wrestling Match. Otherwise, the pacing was good and told a solid story. Nocturne would pick up the win following a cradle-style piledriver that didn't land quite right. It felt strange to me that there was no pay off with Burton as referee. Weird that he wouldn't make an impact. Unless... the impact would happen LATER? Hmmm...

Up next was a tag bout between the Celtic Crew and the returning Killer Steves. The Crew are IYFW's resident Irish tag team. McKinger is the ground and pound wrestler and McFerrin is the immovable muscle man. I thought these two were fun to watch back in April. To be honest, they looked a little weak compared to the Steve's. When I heard the Killer Steves would be in Ballston Spa, I was pumped... and they did not disappoint.

Steve Takes a Tag From Steve

Steves WIN~!

They worked the match as heels, yet I was fortunate enough to be sitting with Steve Supporters who cheered them on. Fun moment where, when Salt N. Pepper of the RiffRaff heckled one Steve, calling him X-Pac, that same Steve replied: "I'm Hep C Free." ... wherein I would attempt, in vain, to start a "HEP C FREE!" chant. Steve's carried the Crew to a decent match, got the win, and teased a post-match handshake. SWERVE~!~! We get a post-match FISTBUMP instead!

Next was the second 4-way of the night, the better of the two, I felt. Ian Daniels, Superbeast, Justin Fox, and Vigo all would vie for the final slot in the IYFW Championship Main Event later on in the evening! If you recall, I had held out hope for a push for Superbeast but it was apparent that that wasn't in the cards on this night.

Superbeast About to LEVEL Ian Daniels

He had a good performance but it was overshadowed by other moments. Take Ian Daniels for example. Clearly loves what he does. Has a great time out there. Outside the ring, during intermission, he seems like a cool enough guy... but he is going to hurt somebody out there.

Cover your eyes.

There was a scary moment or two in this match that had me wondering if tonight was the night. Justin Fox was actually a lot of fun in his role and pulled off a few fun spots. Clearly, the star of this match was Vigo. The crowd just RESPONDS to him. Again, not the flashiest or fastest guy on the roster... but he knows how to work the room and is a lot of fun to watch. Vigo would pick up the win following a spinning elbow drop off the ropes on Superbeast, advancing to the IYFW Championship and Coronation Cup Finals against Scott Scarsdale.

There was a quiet buzz among the fans around me as they realized that the main event was set. Not the most engaging or kinetic Championship main event possible. However, I was confident it would be entertaining. Between the long list of enemies Scarsdale has amassed and the ongoing feud raging between Vigo and Pierre Vachon, I was confident that they would pull something fun out of it. And that they would... but I am getting ahead of myself.

Next up was intermission. An eventful intermission! First, I had some popcorn with a Steve.

Popcorn Break.

Then... I dropped $6 on some raffle tickets and won myself 2 tickets to the next IYFW show, "Summertime Bruise" on August 13, back at the BACC! Very cool! My only gripe is that they're not front row seats. I will maybe politely reach out to IYFW officials and see if I could pay the difference and upgrade them to VIP. I have sophisticated tastes and, thus, can't fathom sitting with the little people. I'm sure you understand.

When the show resumed, new authority figure type, Harold Touch'ole would interrupt ring announcer Walt Ball, bringing the brand spanking IYFW Championship belt with him.

It's Pronounced....

Touch'ole reiterated the proper pronunciation of the last name before being interrupted himself by an appearance by Vigo in the crowd. Vigo would take a seat with the RiffRaff in the bleachers, taunting Toush'ole and eventually getting in the ring with him.

Vigo and the RiffRaff

This would bring out Scarsdale who, it quickly became apparent, had already bought and paid for the allegiance of Management Representative, Harry Touch-hole. This raised more questions on how this was going to go down for the big title...

First match following intermission was an anticipated rematch from "Defy the Odds" between young fan favorite, Shiloh Robinson, and IYFW New Breed Champion, Roman Dominguez. Last time it was non-title and Robinson captured his first win. For the sake of full disclosure; predicted a title change for this match (and the champ wasn't pleased). This was another hard hitting encounter between the two, with a lot of stiff kicks and relentless forearms. Robinson had a shining moment with a series that led to Dominguez getting uncerimoniously dumped on his head to a nice pop from the crowd.

Not As Storybook a Finish As Last Time

 Dominguez held on and would pick up a submission victory, retaining his title and silencing his one critic (who, as it happens, cheered the Pillar on the whole match, despite sitting in front of the family of Shiloh Robinson in the crowd. You try sitting in front of the kids giant Dad(?) and cheer on the guy who is dismantling his alleged son's leg. Awkward!) Both men required assistance of IYFW officials to be brought backstage and Dominguez has been all over the interwebs   selling a knee injury. Can you say... rubber match?

The IYFW Tag Team Championship would be on the line in the next contest as the crumbling International EgoTrip would attempt to hold off Adam Badger and Michael Monroe. Both teams played the heel in this match, which I think confused the fans, but it had to be done. Badger came to the ring wearing a white mask with the word "CENSORED" taped across it's mouth; a clear play off of his potty mouth on display at April's "Defy the Odds", when he dropped many an F bomb on some small children.

...I'm just talkin' 'bout Shaft!

This was a borderline hot topic over at theburninghammer.com after I'd posted my DtO review and was obviously in my glory when I saw the mask. Too awesome. His mouth may have been censored, but his middle fingers flew with abandon. Monroe put on another great performance in this tag bout... but enough about them. Let's talk about Fronz.

"Finally a fan with some sense!" - "MIGHTY" FRONZ RODDY

This match  simply served as a vehicle for Fronz Roddy to shed the considerable dead weight of the Northern Stud. Roddy put on another great showing on the ring apron, avoiding tags, turning his back on his partner to argue with the fans, all of that fun stuff.

"Shut Up!"

Stud worked hard, but not hard enough - clearly not up to Fronz Roddy's Standard of Excellence - and fell victim to the onslaught of the young team, Adam Badger and Michael Monroe. Monroe, in particular, stood out on this event.

Split-leg Moonsault from Monroe

Post-match was the obligatory tag team melt down where Roddy would lay Stud out and in his dust.

Looks like there will be a short-term(?) Stud vs Roddy program that could be fun to watch, as they are trying to position the Northern Stud as the babyface. And also, I am hoping the new tag champs will face some opposition from Ricky Williams and Jamar "Magic" Justice.

Time for the Main Event! Before things could begin, out came Touch'ole who wanted to add some flavor to the match. He barred Vigo's valet from ringside and named a Special Enforcer for the big match... Maxx Burton. This smelled fishy to everyone and it appeared to all that the fix was in. The crowd was instantly all over Scarsdale and way behind Vigo. Even *I* was cheering on the good guy here! A lot of early lock ups and low impact power moves early. Some stalling on the part of Scarsdale. Things finally got cooking in the ring when young referee, Adam Brunton, would take a stiff bump in the corner. Crowd hit their feet as out came the new IYFW Tag Team Champions, "The Enemy", Adam Badger and Michael Monroe. Are they on Scarsdale's take? They beat Vigo down in the corner... out comes my hero, Fronz Roddy, and he convinces Badger and Monroe that he is with them and joins in the beatdown on the Force from the North. The crowd is white hot when Ricky Williams comes out, followed by the Northern Stud! Things degenerate quickly on the outside when Scarsdale (finally) returns to his feet -- roof comes off the tiny BACC when Drake Evans hits the ring and goes after Scarsdale and company!

Damn you, Scarsdale!

Scarsdale gets back in the ring with a steel chair and has bad intentions towards Vigo. Burton gets in the ring and GRABS the chair from Scarsdale! Vigo DRILLS Scarsdale. Hits a running elbow and gets the pin.

...pssst. Turn Around.

Was it, quote-unquote, overbooked? Sure. Was it fun? Absolutely.

A new champion is crowned to end the show and the fans go home happy. All in all it was another good show. Winning the raffle was fun and, again, the fan/wrestler, fan/fan interaction at these shows make the experience second to none. Bring your kids. These guys all work hard and clearly love what they do.

As Walt Ball would point out in the ring just before the main event, the only thing we know about IYFW Summertime Bruise in August is that *I* am going to be there! And I look forward to it! I'd like to thank In Your Face Wrestling for providing a much needed distraction for the evening.

Thanks for reading and thanks for enduring my blurry pics. Feel free to leave comments below!