IYFW OFFICIAL UNOFFICIAL TOP TEN RANKINGS - AUGUST 2011

1.) Vigo
It is only natural to see the man who wears the gold atop this list, especially in it's inaugural form. Vigo proved himself better than seven other men at June's Coronation Cup event and would go on to overcome stacked odds in favor of Scott Scarsdale and his money machine again at Summertime Bruise. He now faces his greatest challenge, the gravest threat to his reign as IYFW Champion.

2.) Pierre Vachon
The Beast earned this spot on the ranking, the number one contendership, and his place in my black, black heart at Summertime Bruise. Earlier in the night he knocked Drake Evans clean out with a vicious Mandible Claw. The most intense brawler in IYF wrestling, Pierre Vachon will finally get his chance at "Cauldron of Hate" in October.

3.) Bobby Ocean
The man known as "The Shaft" got the shaft at the end of the In Your Face Rumble, the final competitor to be eliminated by Pierre Vachon ... So close to tasting sweet victory. There is no question that Bobby Ocean is one of the most popular attractions in IYF wrestling, no denying it, and it's only a matter of time before he claims his moment at the top of the mountain.

4.) Roman Dominguez
The reigning IYFW New Breed Champion finds himself in a class all his own. At this point, that title belt is an extension of him. He dismissed Shiloh Robinson at Coronation Cup... Bested Evans and Ocean alongside Pierre Vachon... and had the smartest plan going into the Rumble that saw him make it to the Final 5. Very intrigued to see who he is pitted against next.

5.) Drake Evans
This man just can't catch a break... He took fifty shots to the nuts from de Sade in April and still couldn't win the IYFW title... Handcuffed to the ring post during the Cup's first 4-way, he was eliminated from the title race then by default... A victim of Pierre Vachon's late entry in the RUMBLE, Evans has again found himself distanced from the belt. This is a role and a style that Drake conveys so well and it will be fun to see him finally get that IYFW Championship back.

6.) Adam Badger
One half of the IYFW Tag Team Champions, Badger had a nice run in the Rumble match. Also... The mask.

7.) Scott Scarsdale
I'm sorry, I know he should be higher up than this by virtue of his recent run at the top. But I can't bring myself to do it. Can't be above 5. Having a hard time reconciling his place above our next man. I think he plays his role well, but just isn't an interesting wrestler to me..

8.) Fronz Roddy
Back to back losses tarnish this wrestlers standing. Naturally, we can chalk the first loss up to the foolishness of his ex-tag partner... and the other is entirely the fault of a woman. We here at the offices of wrestlefudge expect great things from Fronz Roddy in Season 5.

9.) Ian Daniels
One man, three masks, four eliminations. Ballston Spa Screwjob aside, the performance of Ian Daniels during the main event of Summertime Bruise was unique and hysterical for those in attendance.

10.) Liam McFerrin
Guess what, Irish? You're rounding out this Top Ten simply because you most recently had your hand raised over The Mighty One. Good for you.


On the bubble: WAR, Ricky Williams, CJ Scott

Bottom of the barrel: Justin Fox

Things to come? (Season 5 Thoughts)

I've had some time to research some of the then-unknown-to-me wrestlers that competed in last Saturday night's IN YOUR FACE RUMBLE at SUMMERTIME BRUISE. Identified one or three of them. In addition to that, a few of the competitors have reached out and let themselves be known to me. With IYFW's Season 5 kicking off just shy of 40 days away, do a few new faces and recent trends give us an idea of what to expect from In Your Face Wrestling's new cycle?

WAR - I am predicting an increased presence of the Gladiator. They've been really pushing his submission ability and he has been backing it up in the ring since Coronation Cup '11. He has shown himself to be firmly in the employ of Scott Scarsdale, which seems to suit him. Think we will see more of that going forward. His recent teaming with Vile was impressive, as well.

Foxx Vinyer and Rob Coleman - you literally heard it HERE first, in the comments section of my latest review:
"Keep an eye out for the returning Tag team known as Capital Punishment! these 2 have been dominating all over New England plan on making their way home to IYFW...The Real RL COLEMAN and The Vindicator Foxx Vinyer. care to see more just youtube Capital Punishment or Foxx Vinyer!!"
Capital Punishment is headed back to IYFW! I can confirm, after watching some video, that Vinyer was in the RUMBLE. I have to assume Coleman was also, just didn't recognize it. I love tag team wrestling in this promotion and the more tag teams the better! Looking forward to seeing them in action.

Vigo - The IYFW Champion has momentum on his side as he heads to a confrontation with Pierre "The Beast" Vachon. Let's take a moment to ignore his history with this man and instead think about his personal life. Again, his wife and valet revealed to me at Summertime Bruise that this would be the last event we'd see her at for 6 months due to her happy pregnancy. That's all well and good for "The Force from the North" when he is away from the ring, but what does this mean for Vigo, the wrestler? The performer? The CHAMPION? She has been barred from ringside in the past and the big man has fared fine... But if she isn't making trips to the shows with the Champ, how might that effect him? What advantage might that give his opponent? Something to consider.

Pierre "The Beast" Vachon - then there is his nemesis. This match has been building for the longest time and will be worth the wait. Vachon is a fun performer who interacts with and riles up all of the fans the minute he removes his spiked leather mask and doesn't stop until he maims his opponent. Pair that with the baby face powerhouse in Vigo... And this is going to get sloppy. The pull apart brawl to end the last event was perfect and I have equally high hopes for their match coming up at "Cauldron of Hate".

Fronz Roddy - why isn't The Mighty One the mouthpiece and leader of his own heel stable? The image of him carrying out a beat down on Vigo along with Adam Badger and Michael Monroe at Coronation Cup just FELT right. Better yet? Keep him on his own and put the man who has held that belt for the most time BACK in the IYFW Championship scene. Yeah. That's what's up. Out of all of the many heels in all of In Your Face Wrestling, few can match the reaction that Fronz Roddy draws from the fans.

Ricky Rockett - this masked luchadore was a fan favorite during the recent RUMBLE match and I think it would be awesome to see him again in an IYFW ring! Rockett VS Roddy = Money. Somebody get on that.

Maxx Burton / Scott Scarsdale / Touch'ole Drama - Let's all recall how Harold Touch'ole was introduced to us IYFW fans. Debuting at "Defy the Odds" back in April, Harry actually came across as a reasonable guy, if you can ignore his name! He first debuted to let everyone know he's against women's wrestling. Then at the end of the event, he stripped the dastardly, low, cheating heel IYFW Champion, Guillaume de Sade, of his prized title! The fans left the building that night feeling all warm and fuzzy about the man behind the wheel. By Coronation Cup we were calling for his head. Maxx Burton, before being all kissy-face with the fans by the end of officiating The Cup's Finals was last seen being a dick to Tito Santana. Do I trust Maxx Burton? About as far as I could throw Ricky Rockett. I dunno. Weird to have Touch'ole be just a short term deal. Should be interesting to see if he just "goes away" in Season 5 and we see a renewed effort put towards Good Lord Willing. As for Scarsdale? I think he had his time in the title hunt and wouldn't mind seeing the conflict shift towards he and Maxx Burton and away from the IYFW Championship. (Update: the latest INTERFACE, in addition to recapping the title scene and fallout from Summertime Bruise, also goes out of it's way to make it clear that Touch'ole is not yet out of the picture. He'd make a great heel manager.)

Whats Next for Roman Dominguez? - This is tough. Dominguez, since his non-title loss to Shiloh Robinson at "Defy the Odds", the IYFW New Breed Champion has been near perfect in every outing since. He and Pierre Vachon just secured a tag win over two of the promotions biggest names in Drake Evans and Bobby Ocean and, later that night, had a smart run in the evenings IN YOUR FACE RUMBLE. Shiloh has clearly moved into the tag title race... So who is the next logical challenger? I've got a name or two to throw in the running.
- LIAM MCFERRIN: His most recent victory is over the longest reigning IYFW Champion in the promotions history. He is a big dude. Might be interesting to see The Pillar try to chop him down, one stiff kick at a time.
- NOCTURNE: had an impressive win over Rocco Perelli at Coronation Cup. Their styles might mesh well. Could be a fun match.
- HOSS: the redneck, bald, big man had a win in his IYFW debut this month. Why not? At least one brutal match. For the people.
- RICKY ROCKETT: Hells yeah.

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How about what's next for this here blog? I have some new features in the pipeline that will be unveiled soon including the OFFICIAL UNOFFICIAL IYFW TOP TEN RANKINGS and the IYFW SUPERSTAR SPOTLIGHT! The former will be a ranking of the top ten wrestlers in IYFW based on wins, losses, presence, and momentum. The latter will be a brief snapshot of IYFW wrestlers picked at random, where I look at where they've been and where they might be headed. I dunno. It's something to do.

Also, hard at work compiling some hard hitting questions for my upcoming interview with former IYFW Tag Team Champion, MIGHTY Fronz Roddy!

Thanks for reading and hope to see y'all at the BACC this fall!

IYFW DVD Review - Coronation Cup 2011

I've been meaning to pick up an IYFW DVD release since discovering them in April but really haven't had the time or the disposable income to order one in the past. Having had a good day at the Saratoga Racetrack the day prior (I go once a year, so it's nice to come out ahead) I had more than enough to take a chance on a DVD. Purchased the Coronation Cup '11 while at Summertime Bruise because of how much I'd enjoyed the event itself.

If you want to know how I felt about the matches, check out my live review.

I want to talk about the presentation of the DVD, itself. It started out with a solid advertisement for the In Your Face Wrestling Academy featuring Adam Badger, Jamar Justice, and Shiloh Robinson as it's first graduates. Simple and very effective. Cut right to an attractive menu in IYFW colors with matches broken up into chapters. Looks good! The overall filming of matches is what I expected. One hard camera parked on a fall wall of the arena with one roving camera on the ringside floor. The editing and transitions between the two are smooth enough with good coverage of the ring. One wish would be to have the house microphone mixed into the video recording, somehow. The ambiance, rise and fall of the fans in the building can be heard easily, likely through the hard camera mic, but the announcer and/or anyone who speaks into a microphone can barely be heard. As someone who was in the audience and had a hard time hearing exactly wha was being said while in the actual building I was looking forward to seeing the mid-show Touch'ole/Scarsdale/Vigo interplay that helped set up the evenings main event - but it wasn't included in the DVD. If mixing the house audio in isn't an option, then how about bonus backstage vignettes with wrestlers before/after their match? Nothing fancy, just some character building stuff and a bonus for those buying the DVD.

The matches stood up to my memory, with perhaps the tag team title match projecting the best to film. The absolute star of the show, from a production standpoint, has to be the play by play and color work of Joey LaRoque. As the voice of IYFW's excellent audio INTERFACE, LaRoque has always impressed me with his ease and comfort behind a microphone but he is really a perfect fit - and it seems really loving what he does - when he is calling a match. He knows the product, has facts, puts emotion in it without getting emotional and overall kicks the booths ass. I get why he doesn't have a more visual role on the DVD side, and it doesn't matter. Based off of a match or two I've seen uploaded to YouTube and the like I know he's had help in the booth before... But if they're ever looking for a snarky heel color guy to play off Joey's straight man thing, gimme a call ;)

The dvd's physical packaging itself was pretty well done. Again, simple and effective. One other minor gripe is their online ordering system. Make it easy and enticing for the customer by linking to that shows results before putting it in the shopping cart. The guy that WANTS to know will hunt for the info and find the matches/events they want, have heard of, etc. But what about the customer on the fence? The lazier consumer. Make it easy for them. Run a DVD sale every once in a while. Two for $20 or something would be a deal I would absolutely (and unbeknownst to my girlfriend) take advantage of.

In closing... I enjoyed Coronation Cup, so of course I enjoyed the DVD. Really looking forward to their Summertime Bruise release and, I am sure, will snatch that up at the next show if not before.

IYFW Summertime Bruise RESULTS/REVIEW

Ringside for the big event!

In Your Face Wrestling presented SUMMERTIME BRUISE on August 13th from the Ballston Area Community Center and it was a loaded show. I arrived early enough to upgrade the general admission tickets I had won at the last event and get settled in my seat, 16oz can of Red Bull and iPod for picture snapping at the ready. The crowd filed in up until bell time and judging by my estimation had the largest attendance of any of the shows I've been to at the BACC. I can honestly say that I chose the right section to sit in. What a bunch of fun, crazy fans. They cheered who they wanted to cheer and hated who they wanted to hate and there was little in between. 

The BACC Heel Section.

The events surprises started early and didn't let up. The first surprise was the notable absence of regular IYFW Ring Announcer, Walter Ball, at the show. Ball reportedly had a personal matter that couldn't be put off and therefore had to miss the event. In his place, IYFW officials tapped young performer, Justin Fox, to fill his formidable shoes. Fox seemed excited to do the gig and tried to put his spin and his energy into the gig. Being his first time out, one could expect that it wouldn't be the most impressive outing ever. Fox had a hard time pacing his words, projecting his voice into the struggling audio system and generally being heard and understood in the cavernous gymnasium. He was also prone to dancing to the entrance music of performers as they made their way to the ring which was somewhat distracting (not to mention painful to watch). The announcers job is to convey the importance of the contest, professionally conduct an introduction of the performers, and otherwise stay the hell out of the spotlight.

"Die, Fox, Die!"

I'm sorry, but Fox struggled in all area's. Given time and patience, he *might* develop into a good ring announcer... but I have to say I am pleased to hear from Ball that he WILL be back to man the microphone for their upcoming October event. More on Fox as the review goes on...

The first match was between two relative unknowns (to me and those around me in the Heel Section, anyhow). "Punisher" Van Slyck took on Hoss. Van Slyck (after a quick google search) is apparently a talent from Western NY's 2CW promotion. Don't think he's performed in an IYFW ring before. Hoss is another guy I was unfamiliar with. A big, bald dude with Jannety-inspired wrestling boots, Hoss told me during intermission (when asked where else he'd performed) that he's been "everywhere". Punisher tried to take control early, working on Hoss' left arm. They went back and forth until Hoss no-sold a flying cross body from the top by Punisher. He then drilled Van Slyck with a brutal powerbomb in the center of the ring for the 3 count. Decent opener to kick things off, all things considered.

Up next was a tag bout featuring WAR and Vile taking on the latest incarnation of The Uprising: Ricky "Loverboy" Williams and Shiloh Robinson. The Uprising exploded through the curtain full of energy and, as he passed us, Shiloh let us know that we were about to see "some crazy shit". And that we did. The early moments of this contest saw the heels get dumped out of the ring before eating a suicide dive from Ricky Williams followed closely behind by an over the top rope somersault from Robinson that awed the crowd. Again, Williams displayed his selling skills and served as the perfect little dude for WAR to showcase his power submission talents, applying a painful-looking Hammerlock Bearhug that had us cringing. 

Vile DRILLS Shiloh, moments before the pin.

The hot tag to Robinson had the crowd fired up and the bad guys on the ropes... until The Enemy (Adam Badger and Michael Monroe) came out and served as a fatal distraction, leading to Robinson taking the pin from Vile.

Up next was a match featuring Ian Daniels taking on the returning Good Lord Willing. Willing, of course, doubles as IYFW Authority Figure, Harold Touch'ole. This was an interesting match for a few reasons. It began with a dueling costume removal spot where each man removed a different article of their pre-match attire, which got a quality chuckle from the crowd. The fans were all over Willing and way behind Daniels. Willing seemed a tad rusty in the ring, not having competed in some time in IYFW, but Daniels worked hard to make him look like a million bucks. The finish, however, was very odd.

It's pronounced WILLING!

With the match clearly in hand, Daniels went to the top rope (likely for his double flying knee drop, perhaps?)... but Willing called him down. Daniels obliged, then got in position to take a headlock.... before quickly tapping out. Post match, Willing told him he'd "done good", but refused the handshake. This left everyone in my section scratching our collective heads wondering what the hell we'd just witnessed. Apparently, the implication was that IYFW bookers were acknowledging that Good Lord Willing is, indeed, Harold Touch'ole and that - since Harry is Daniels' boss - he told Ian to take a dive. It has also been told to me by IYFW talent that this was referenced during intermission, but it's likely that I didn't hear it (which makes me wonder who ELSE in attendance missed that quite important piece). Those around me referred to this as the "Ballston Spa Screwjob", which I got a kick out of. We'll be talking about this for YEARS! Anyhow... after scratching my head bloody we moved on to the next contest!

Luna's baby brother is one bad mamma jamma.

Drake Evans teamed with Bobby Ocean to take on the imposing team of IYFW New Breed Champion, Roman Dominguez, and Pierre "The Beast" Vachon. This match lived up to how much I hyped it, heh. All four men worked VERY hard. One thing that stood out to me in this match, besides the high flying of Ocean and Evans, was the visceral facial expressions of Pierre Vachon from bell to bell. Young tag teams could learn from watching his performance on the apron. Vachon sold the entire match whether he was in the ring or not and it absolutely added to the entire contest. 

White men CAN jump. 

Dominguez sold well through the entire contest but, sadly, wouldn't shine until the Rumble later in the night. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Vachon waited for his chance to strike and strike he did, applying a Mandible Claw to Drake Evans that was just too much for the face of In Your Face Wrestling to handle, finally succumbing to the sweet, sweet slumber that is unconsciousness. I'll look past the referee neglecting to drop Evan's hand to the canvas 3 times to confirm his lack of consciousness, I suppose, simply because of the intensity in the building at the time. Bobby Ocean was way, way over with the fans with "BOBBY!" chants echoing so loudly it was hard not to get swept into it. So, the bad guys won again... and, yes... I was wrong again; predicting another loss for Dominguez. *sigh* Lesson learned... Maybe.

Following that ride it was time for intermission. Had the opportunity to introduce myself to IYFW Champion, Vigo. I reminded him that he quoted this here page in an INTERFACE interview some weeks back and he was quick to heap praise on my blog - which was awesome to hear. His lovely wife (and valet, Yvonna Leach) also gave me a big scoop! They are expecting their first child! So... congratulations to them! Very cool to shake hands with the champ. An even LARGER honor to shake hands with IYFW Referee, Adam Brunton. Adam takes a lot of flak from the IYFW fans, with constant cat-calls of "SCREECH!", and the like. And the young man takes it in stride and does an awesome job calling a bout. Always cool to meet the talent.

No luck with the raffle this time, oh well... however when I returned to my seat I was treated to find "The Crusader of Old School" Ian Daniels occupying the (once) empty front row seat next to me, munching on some popcorn and chatting it up with a buddy of his and others in the Heel Section. Forget any criticism I may have leveled at Daniels in any earlier blog regarding his performance in the ring; this motherfucker is FUNNY. As Bobby Ocean signed his autograph on the foreheads and cheeks of young fans on the other side of the ring, Ian quipped:

"These kids are having "The Shaft" (Ocean's ring-name) written on their forehead by a large black man... does anyone else have a problem with this?"

This earned a hearty laugh from those in earshot. I also suggested that Ian stay planted in that chair until the Rumble, biding his time and picking his shot... but he assured his friend that he had something special planned for the Main Event. And he didn't disappoint.

Justin Fox returned to the center of the ring to signal the end of intermission and the return to festivities which prompted me to start a VERY popular "Die, Fox, Die!" chant. I have to believe that somewhere, under that gelled hair and smirk, that he appreciated it. Though I could be wrong. Fox clumsily introduced the next match... MIGHTY Fronz Roddy had been originally advertised to face his former partner (read: albatross), The Northern Dudd Studd, however I had learned in the days leading up to the event that The Studd wouldn't be able to make it to Ballston Spa and his inevitable soul-crushing loss at the hands of the Austrian Adonis. IYFW officials instead booked Roddy to face one half of the Celtic Crew, Liam McFerrin. McFerrin is a guy who, for the most part, has been impressive and fun to watch and I was actually okay with the booking change until I see that... what is this?!? McFerrin has a female valet?!? I learned via iyfwrestling.com that her name is Adrienne Blackheart, but for the sake of this review we will call her Whoreswaggle.

Fronz attempts to show her to the kitchen.

You can ascertain by that nomenclature that I'm not a fan of hers simply by the impact she made on Fronz Roddy's picture perfect, bell to bell highlight reel performance.

Somehow, she resisted his advances. Must not have had Guiness on his breathe.

Fronz Roddy lost this match due to the Irish Harlot and then, to add insult to injury, when he attempted to "set her straight" she headscissored Our Hero out of the ring!?! Blasphemy. Heresy. Nonsense.


This was a fun match and I can honestly say that all THREE were absolutely perfect in their roles and performances here. Great stuff. Even if the wrong man lost. You won the hearts of the Heel Section, Fronz! Does anything else REALLY matter?

Btw...   Mask = Money

Next up, The Killer Steves would challenge the IYFW Tag Team Champions, The Enemy; Badger and Monroe. This was another fantastic match where all four men were right where they had to be every time, hitting their marks with precision. The Steves took control early, dominating Badger and using the ring to their advantage. One great spot saw Badger lock Steve Kruz in a Cross Arm breaker in the center of the ring, which Kruz powered out of, turning it into an AWESOME one armed powerbomb.

This picture doesn't do the C.A.B. reversal into a powerbomb justice.

Monroe would nail a gorgeous split legged moonsault  before the Steves would once again regain control. Such a see-saw battle. This battle ended when "The Spectacle" Adam Badger used his title belt to BLAST a Steve for a DQ loss, seeing them retain their coveted belts. The Enemy beatdown the Steves until The Uprising ran in for a triumphant save, brawling with The Enemy all the way through the curtain. Finally returning to their feet to an ovation from the Steve-loving fans, The Killer Steves stole a brief moment with the tag belts in the center of the ring... perhaps glimpsing into their future.

"Whatta ya think, Steve?"
"I don't know, Steve... what do YOU think?"

I* think that was probably the match of the night.

Next up was the big IYFW Championship Title bout. A submission bout. Fox made the introductions (after, once more, being implored to die a slow death by the Heel Section) and out came the competitors. First Scott Scarsdale... then Vigo... then... wait, what? Harold Touch'ole. Naturally, Touch'ole solidified his place in Scarsdale's deep pockets, stacking the deck against Vigo and weighing the odds heavily in "The Millennium Millionaires" favor. Basically, Scarsdale could win the title by submission, dq, pinfall, or countout... whereas Vigo could only retain by submission.
How DASTARDLY.

This match was on the short-side, to be truthful, however was totally different than their match in June's Coronation  Cup Tournament Finals. At one point, Vigo had to toss the referee aside to get his hands on Scarsdale which got a nice pop from the crowd. Scarsdale did his best to fend off Vigo's assault, but would eventually TAP OUT to a choke hold in the center of the ring! Vigo WINS!

STILL the CHAMPION!

But WAIT! Out comes Touch'ole! And he has OTHER plans, ordering the referee to DISQUALIFY Vigo for putting his hands on him during the match! That DQ loss would award SCARSDALE the IYFW Championship! Whoa! SWERVE~!

NEW Champion!!!

Wow! Scarsdale's only fan is absolutely THRILLED!

"HEY, SCOTT!!!!!!!"

But WAIT! Here come's MAXX BURTON! And he's wearing a TIE! (sorry, no pictures to PROVE this fact) He's all up in Touch'ole's grill and guess what? IYFW officials are TIRED of Touch'ole's abuse of power the last two events and, guess what? You're SUSPENDED! And Maxx is in charge! The referee's first decision STANDS... VIGO RETAINS the TITLE!

Wrong.

Wow. Catch your breath, people. It should be noted that, in his exchange with Touch'ole, Burton confirmed his "Good Lord Willing" duel personas. Makes me wonder if Burton suspended BOTH of them. Hmmm...


Finally, the big main event. The In Your Face Rumble. Justin Fox quickly ran through the rules. Every thirty seconds one or more competitors would enter the contest. Goons would have to be thrown over the top rope, both feet touching the floor to be eliminated, until ONE MAN remained. That man would be named the IYFW Championship's #1 Contender and receive a title shot at October's "Cauldron of Hate" event. Don't ask me the order of entrants or order of elimination or who eliminated the most... because it was a wonderful brawl-filled blur. 

Greatest Masked Wrestler EVER.

There were a handful of competitors I didn't recognize and I look forward to picking up the DVD release to catch Joey LaRoque's play by play. So much going on. Here were some highlights as *I* saw them:

• the one masked competitor was fun to watch and was a crowd favorite.
• Fronz Roddy's cocky strut to the ring got a huge ovation from the Heel Section.
• Whoreswaggle shocked the crowd by getting chopped into oblivion by Monroe and Roddy during the fracas.
• Roman Dominguez proved himself to be the SMARTEST competitor in the contest; getting an early entry into the bout, he chose to stand outside the ring, biding his time. The referee pleaded with him to get in the ring, but The Pillar wasn't having it. I took an empty chair and set it up for him and he gladly took a seat, watching the chaos unfold. So awesome. He eventually got in there with only 5 competitors left, helping his odds.
• Oh my god. Ian Daniels. I said, after Coronation Cup, that Ian Daniels might hurt somebody... and I was right.

MY EYES! ... MY EYES!

• Ian Daniels hurt my EYES! Hysterical.
• Biggest pop of the match came when Drake Evans and Bobby Ocean came out together. They both tore this bout up.
• Ian Daniels was eliminated. Not once. Not twice. But three times. Great stuff. Have to see it to love it. Done before? Sure. But never by a performer quite like Ian Daniels.
• CJ Scott is suddenly a heel. Two shows ago he was teaming with Vigo. Those days are over. He lasted quite a while in this contest.

Down to the final four (Drake Evans, Bobby Ocean, Adam Badger, and CJ Scott)...

Drake eliminates CJ by a hair(s)...

And now... here comes PIERRE VACHON! Vachon was said to be BARRED from this match under the Touch'ole Administration. What is he DOING here? He clears the ring (false finish with Ocean being eliminated between the ropes, but that is handled by a quick re-do) and WINS THE MATCH!

#1 Contender!

The Beast grabs a mic and basically says that Burton made him a last minute addition - giving the fans what they want - and that he wants VIGO! And here he comes! Here comes the whole damn ROSTER to keep them apart!

Hold 'em back!

They do the whole bit where each guy breaks free and goes after the other. Good stuff. What a cool feeling for each guy, to be a part of that, eh? Overall a cool finish to such a fun show.

I have said it before - I will say it again. IYFW put on an awesome show. The wrestlers bust their asses and the fans add so much to the overall experience. Great show! Maybe the best I have been to, so far, of theirs. As always, I am totally stoked for the October show and the ultimate showdown between Vachon and Vigo. Should be another kickass experience.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading! Leave some feedback or something, eh? Let me know this is worthwhile! Ha.

IYFW Summertime Bruise PREVIEW/PREDICTIONS

Do you know what time it is? Just a few blissfully short days away from In Your Face Wrestling's SUMMERTIME BRUISE and I couldn't be more stoked. From top to bottom, it's a loaded and fun card announced. If you're on the fence about going, hop off and get on the frickin' bus. It's going to be such an awesome ride.

Pierre Vachon and Roman Dominguez VS Bobby Ocean and Drake Evans
Is there a downside to this match? That would be "no". This has "win" written all over it. And I want to see it early in the show. A tag match like this saves the energy of the competitors for the In Your Face Rumble later on in the night. Well... everyone but Vachon, who has reportedly NOT been included in the Rumble at the behest of IYFW officials who are doing everything in their power to keep Vachon as far away from IYFW Champion, Vigo, as possible. Vachon is teamed with the current IYFW New Breed Champion, Roman Dominguez, who is coming fresh off of two straight, vicious victories over an also impressive Shiloh Robinson and finds his stock to be an all time high. Across the ring from them will be Team Facegasm: Bobby Ocean and Drake Evans. Evans, arguably the heart and soul of In Your Face Wrestling, will hopefully conserve a lil' sumthin'-sumthin' for the main event. Bobby Ocean is always a blast to watch and is making his first appearance in IYFW since a countout victory over Vachon-himself. One has to assume that while Ocean wants to gain a more impressive victory over his opponent this time around, Vachon wants to prove himself and stake his claim. Can Vachon, along with The Pillar, do it?

PAUL's PREDICTION: No. Two reasons: ...one? Vigo. And... two? I know how much Dominguez appreciates me picking someone going over him. I can almost see the twitter msg now... (btw, follow the man.) I expect this match to see SOME kind of appearance by Vigo, which leads to the bad guys losing gracefully. 

IYFW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP:
Killer Steves vs Adam Badger and Michael Monroe (C)
Another match I am looking forward to. The Killer Steves were so much fun to watch at Coronation Cup in their win over the Celtic Crew and I am surely expecting more of the same. The newly crowned IYFW Tag Team Champions, now known as "The Enemy", captured the title at the same event when the International Ego Trip finally imploded (read: when the Studd let down the FronzNation!).  I love the Enemy. Monroe is one of the most explosive and fluid guys on the roster. He dropped a split leg moonsault on Studd back at the Cup that was poetic to watch. His partner? He's a pure asshole - and I love it. His own FAMILY boo's him! That says something, right? Adam Badger appeared on my radar when he screamed "F--- YOU!" at a father and his two kids at "Defy the Odds". He started pinging on that sumbitch like no one else when he came out at Coronation Cup wearing a "CENSORED" mask. Oh yeah... and he's solid in the ring, too. He is absolutely the guy you want to see get run over by a bus after the show and absolutely the kind of character I love. This is a HUGE match for the young tag champs, taking on the much more polished TEAM of the Steves. 

PAUL's PREDICTION: The Enemy retain. Can't see them taking the belts off of Monroe/Badger so soon. Besides... with Jamar Justice out for months and Shiloh Robinson taking his place on "The Uprising" with "Loverboy" Ricky Williams, I am hoping to see a hot tag feud between them and the Enemy. Don't think I don't want to see the Steves with some gold... It's just not going to happen this Saturday.

Fronz Roddy VS The Northern Studd

I'm going to get my prediction out of the way now, if that's cool...
PAUL's PREDICTION: This is a Mighty hard choice... Hmmm.... Fronz Roddy.
When the International Ego Trip fell apart, it was clear that Roddy was going to be positioned as the douche-heel. Northern Studd struggled to get a pop from the crowd at the last event and I think I know why. You can expect nothing BUT heel heat when you come to the ring rocking a wife beater. Something to think about.
Anyways... I expect Fronz to get the nod here simply because of his genetics. He was just bred better. Ask him. Or maybe *I* will.

IYFW CHAMPIONSHIP:
Vigo (c) VS Scott Scarsdale  - Submission Match
Big bout here. Honestly, anything can happen. Vigo just claimed the IYFW Championship by just plain being better than 7 other schlubs in the 2011 Coronation Cup Tournament. Here he takes on the best wrestler money can buy, Scott Scarsdale. The story here being that Scarsdale has IYFW leadership basically on his payroll, stacking the deck in his favor. I don't know precisely how this match will go, seeing as IYF wrestling has surprised me on more than one occasion, but I am expecting a few things:

• Harold Touch'ole, IYFW's governing body, will make his formidable presence known and attempt to make an impact on the finish.
• Maxx "The Axe" Burton will take issue with that.
• ...Vachon?
• A submission hold of some kind will decide the match. 

PAUL's PREDICTION: Big Vigo looms large at Summertime Bruise, earning his first title defense against all odds. Scarsdale will come close, but...

In Your Face Rumble for #1 Contendership
On the most recent IYFW INTERFACE (btw, gents... LOVE the new intro music!), Joey LaRoque clarified what we can expect with this match. An undetermined amount of participants enter the ring every thirty seconds in an undetermined number at once. Whatever. I love battle royals and this should be no different. It will be interesting to see just how MANY guys are in this match and if there are any surprising faces. Who will eliminate the most people? Would like to see SUPERBEAST be the guy, getting a nice run in the middle where he runs roughshod in the ring. If I had to guess at a "FINAL FOUR" in this match, not knowing the actual participants, it would be DRAKE EVANS... IAN DANIELS... SCOTT SCARSDALE... and, hmmmm.... SHILOH ROBINSON. Who wins it all?
PAUL's SECOND to LAST PREDICTION:  Maxx Burton. I still don't trust you, Maxx. That's all I'm gonna say...

The INTERFACE has also reported that we'd see a slew of other talent in action. Not sure if they're referring to the Rumble or not, and it doesn't matter. The announced matches are off-the-charts awesome.
PAUL's FINAL PREDICTION: This show is going to be awesome. Not one to miss. Just saying.

I will likely post some quick results on theburninghammer.com shortly after the event, if you can't make it, and will CERTAINLY follow up with a more detailed run down and review in the days following! Hope to see you at the show!