IYFW Presents: HeatStrike PREVIEW/PREDICTIONS

This Saturday night, IN YOUR FACE WRESTLING returns to the Whitehall Athletic Club for another HOT night of independent wrestling action! Love this venue, especially the bar (when they aren't putting ICE IN OUR BEER) and the W'Fudge Contingent™ can't wait to see what they've got up their sleeve for this leg of their summer series! Let's go RIGHT to the Main Event!

Roman Dominguez & Vigo vs. Drake Evans & Pierre "The Beast" Vachon
I'm probably going to come across as pretty negative here and I really don't want to. I'm just not a fan of this form of match: enemies FORCED to team together and, in this case, take on ANOTHER set of enemies FORCED to team together. This screams of lazy booking to me, I have to be honest. This particular pairing also harkens back to The Brass Ring event of late 2011 where Evans teamed with Vigo (but argued the whole match) to take on Vachon and Dominguez (who weren't happy to be paired, either). If there is an issue of finding a number one contender... This match will (or in reality SHOULD) do nothing to resolve that particular problem. Don't misconstrue what I'm saying. These four will put on a fun show, given the parameters... It's just not the match I want to see. It's kind of a stalling tactic to hold us over until the Coronation Cup tournament names a true number one contender later this month.
Paul's Prediction: More of the same

New Breed Title Match:
Robert L. Coleman vs. Liam McFerrin (c)
These two battled back at the Whitehall debut and again in the chaotic six man lumberjack last month. I think Liam needs this win to further legitimize him as the New Breed champ more than Coleman needs the belt. That being said... I do like the idea of Blood Money holding onto a lot of gold in the promotion. Sorry. I can't get behind #Coleman4Champ. I think this is Liam's first singles title defense. A loss here would be a blow.
Paul's Prediction: Liam McFerrin


Guillaume de Sade vs Chuck Deep
Nice! Just announced on the IYFW INTERFACE, members of Blood Money will take on members of Pure Dynamite! THIS is some booking I can get behind! I enjoy de Sade as a singles performer and look forward to seeing him debut some new ring trunks (way to go, Bobby O). Deep is another guy I want to see in singles action. On top of all of this, we get a double dose of Michael Anthony at ringside which is always a pleasure. A win for Deep here over a former IYFW Heavyweight Champion would go a long way (at least in MY eyes).
Paul's Prediction: Chuck Deep

"Millennium Millionaire" Scott Scarsdale vs "Bad" Brad Wesley
The more compact Wesley will lock up with the larger, craftier Scarsdale. Scarsdale has showed his singles dominance over smaller performers (Ricky Williams, Rickety Rockett, etc) and I see that trend continuing with this bout despite the aid of Anthony at ringside. Sure to be a fun match. I'm expecting Scarsdale to try to ground Wesley and to really go after that submission hold he perfected last summer.
Paul's Prediction: Scott Scarsdale

ALSO:
We have learned that some sort of announcement will be made at the show in regards to the "Referee Situation", or "The Fact that Referee's Are Moving Targets in IYFW". We have been told that Senior Referee Dan Roberts won't be here. In addition, Referee Anthony (Tino) Constantino has taken to twitter and made it clear he is jumping on the RefDan bandwagon and is protesting the event by not appearing. Will Vinnie Lax make his triumphant officiating return to In Your Face? Will Maxx Burton make a bold move... or a move in GENERAL to protect the employees of IYFW as well as the paying fans (douchebags though they may be!) from the wrestlers under his watch? It will be interesting to see what the next step is. As Will Cena and I have been adamantly saying on the last few editions of WrestlefudgeTV: Something Needs to be Done!

Also Announced for the Show:
Nocturne -- awesome. My Noc shirt will be on hand!
JP Black -- as broke on W'fudgeTV, the Dark Pony will be in the building! Woot!
Ian Daniels -- give this kid a win!
Vince Beach -- a Vince/Nocturne match might be fun!
Kizashi -- a little pseudo-Asian flava!
Elite -- fuck yes. Give this kid a win!

Looking forward to this show! Their last Whitehall effort had an uptick in attendance and I'm hoping this show follows suit! It's a little disappointing that we will be without the Roddy, Scott, Ravage, Monroe, Rockett, etc delegation... But this still looks to be a fun show for sure! Be there!

CTWE 4th Anniversary Show PREVIEW/PREDICTIONS

On August 18th, Connecticut Wrestling Entertainment presents their 4th Anniversary Show! If you thought Bricco-Mania was a big deal... You were right! But THIS stands to be bigger! Some big matches on the show and some big names! Let's dive right into it, starting at the top of the card!

MAIN EVENT:
Billy Gunn VS. Brian Kendrick w/ the RETURNING #formerlycreative John Carle
Originally billed as Kendrick vs Jerry Lynn, JL backed out of the booking due to a personal commitment and Gunn was announced as his replacement (to a fair amount of nonsensical controversy on forums like burning hammer). Am I disappointed that I won't see Jerry Lynn live in Bethany? Absolutely. But the card isn't hurt by his absence, in my opinion. Another stacked show. Personally, I'd rather see the 4 way as the ACTUAL main event; a CTWE show should feature SOME CTWE talent. It would also present the importance of the CTWE heavyweight championship in perhaps it's proper light. In any event, this will be an interesting match. I have no clue if Kip can still go, but Kendrick absolutely can and I have no doubts that this will be an entertaining offering from the two. John Carle is the wild card (for me). I know nothing of the former member of the WWE creative team other than just that... Along with the assertion on twitter by Nocturne that Carle "steals candy" from children. It says Carle is seconding Kendrick. I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say that Carle will turn on Kendrick and aid Gunn to get the win. Why not?
Paul's Prediction: Billy Gunn

CTWE Heavyweight Championship:
Four-Way Elimination Match-
"First Class" Vladimir Joseph (c) VS. Bandido Jr. VS. "The Upgrade" Alex Cypher VS. "203's Finest" Lukas Sharp
As stated above, this match should be the main event. Vlad had his true coming out party at Bethany Battle 2012 and has been quickly positioned as THE star of the company. Bandido is clearly a guy that the CTWE office is behind. Evident in the way his matches are called. He has shown to be a joy to watch in multi-man matches thus far in CTWE and I'm sure this won't be any different. Cypher is entertaining as hell and Sharp is another guy who seems poised for his "moment". Wow. This is going to kick ass. All over Bethany Town Hall. The champ must retain. Will Slyck get involved? Will Frankie?
Paul's Prediction: "First Class" Vladimir Joseph

Special Attraction #1:
Singles Match-
"Die Hard" Eddie Edwards VS. Slyck Wagner Brown w/ Jimmy Meaz
Hard hitting? Absolutely. Fast paced? Hells to the yes. Gangster? Sheeeeeee-it.
Paul's Prediction: SWB. This will be brutal.

Special Attraction #2:
Singles Match-
"Unbreakable" Michael Elgin VS. Pinkie Sanchez
Elgin is a monster and Pinkie is all energy. I absolutely love this pairing. While Elgin enjoys a slow-burn face turn in ROH, I would expect him to be in full badass heel mode for the Bethany faithful and for Sanchez to get the same respect he received at Bricco-Mania. Having never seen Elgin live, I am pumped to see that sitout powerbomb in person.
Paul's Prediction: "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin

Singles Match-
"Cuban Crippler" Ricky Reyes VS. "The Shaft" Bobby Ocean
God, we love Bobby Ocean. The perfect balance of serious and fun, Ocean brings a very relatable energy to the ring. Reyes is a guy that really exudes that killer instinct that's so rare in performers. These two will have a breakneck match that I'm really looking forward to! That being said, it seems CTWE is high on Reyes while Ocean has kind of floundered. Sadly, I don't expect that to change here.
Paul's Prediction: "Cuban Crippler" Ricky Reyes

SPECIAL GUEST REFEREE: Frankie Arion
Singles Match-
Mercedes KV VS. Ivy Fit
Who doesn't love a good women's wrestling match?!? Having caught a few of Ms.KV's matches on YouTube, as well as my spiffy WrestleJam 8 DVD courtesy of WrestleJam.tripod.com and friend of the 'fudge, Carol, I am psyched to see her in action, in the flesh, live. She and Ivy have wrestled a TON of times and is among the performers Mercedes listed as her favorites to face on a now-somehow-ancient edition of the olde timey Wrestlefudge BLOGCAST. That tells me they know eachother well. Frankie Arion plays the role of Luckiest Man Alive in this match. This will be a fun one.
Paul's Prediction: Mercedes KV

FIRST-TIME-EVER:
Tag Team Match-
Team Tremendous (Dan Barry & Ken Scampi) VS. The Rising Sons (Taka Suzuki & Mikaze)
This will be the obligatory amazing comedy match of the night. All four of these wrestlers know how to do it better than most here in the northeast. Can't wait.
Paul's Prediction: The Rising Sons aka Double Dragon

CTWE Shooting Star Championship:
Four-Way Elimination Match-
Dan De Man (c) VS. "Belieber" Mikey Chase VS. "Red Lion" Chris Battle VS. "The Prodigy" AJ Cruise
You thought the war between Mikey Chase and Chris Battle was settled after Battle destroyed Chase in a 2 out of 3 falls bout at Bethany Battle? Wrong, bitch! They're back at each others throats, this time thrown into the Cruise/Dan feud in an elimination match. Dan De Man won the strap under truly questionable circumstances back at Bricco-Mania and I feel as though it's only a matter of time before AJ reclaims it. Is August 18th the big day? Will Chase and Battle settle ANYTHING? Ever?
Paul's Prediction: AJ Cruise reclaims Shooting Star strap.

CTWE Tag Team Championship:
Triple-Threat Rules-
Monarchy (William King & Zachary Pierre Beaulieu) (c) VS. Canadian Superstars (Dave Cole & J-Busta) VS. DeathProof (Ant Battle & Nocturne)
CTWE tag wrestling is ALWAYS fun, fast, and furious. Expect a triple helping of the same. I'd really LIKE to see the former champs (Noc and Ant) get the belts back... yet my gut tells me that won't be the case. It's always good to build up a solid, devious heel tag team and the Monarchy could wear that crown quite nicely for some time.
Paul's Prediction: Monarchy

Fatal Four-Way Match-
The Mac VS. "The Juice" JT Dunn VS. Brent Banks VS. "Iron Lion" Sebastian Suave
The Mac takes on 3 guys new to CTWE and new to me. Dunn absolutely rings a bell. The others not quite as much. Pardon my ignorance, heh. I love The Mac. In the ring. The mic. In the skits CTWE has put out. Always entertaining.
Paul's Prediction: The Mac

Phew. What a card. On paper it's incredible... In person? Unreal. I can't wait. Tickets are going silly fast. Go to their site for tickets and event info. This is so worth the trip. We will be driving a total of six hours for this show and every moment will be worth it. Be there! :)

Full Episode: W'fudgeTV LIVE from 7/26/12

Watch live video from WrestlefudgeTV on Justin.tv

W'fudgeTV LIVE at 8PM TONIGHT

TONIGHT on the show:
- we leak some names ahead of IYFW and their "HeatStrike" event. A few surprises in there!
- a look at CTWE's 4th Anniversary Show on August 18th, and a shout out to their youtube page!
- we speak to the most explosive young tag team in independent wrestling, PURE DYNAMITE!
- and MORE!

Watch live video from wrestlefudge on www.justin.tv

Click the link just below the video window to join the LIVE discussion! We go live at 8PM!

A Tale of (Two Shows in) Two Cities

Everyone loves healthy competition, especially between two (or more) hungry independent wrestling promotions. It usually serves to improve the efforts and creativity of everyone involved and - as long as everyone plays nice - can only help build interest in Indy wrestling in general. You always hear stories of the promotion that doesn't allow a worker to work "there" if he wants to work "here" or the occasional subtle, or not so subtle, rivalry between promotions and whatnot... But that's not what's going on between In Your Face Wrestling and Slam All-Star Wrestling on August 4th.

From what I've been able to gather it was a case of two promotions booking a show on the same night, independent of the other. No malice involved on either side. However, it still is impacting the events -- IYFW's "HeatStrike" in Whitehall, NY especially.

This comes as no surprise or shock to anyone reading this page, I imagine, but it needs to be said: These sister promotions tend to share a lot of the same talent. It's always interesting to me to see which promotion might win out on the talent end of things on August 4th. Don't expect to see any Bobby-Ocean-Style double-bookings or double-headers... If they are booked for one show then one show is all they'll show for - one would think. It's about a two hour drive between Whitehall and St.Albans. Can't imagine anyone appearing for both.

Not even Pierre "The Beast" Vachon -- the Heavyweight Champion of BOTH promotions. He is being advertised as competing in an Odd Couple Tag Team match at In Your Face's show. Of all the talent in question, his booking - to me - is most intriguing. Could HE show for BOTH shows? Only of he goes on first for ONE of them, which I see as unlikely.

Shared Talent Confirmed ONLY for SAW's show in St.Albans:
"The Wolf" CJ Scott
"Mighty" Fronz Roddy
"Megastar" Michael Monroe
The Rickety Rockett

Shared Talent Confirmed ONLY for IYFW's show in Whitehall:
Drake Evans
Pierre Vachon
Vigo
Scott Scarsdale
Pure Dynamite

Obviously, this isn't a huge crisis for either promotion but it bears close attention. For IYFW in particular, who is quietly trying to build some steam in a brand new venue -- they will present THIS show down a handful of performers who had been heavily featured in their first two Whitehall outings. I have heard rumors that some talent from some Western NY indy promotions would be brought in to bolster the roster for this event, and with recent IYF new-blood highlights like Elite, Punisher Van Slyck, and a renewed energy behind the once-and-former Uprising this show should be fun to see unfold.

More info about these events as it comes in! If you have any news or info, be sure to reach out to paul@wrestlefudge.com and pass it along!

W'fudgeTV LIVE from 7/19/12

Presented in it's entire entirety. Entirely.

PART ONE:

Watch live video from WrestlefudgeTV on Justin.tv

PART TWO

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W'fudgeTV TONIGHT

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start time? 7PM EST!
click the link below the video to engage in our live, foolish chat room! join the one-sided conversation!

More WOH News

Sources close to World of Hurt Wrestling promoters have provided a little more info regarding matches going down on August 10 at the High School in Glens Falls, NY.

Last night on WrestlefudgeTV, we talked about Hacksaw vs Vince Beach... We knew there would also be a six man tag cage match involving The Alden Brothers and a mystery opponent taking on Danger, Jeff Starr, and another mystery opponent.

Our source has confirmed that Jim Tanner will join Starr and Danger while Swinger Sindusky will tag up with Shane Alden and brother, Eric "Virus" Alden.

In another Wrestlefudge Exclusive, we now know that Hoss will challenge for the WOH Championship, taking on Punk. These two men were the last two in the ring back at May's champ-crowning battle royale. Hoss walked through the curtain flipping Punk the bird and you KNEW this story wasn't finished. Should be a hard hitting affair.

Shaping up to be a fun show! Tickets are reportedly going fast! So make it happen!

W'fudgeTV from 7/12/12

If you missed it here it is!



Watch live video from WrestlefudgeTV on Justin.tv
Thanks to our guests, Bert Williams and Big Vigo as well as to all of our LIVE viewers in the chat room last night!

WrestlefudgeTV LIVE around 7PM TONIGHT!

Watch live video from wrestlefudge on www.justin.tv

TONIGHT!
- one last look at the IYFW show in Whitehall, NY this Saturday night!
- we look at some recent pertinent YouTube vid's and, yes, talk over them!
- we get "Buttery" Bert Williams on the phone to talk about his career and the upcoming Glens Falls, NY World Of Hurt Wrestling event!
- Wrestlefudge's Favorite FatKid and former IYFW Champion, Big Vigo, calls in just DAYS before his big title rematch!
- all this and much more!

IYFW Presents "Can't Tread on Us" PREVIEW/PREDICTIONS

In a few short days, In Your Face Wrestling drops their ring inside the Whitehall Armory and Athletic Club to put on what we are expecting to be a VERY fun evening of wrestling action! This being the second of four consecutively scheduled outings in this particular venue for IYFW, there are hopes that crowd attendance spikes a bit to match the heat of the summer! Four really solid matches have been signed and there is some additional quality intrigue leading into the show. Let's take a quick look at what *I* am expecting to see this Saturday night!

First Time Ever
"Mighty" Fronz Roddy vs "The Shaft" Bobby Ocean
Ohhhh, snap! Bobby O locks horns with one of the mightiest performers on the independent level. Yes, we at the 'fudge have named Mr.Ocean the Hardest Working Man in Independent Wrestling but has he faced a competitor as tenacious, as menacing, as arrogant as The Mighty One? Both of these men locked up with former WWE superstars back at the Amsterdam show and both of them watched their opponents arm get raised on that night. This is an opportunity for BOTH men to prove to the locker room, and to themselves, that they are still the upper echelon in our area. Big doings. Big deal. I'm pumped. Winner of this match could find themselves in an already crowded IYFW title hunt.
Paul's Prediction: No Contest

Special Attraction Match
Good Lord Willing vs Ricky "Don't Call Me Rickety" Rockett
Wow. I'd like to shake the hand of whoever came up with this pairing. Truly. The fans in Whitehall got a taste of this match last month when these two brawled outside the ring during the heated six man show opener and I am expecting more of the same. Good Lord Willing may not be the most agile, the most athletic, nimble, graceful, physically impressive member of the In Your Face roster... But few on that same roster can control the crowd like the Good Lord. With 3 golden words, he has you. And you want to see him get destroyed. Enter: the Rockett. A young wrestler on the slow and steady rise who would LOVE to come out of this show with a big win over a local legend. Again; like the Lord, the Rockett brings something entirely different to the table and is genuinely fun to watch. This will not be a five star classic. But it will very likely be match of the night.
Paul's Prediction: Rickety Rockett

Six Man Lumberjack Tag Team Contest
Blood Money vs The Irish Uprising
you like that name for Liam, Jamar, and Ricky? Just came to me. I dig it. Anywho... A lot of story to this match. Here's the cliff note version; Scarsdale has bought two solid grapplers to aid him in his quest for IYF gold. Coleman and de Sade will join him as the hungriest, most dangerous trio in IYFW take on the makeshift alliance of Liam McFerrin - reigning IYFW New Breed Champion - and former tag champs, the Uprising. Oh yeah. It's a lumberjack match, too. That should be a sight to behold. Hopefully no one blocks my view of the match, heh. I expect another fun effort from these six and a late or post match appearance by former Blood Money member Michael Anthony (along with two other dudes, but I'll get to that later).
Paul's Prediction: Blood Money

IYFW Championship Rematch
Pierre "The Beast" Vachon vs "Wrestlefudge's Favorite FatKid" Big Vigo
The first IYFW show I attended was "Defy the Odds" back in April 2011. The first (and really only) feud that I left that building feeling any sense of attachment to was Vigo/Vachon; they had interfered in each others matches that night and we said to be "purposely kept apart". It made for some cool drama and has always stuck with me. As the story goes, Vigo would go on to capture the IYFW Championship back at last years Coronation Cup, hold it through the summer, only to eventually lose it to Vachon after eating a white-hot fireball to the grill. A few minor skirmishes since then, but no real attempt by Vigo to get that coveted gold back -- until now. Vachon, since winning the belt, has been absolutely unstoppable. His mandible claw finisher had proven to be the single most effective submission hold in the promotion and has taken out EVERY wrestler who has tasted it. EVERY. Is Vigo the one? Can he save In Your Face Wrestling from the leather-clad clutches of The Beast? We will find out Saturday.
Paul's Prediction: Vigo


Also confirmed for the show:
The Killer Steves -- awesome! Love these guys! Fun tandem.
Roman Dominguez -- will he insert himself back in the title scene? Almost certainly.
Drake Evans -- will HE? We will see. The most interesting aspect of our recent interview with Maxx Burton on an equally recent edition of WrestlefudgeTV was his opinion that Evans should "let [the IYFW Championship] go". I don't think there's any quit in Drake Evans, myself.
CJ Scott -- said to be in action, and you can expect to see another family reunion in Whitehall.
Michael Anthony and Pure Dynamite -- ok, not CONFIRMED together, but I am making an assumption here. These three are fucking gold.

Unannounced Talent I WANT to See:
JP Black -- the man is clearly out of retirement. Love to see more from him.
Damon Ravage -- ahem.
Shiloh Robinson -- I didn't care for how he was snubbed in a recent promo. Give the kid the ball!
Ian Daniels -- last months birthday boy is in desperate need of a win. This weekend, maybe?

Like I said... Really psyched for the show. BE THERE! Support independent wrestling! Worth the drive! Deserving of your time! Hope to see you there! Somebody, please, buy me a beer.

Around the Circuit: Quick Notes

Things are mostly quiet (unfortunately) in the local (and beyond) indy scene. Sucks to be us. However, there is still some action out there to pick up on!

- firstly... Advance ticket sales for CTWE's 4th Anniversary show on August 18th (Bethany, CT) have reportedly been pretty strong! Front row seats sold out in just 7 days with a pretty solid amount of General Admission tickets sold as well. Promotion officials have politely advised their Facebook fans and Twitter followers to order tickets NOW if they want them because they are expecting a sell out event well before the day of the show, an exciting first for the young, growing promotion. These guys clearly have the formula down: high quality wrestling featuring high quality performers, proper use of social media and taking full advantage of free, simple Internet services, free online distribution of their events via the Internet to get the word out quickly and effectively, strong, stable roster highlighted by interesting, "big(ger) name" outside talent sprinkled here and there, and by just plain kicking ass in all areas. Seriously. Independent promoters who haven't SHOULD take notice, nationwide. They keep it simple and, above all else, are masters at presenting an enjoyable product. Be sure to check them out if you haven't. And get those tickets, too! Going to be a great show.

- In Your Face Wrestling returns to Whitehall, NY this Saturday night for "Can't Tread on Us"! This should be a pretty great show that offers something for everyone! I'm hoping to have our usual "PREVIEW/PREDICTIONS" post up in the coming days. Between the obligatory brutality of Vigo/Vachon, the athleticism and entertainment value of Roddy/Ocean, the pure spectacle and hilarity of Willing/Rockett, and the chaos and mayhem of the Six Man Lumberjack Tag match... Seriously. This is going to be a fucking blast. Their first effort in Whitehall last month drew somewhat disappointingly despite a very fun show that delivered. I'm hoping for a bigger turn out - and they deserve it! Make the trip, ya schlubs! I have a feeling it's going to be a crazy summer In Your Face and you should be a part of it, if you can! Pre-order your tickets here!

- looks like the details of the August 10th World of Hurt show - Hacksaw Homecoming - in Glens Falls, NY have been slightly revised. Apparently, they are expecting a larger turnout than their May REUNION show at the Park Street Theatre and have announced they are moving the event to Glens Falls High School. In addition, we already knew this show would feature a steel cage match... Now we know it will be a steel cage TAG match. According to the recently updated event poster, it appears that Jeff Starr and Danger will be reprising their team of "Sex and Violence" to take on the Alden Brothers, Shane and Eric. I have high expectations for this match, given the effort put forth from all four men back in May. Other things I look forward to at this show include yet are not at all limited to: Pure Dynamite stealing the show, some surprise IYF talent making cameos, and an appearance, in some capacity, from Michael Anthony. On top of all of that, I'm really just interested to see where this promotion goes from here. We know they are cooperating with Ultimate Wrestling to help in putting the show on, but I'm curious if there is a long term plan on place. Oh. And, yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing Hacksaw in action, too! Naturally. Should be a cool moment.

- the recent face turn of CTWE's new Heavyweight Champion, Vladimir Joseph, has really got me thinking about the power of a well executed, well timed surprise turn. No one saw his coming, but in the setting and the circumstances it absolutely worked. It gets a buzz. It's a happening. I look at a promotion like IYFW and my armchair fantasy booker rears his all-too-ugly head and I start thinking about which performer a solid turn (either way) could benefit... Expect a future column on this subject, heh heh.