Piece by piece breakdown...
Intro
Okay, so I got a story for everyone...
When Justin and I first started IWF almost ten years back, we had this really elaborate into to our first PPV. If I recall correctly, it had something to do with an old man/wizard/druid scaling across a rocky cliffside hanging over breaking waves, only to climb up, approach a set of stones, and... activate the Skittles rainbow I guess. Back then, I thought it was epic as scheisse. Then again, I also thought pyro-guns and explosive-triggered turnbuckles were awesome too, so...
Uh, anyway... here we are at present day IWF. The intros are nice and simple. The pre-show run-down of matches is awesome. If I were a first-time reader, I'd get a decent frame of reference just based on the quick recaps made by the commentators. True to the form of any episodic series, there's always a quick "Previously, on..." to start things off. The intro song wasn't bad... for cock rock. Please don't be offended by that comment, whoever picked the song. If you read my promos on Empire Pro, then you should already know that I have TERRIBLE taste in music, yet still insist on being a snob.
Leyende de Ocha vs. Steve "Axion" Jackson
THE SWORD!! F*CK YEAH!! That's what music should SOUND like!
...sorry. Again, music snob.
Anyway, really good and well written match. The finish seemed pretty out-of-nowhere, but it was good to the effect that it gave Ocho the victory while still showing that Jackson came close to fighting his way out of it. This way, both characters can take something positive from their respective debut performances. I just hope the wait for this show hasn't chased them off, lol...
[/u]Cecilworth Farthington Introduction[/U]
I dig the character. Rich, snobbish types never get old in a medium with a blue-collar demographic. First appearance segments on cards always come to me as rather questionable. I can understand a quick fifteen second hype clip, but when it's done as a backstage interview, I always wonder why it couldn't have just been a general one-off RP. It's nice to be welcomed to the character, but on a show, I expect that character, new or otherwise, to somehow be getting involved in a storyline if not involved in any kind of match. It's nice to get an introduction, but it will still be another show until I gain any form of emotional attachment to the character.
The Minstrel vs. Go-Go Spectacular
Another really good match, with a consistent format. I also like that there's continuity with previous events (here, and in other places on the card). Really defines the show as a consistently thread of storyline as opposed to individual segments just pieced together. The finish was dirty, but pretty unique, where good intentions have untimely consequences. I really got the vibe that Minstrel's a sick guy, going as far as to hang an intergender athlete (that's my PC term for woman wrestler) over his shoulder in an abusive manner.
Perfection Segment
Good, simple segment that serves its purpose in building toward the main event. Granted, the main event didn't come with this package... so this segment was even more important in that it gave the company's top two stars some exposure for this show.
Johnny Niles vs. Spooky Doom vs. Eddie Patton
Starting the match with the high-light reel was a good touch -- in fact, on a PPV, every match with a back storyline should have something like that, to bring people up to speed in case they've been snoozing on the rivalry for the past few shows (I'm usually that guy, I'm sad to admit...)
The match was decent. Spooky going over as a baby-face was a good development, showing the character as becoming a fan favorite. Felt like Patton was somewhat misrepresented in terms of inexperience; this is just considering that I remember Patton when he was originally in the short-lived NLW, and I would figure he's been in the business long enough by now that he would be expected to make mistakes. Or maybe that's an aspect of the character I've missed up until now... now that I recall, he did get his ass kicked by Bobby Jack Windham. But I digress...
Scott Douglas Segment
Match, seg, match seg... AWESOME pacing. Anyway, like the Perfection segment, a good build-up to the big grudge match, not to mention setting up Courtney for what's to come later.
Mary-Lynn Mayweather vs. Eddie Whisky
The feud has brought us to Surge... and for some reason, I found the commentary exchanges to be really hilarious in this match. Another really good match, and also a good job at keeping everything in the same format. Finish was kind of questionable, since I've seen referees let such situations slide in the past. The fact that it came from the auxiliary referee and not the usual ref Tony Daniels could also have something to do with it. In any case, I guess it creates a good degree of controversy to keep the story running on Mayweather's employment. Whisky also made a good in-ring showing.
The Minstrel Segment
Hilariously awkward segments... Minstrel's about an eight-point-eight on the Creep-O-Meter. In terms of continuity, this probably shouldn't have followed a match where the Minstrel just got stomped down in the ring, but it was still a good break between matches.
Kerry Kuroyama vs. Erik Mateo
I wrote this one. Really strange undertaking -- once I got invested into it, it just got away from me. The whole "Idol Juice" thing was a really lame way to get by the overlooked fact that Kerry probably wouldn't be allowed to compete in a Drunken Brawl, since he isn't the legal age to drink... but I find something really funny about the thought of Terry Anderson keeping his basement moonshine tucked into his pants. The part I enjoyed the most about writing this match, in fact, was just giving Terry some action. Took me back to the days "The Idol" ran amok through the erstwhile TEAM with Olvir Arsvinnar. Old, washed-up, broke wrestler from the early territory years of the 80's... still thinks he's hot as sh*t and thinks he's hip because he wears ugly floral print t-shirts. A mythical reinterpretation of Jerry "The King" Lawler, I guess.
Scott Douglas vs. Derrick Allen
The culmination of this epic storyline was a good finish to the show in lieu of a proper main event. Allen's opening monologue was a brutal trashing. Paz's involvement really takes the character a step forward. It's good to see stock front office characters like this complimenting the storylines instead of stealing the spotlight from them. Dramatic climax to the Douglas/Allen rivalry... and it will definitely set a spin on future events. Definitely enjoyed this seg/match hybrid.
Outro
At this point, if I were Joe Q. Peepeeveebuyer, I'd be like, "What the HELL?! First they KILL a girl, then they cut out the title match?!" It's an abrupt finish to the card, and you would think that in fantasy land, heads will roll for this business blunder. How this pans out in the future should be addressed in the coming storylines.
Overall Concensus
Yeah man, I dig it. Although, this is the second supershow with no main event. It doesn't look good for the federation, both IC and OOC. The reason why is completely understandable, but in crises such as this, perhaps some opportunities could arise.
