IWL iPPV "Extreme Reinforcements" Review
7/31/11
Runtime: 3:40
Show was supposed to start at 5:30 CST, but when I signed on to the GoFightLive website at 5:00 it had been pushed back to 6:00 with no explanation. Other than that and the fact that the show lasted three hours and forty minutes which is just too long, there were zero technical difficulties and it was a much smoother show than the last effort, which featured an awesome match between Daga and Mike Segura.
1.) a. Guerrero Arlequin/Molosco Jr. D. Quimico Jr./Nino de Fuego
Molosco Jr. hit a springboard moonsault to pin one while Arlequin applied a casita on the other for the win.
After the pin, Valerie came out and announced that the match was turning into a gauntlet tag for some reason, and this match went downhill from here as we were given...
b. Big Mama/Juan el Ranchero D. Guerrero Arlequin/Molosco Jr.
These two came out and had about a one minute match that ended when Big Mama used the big splash.
c. Big Mama/Juan el Ranchero D. Caderno Punk/Matanza 88
I didn't recognize these guys but they also lost to the dynamic duo of Juan and Mama when they got sat on.
d. Big Mama/Juan el Ranchero D. Hammer/Black Heart
Actually looked like Hammer and Black Heart were going to win this until they met their imminent doom with another pair of sitdown splashes for the win. I really don't know what the point of this was.
2.) Freelance/Turbo/Naruto vs. Tribal/Kansuke/Samuray Del Sol
Again didn't know two of the guys on the rudo side, graphics would have helped in this case (or better audio). Match had a nice big dive sequence in the middle and good sequences with Freelance and Turbo. Match goes on for about ten or fifteen minutes and they pull the time limit gimmick, with the announcer counting down first and then ending the match. Fans had no idea what was going on. Valerie came out (Valerie count: 2) and ordered five more minutes. They were granted, and Freelance pinned the Japanese man with a top rope powerbomb. After the match the rudos asked for a rematch, seemed like the tecnicos accepted for a later show. Good match, would have been better had they not done the stupid time limit stuff.
3.) Tony Rivera vs. Zumbido
This was a good bloody brawl that got the crowd back into the show after the weird time limit stuff had them confused before. Both guys bled after chair shots on the outside and brawled throughout the crowd. They were brawling on the outside when Semental and Mortiz jumped the railing and began beating everyone down, including the poor bow-tied referee.
Valerie comes out (Valerie count: 3) and her two security guys storm the ring, beat up Semantal and Mortiz, rip their shirts off, and then hit topes on both of them. The four of them brawl around in the ring for a while in what almost seems like a legitimate match until Semantal and Mortiz bail and walk out the back door of the arena.
4.) 8-man Elimination Tag: ATM vs. Hijo de Medico Asesino, Epidemia, Fishman Jr., Kung Fu Jr.
This match went on forever and was probably the least exciting match of the night next to the Big Mama stuff. Last two in the ring were Medico Asesino Jr. and Cerebro Negro, and Negro won when Fantasma de la Opera snuck in behind the referee and hit Asesino with a low blow. ATM cut a long promo in the ring afterwards about how they were taking over IWL and such.
Valerie came out (Valerie count: 4) and introduced, I think, XLAW Welterweight champion Serval. I say I think because the audio on her microphone at this point was terrible. It was someone with an XLAW belt and it looked a lot like Serval, so that's my guess. He came out, cut a promo, and was interrupted by someone who issued a challenge. Then they left.
5.) IWL Internet Championship: Daga (C) vs. "Suicida" Mike Segura
Valerie is out again to do the ring introductions for the title match (Valerie count: 5). Hey, at least they make it seem important. Good matwork at the beginning with each guy executing holds and reversals well. Each guy outsmarts the other with a reversal and neither can really gain an upper hand on the ground at first. About ten minutes in the turned up the speed after a Segura tope. Lots of nearfalls on Daga by Segura but he can't get the three no matter what he seems to try. Daga finally changes the momentum by reversing an irish whip into an ankle lock but Segura gets the ropes. Daga goes on offense for a while and they make their way out to the apron where Daga hits a SICK backdrop suplex on Segura against the edge of the apron for a two count. Lots of nearfalls near the end on Daga but he keeps kicking out of Segura's moves. Daga reverses the tide, hits a german superplex and a diving headbutt, but only gets two, and both luchadores are selling like they've been in a car crash. Segura hits a top rope frankensteiner and a swanton but still only gets a two count. They keep fighting and Daga hits EL ESTILETE as the announcers scream bloody murder but only gets a two count. The finish comes when Daga hits a superplex off the top but Segura rolls through and the ref counts three as both luchadores' shoulders are down on the mat. Yep, a double pinfall angle. Great match, went about 25 minutes and had a lot of good action with heated nearfalls, while the finish actually seemed to get the crowd interested in a rematch. I'm not really one for star ratings but this was something I'd recommend to anyone, just an awesome match. Both guys cut promos afterwards putting each other over, Segura said he deserved a rematch and Daga agreed.
6.) El Oriental/Craig Classic vs. Super Crazy/Heddi Karaoui
When Oriental and Crazy were in the ring together, it was awesome. When Heddi and Classic were in the ring, not so much. Heddi is, well, really bad. Lots of terrible pseudo-MMA along the same vein as his horrible match four weeks ago on the last iPPV. I'm not familiar with Craig Classic but he was pretty good here. Super Crazy went for a tope con giro onto both guys, but the ref blocked it, so Crazy jumped over him to the outside for an awesome looking dive. Classic and Oriental won when Classic pinned Crazy with a cradle.
7.) Los Porros vs. Low Rider/Mad Man Pondo/Balls Mahoney/Fantasma de la Opera
Necro Butcher was advertised but didn't make it, Balls Mahoney did. Light tubes were set up against the ropes before the match. At this point we are three hours and fifteen minutes into the PPV and the time between the last match and the beginning of this match is at least 15 minutes. Lots of blood, lots of glass, barbed wire, chairs, bats, crowd brawling, pretty much what you'd expect. About three minutes into the match Balls hit a Porro with a piledriver, so I don't know if he understands lucha. A few guys get rammed head first into light tubes set up against the ring posts, which does not look fun at all. Crowd was totally rabid for the match even after a long show. Pondo and Fantasma won with a backdrop and a powerbomb off the top through barbed wire tables for the win. After the match the tecnicos celebrated in the ring and cut a promo, and that was it. No goodbye from the announcers.
Overall another good iPPV from IWL. No camera issues and no outages this time, which was important because it shows that they're actually working hard on this. Final match ended around 9:40 PM, which means it was a 3:40 hr PPV which was definitely too long. Cut out the 8-man tag in the middle and this is a really good PPV. Daga vs. Segura, the Freelance 6-man and the main event are all worth watching again, especially Daga/Segura which is the best match of the last two iPPVs.
