SUPER INDY III
MAY 8th, 2004
CCAC SOUTH CAMPUS – WEST MIFFLIN, PA
Complete results from Joe Dombrowski
- Chris Sabin def. Glenn Spectre in the opening round of the Super Indy tournament
- CM Punk def. Sonjay Dutt in the opening round of the Super Indy tournament
- Onryo def. Soldier in the opening round of the Super Indy tournament
- Alex Shelley def. Super Hentai in the opening round of the Super Indy tournament
- New Jack def. Balls Mahoney in a fans-bring-the-weapons match
- Chris Sabin def. CM Punk in the semi-finals of the Super Indy tournament
- Alex Shelley def. Onryo in the semi-finals of the Super Indy tournament
- Eric Xtasy def. IWC Heavyweight Champion Dean Radford to win the title
- Chris Sabin def. Alex Shelley in the finals to become the new IWC Super Indy Champion
- IWC Super Indy Champion AJ Styles def. Christopher Daniels in his final defense of the title
- Southern Comfort (Tracy Smothers & Chris Hamrick) def. IWC Tag Team Champions Matt Cross & Josh Prohibition to win the titles
New Champions Were Crowned. Eras Came to An End. New Legacies Began. And One Made Its Return.
Fans and experts alike are already proclaiming Super Indy 3 as IWC’s greatest live event yet, and there’s no doubt why. A night filled with intrigue, desire, and the most abundant competitive spirit anywhere, Super Indy will go down as a special night that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
Before we get into the amazing events surrounding the Super Indy Title Tournament, we definitely can’t overlook the shocking outcome to the IWC Heavyweight Title Match. Champion Dean Radford and challenger Eric Xtasy had been friends for several months, pushing each other to better themselves. Obviously it worked considering the position both men were at on this night. A battle of power vs. power raged in and out of the ring. Radford still broke out his trademark power moves on the trimmer but still bulky 269 lb. frame of Xtasy, but Xtasy fought back, showing little signs of ring rust. Action got so heated, referee Roman Law was knocked silly when a few stray boots caught him in the temple as both men countered each other’s finishers.
Radford finally muscled Xtasy up for a Radicator, but mistakenly dropped him directly onto referee Law, knocking him out cold. With no authority figure in sight, a masked man with a chair appeared out of nowhere to assault Radford. The man unmasked to reveal himself as Xtasy’s former championship partner, JT RODGERS, who was quietly fired from IWC five months ago, leaving on bad terms. Rodgers and Xtasy hit their Strawberry Surprise finisher on Radford, the same move that led them to three Tag Team Titles in the past. The referee was revived and counted to three, making Eric Xtasy the NEW IWC Heavyweight Champion!!
Rodgers and Xtasy continued the beatdown until Shirley Doe and Balls Mahoney came from the back to make the save for Radford. Jimmy Vega$ appeared from the back, and in a shocking moment, he and Xtasy embraced in the entranceway, cementing Xtasy’s new attitude change. Xtasy, Vega$, and Rodgers left together as Xtasy verbally berated promoter Norm Connors for firing Rodgers in the first place.
The original Sexual Harassment is back, and more dangerous than ever before.
Vega$ may have been instrumental in Xtasy turning his back on his fans and good friend Dean Radford, but Vega$’ night wasn’t perfect. Earlier in the night, he had appeared to voice his complaints about being left off of the Super Indy card and demanded some competition. In another major surprise, “The Franchise” Shane Douglas ran through the curtain, unadvertised and unannounced, with the intent of destroying Vega$ right there and then. Security was able to grab Vega$ from the ring, but Douglas took that time to deliver the most profanity-laced interview he’s done to date here in the IWC, all centered around the gigantic Triple Threat vs. Triple Threat Steel Cage Match on Saturday, June 5.
Another huge bombshell was dropped that night, as due to Michael Shane no longer aligning himself with The Franchise, Michael Shane would be replaced in this Cage Match by former Triple Threat member and former ECW World Champion Bam Bam Bigelow!
SUPER INDY TOURNAMENT ROUND 1:
Fresh off of his tour of Japan, Glenn Spectre battled “The Future” Chris Sabin in the opening match. Spectre had been predicted for victory by many experts in our “Super Indy Spotlight” segment, but the jet lag had to still be hindering him since his plane landed only a day before this match. Spectre tried to play to his strengths and mat wrestle Sabin, and perhaps exploit any potential ring rust due to Sabin’s extended time off for knee surgery. However, Sabin proved his knee is back to 100% as he used his quickness and agility to counter Spectre’s ground approach, and hit the Cradle Shock to advance.
In what many called the best match of the first round, the resourceful CM Punk took on the returning “Original Playa from the Himalayas” Sonjay Dutt. Punk had his partner-in-crime, Sterling James Keenan, accompany him to ringside as a blatant distraction and unfair advantage. Dutt used his lightning-fast quickness and breathtaking dives to attempt to work around the disadvantage, which worked for quite some time. However, it would be Punk that would use the top rope best, as on his second attempt at it, he was able to muscle Sonjay up and hit the Pepsi Plunge, the top-rope Pedigree, for the pinfall victory, the same move he used to advance in Super Indy 1.
The most distasteful act of the tournament was not surprisingly Alex Shelley’s behavior in his match with arch-rival Super Hentai. Hentai had the game plan of not letting his hatred for Shelley get in the way of his goal of the Super Indy Title, but that would be a hard goal to achieve since he had to defeat the very person he’s been trying to block out of his mind. Shelley insisted that since it was Super Indy 3, he didn’t want a brawl, didn’t want a fight, he just wanted a straight-up wrestling match. Hentai ignored his requests, and charged to the ring, laying in a vicious assault on Shelley. Hentai was indeed letting anger get the better of him, enabling the cunning and cool Shelley to sneak in a cheap low blow and get a quick pinfall to make it to the second round. Shelley stole a win against Hentai tonight, but one day soon you have to believe Hentai will have his day.
The final match of round #1 was the battle between two Japanese stars from the WMF promotion, Soldier vs. the debuting Onryu. Onryu, described as an insane high-flyer and alleged zombie, certainly had the credentials to be in Super Indy 3, as he does hold a victory over Christopher Daniels overseas. Soldier’s reputation has become well known here in the States, of course, with his battles against the likes of Super Hentai and Shirley Doe. Soldier attempted to finish off Onryu with a Michinoku Driver, however Onryu caught the hand of the referee to prevent the three count. Soldier was visibly upset with the referee, allowing Onryu to sneak in a roll-up and advance to the second round.
SUPER INDY TOURNAMENT ROUND 2:
CM Punk, once again seconded by Sterling James Keenan, came in with a set gameplan for his match with Chris Sabin: Pick a body part and completely destroy it. Punk’s target of choice was Sabin’s left arm. Punk relentless punished the arm and shoulder until it was to the point that Sabin couldn’t even move it. Punk’s punishment to the arm of Sabin was so intense that even referee CJ Sensation, a man who is no stranger to taking punishment at a Super Indy Tournament, had to have been cringing. Intrusion from Sterling in the match was thankfully not as excessive as it’s been in the past, but it still took it’s toll on Sabin physically and mentally. However, Punk may have gotten just a little too cocky, as a CM Punk pin attempt was surprisingly reversed and Chris Sabin somehow pulled off the victory to advance to the finals. A very distraught Punk argued with Sterling on their way to the back. IWCwrestling.com has speculated whether or not these two could be a crumbling alliance, was this the first sign of that coming to fruition?
Meanwhile, Alex Shelley had to deal with Onryu. Shelley cheated to win before he could work up much of a sweat in round 1, so he had the advantage already. Shelley came right out fighting, and thought he had the win with a tornado DDT, but Onryu, much like before, caught the referee’s hand before he could reach three. Shelley kept battling and hit the Shellshock to finish off Onryu. Another relatively short outing for Shelley, giving him the definite advantage in the finals.
SUPER INDY TOURNAMENT FINAL:
An obviously hurt and tired Chris Sabin vs. the confident and conniving Alex Shelley, who was nothing but lucky in the first two rounds. It’s no secret that Alex Shelley is a master of mat wrestling, which made Sabin’s left arm a virtual bull’s eye for punishment. Shelley spent the majority of the match focusing on the arm and shoulder region, as Balls Mahoney joined yours truly as a surprise guest commentator to perfectly explain the pain and pressure being applied to the deltoid of Sabin. Sabin had to use his agility to his advantage, and his greatest weapon at this point were his feet. Sabin somehow found the heart and the competitive spirit to persevere through the pain and battle back, hit a series of high impact maneuvers, including the Cradle Shock. All of the high-impact offense was too much for Shelley’s injured collarbone to take, allowing Sabin to get the pinfall on Shelley to remain undefeated in IWC and to become the NEW Super Indy Champion!
Sabin would be awarded the belt shortly, but first it was time for the final title defense from “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles
AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels wasn’t about the Super Indy Title. Both men knew going in, they wouldn’t be leaving with the title. This match was about pride, and about respect. It was about the best independent wrestler of the 1990s vs. the best independent wrestler of this decade. It was about proving who really was the best of the best. And prove it they did. It was one of the longest matches in IWC history, but it didn’t feel like it. It was also one of the most evenly-matched competitive contests in IWC history. Both men spent several minutes in a technically sound feeling-out process. Daniels had the first real advantage when he spent several minutes working on AJ’s ribs, making it difficult for him to breathe. The intensity of the match slowly started to build as the action became more fast-paced and the fans even more enticed. Both men started taking chances. Daniels hit his Arabian moonsault. Styles hit a breathtaking jumping tope con helo, landing on Daniels and the hard floor with a sickening thud. Both men started showing signs of fatigue in their faces but not in their bodies as they kept pulling out all stops, but neither could get a decisive advantage.
Daniels hit his BME (Best Moonsault Ever), but Styles would come right back with The Phenomenon. The stakes kept increasing, as even referee Bruce Gray was getting winded, and finally it happened: The Styles Clash. One… Two… but Daniels kicked out of the Styles Clash, drawing a chant of “Holy $%!#” from the crowd. Daniels continued the fight, but moments later Styles hit an intense spinning lariat and was finally able to put away his foe. Wrestling as an art form at its finest, Styles vs. Daniels will forever be remembered an a symbol of excellence for not only these two men, but for IWC as a whole. After the match, AJ Styles assured the immortality of himself, this match, and this night further, when Chris Sabin entered the ring for the presentation of the Super Indy Championship. Styles graciously presented Sabin with his championship and all three men showed each other the respect of true professionals. Styles proved on this night that he was better than Daniels, but “The Future” is now for the IWC Super Indy Title, and it’s time for all of us to HAIL SABIN!
In other action, New Jack and Balls Mahoney engaged in perhaps the goriest, most sickening match in IWC history. A weapons drive was held to ensure both these men had ample opportunities to hurt each other, but they stuck with what they knew best. New Jack ripped into Mahoney’s flesh with a fork and a sickle, and Balls gladly returned the favor. At this point, Commission representative Chris Wood arrived at the building, obviously intending to shut down this show due to its excessive violence. Promoter Norm Connors and Wood argued their way to the back as the match continued. Meanwhile, New Jack recovered, breaking a crutch over Balls’ back. New Jack grabbed his trademark guitar, climbed to the top rope and busted it over the head of Mahoney to get the victory. Sebastian Dark appeared to add insult to injury, by assaulting Mahoney with his own Super Indy 3, custom-made chair. Shirley Doe emerged to make the save, then made a shocking challenge. Since IWC will soon debut in West Virginia, a state without a Commission, Doe challenged Dark to a best-of-three Death Match series for that show. An unbelievable shocking challenge, keep checking back to IWCwrestling.com for more on that impending chaos.
Chris Hamrick and Tracy Smothers had another shot at tag champions “M-Dogg 20” Matt Cross and Josh Prohibition. Many say Hamrick and Smothers were cheated out of the championships in their previous match due to the referee being knocked down and out, so this was their one chance at revenge. Hamrick was isolated from his partner, as Matt and Josh executed the traditional tag strategy of cutting the ring in half. From T-Bone Prohibition Plexes to Space Flying M-Dogg Drops, the champions pulled out all the stops, but the smart veteran Hamrick was able to maneuver his way to Smothers and get the tag. Smothers entered and cleaned house, and the match degenerated from there. All four men were fighting in and out of the ring. Cross went to the top to try to finish off Hamrick once and for all, but Hamrick caught him, and hit the Dixie Driver from the top rope for the victory, Southern Comfort are the NEW IWC Tag Team Champions!
An incredible unforgettable night at Super Indy 3, as all championships change hands. Super Indy III has proven why IWC is the symbol of excellence in wrestling, and the bar gets raised even further on June 5, as IWC debuts its Steel Cage Match!