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As of this month, Combat Zone Wrestling, as part of their new partnership with Steve Karel’s Stonecutter Media, have launched a series of specials available on PPV and VOD. With the promotion heading towards its 21st anniversary event next month in Voorhees, NJ, it seemed appropriate to take a look at some of the promotion’s PPV specials as they plan to build to a live PPV later this year.
CZW BLOODIEST WARS PPV
The show opened with a big highlight reel of crazy CZW spots and moments set to some over the top heavy metal music.
Atsushi Onita & Matt Tremont vs. DJ Hyde & Masada.
They explain what we are going to see and promise blood, explosions and a wild match with Onita, the creator of the Death Match competing.
They aired a Matt Tremont promo, where he admits he was back in CZW because Onita brought him back and he was looking forward to punching DJ Hyde in the face. I think most can appreciate that.
They used voiceovers during the ring introductions to explain who each personality involved was. DJ Hyde was a Death Match wrestler who hates Death Matches and despite being the owner, everyone hates. MASADA is an international death match beast known for sticking BBQ skewers into men’s heads. He’s great for a party I bet.
There are some nice video packages for each talent, Titan Tron style. The announcer promises we will understand the passion from CZW fans when we see their leader, Matt Tremont come out. They push Onita as the inventor of the Death Match, the man who was the first to understand the importance of hardcore wrestling.
Onita threw his jacket at Masada and they started brawling. Onita broke a chair over Masada's head. Tremont did the same to Hyde. Onita worked over Masada in the corner with right hands. Tremont worked over Hyde on the apron as Onita kicked him. Onita nailed Masada with a barbed wire bat. He and Tremont set up a table. They put Masada through it. The table didn't want to work. Fans chanted "F the table."
Hyde went after Onita, who spewed red mist in the face. THE GREAT NITA HAS ARRIVED! Tremont then did it as well. Tremont choked Masada in the corner with his boo. Onita and Hyde went to the floor. Onita nailed Hyde, who was now bleeding, in the face and mid-section. Tremont tossed the table over the top to the aisle. Masada sent Tremont into the guard rail. Tremont nailed him with a piece of a steel chair. Hyde flung a chair in his face.
Onita challenged Masada to return to the ring, Onita hit him with a chair and went to hit him with a tiny guitar but Masada ducked and Tremont got nailed instead. Masada nailed Onita and ripped his face with the bat. Onita was bleeding quite a bit. Well, if you book Onita, that's what you are booking him for - the blood and guts. Hyde ripped at Tremont with a barbed wire bat as well. Masada pulled out BBQ skewers and drove them into Onita's head.
Masada tossed Onita into the front row. Tremont smashed a chair over a trash can that was on Hyde's head. Masada and Onita battled in the front row and returned to the ringside area, only to go back over the barricade again. Tremont beat Hyde's back with a chair. Onita and Masada battled through the crowd before returning to the ringside area. Tremont choked Hyde with a chair. Onita was worked over in the ring. Masada went back to the skewers and began bearing them into Tremont. This time, they stuck in his head and he looked like a porcupine. Masada went to nail him over the head with a chair, but Tremont blocked it. Masada blasted him and covered Tremont for a two count.
Onita and Masada battled on the floor with Onita trapped in a headlock as Masada nailed him. Hyde returned to the ring with a barbed wire bat. Tremont met him with one of his own and they faced off. They nailed each other and the bats exploded. OK, I was wrong, but how is it that this spot is happening without Onita?
Masada went for skewers again but Onita got them and worked over Masada with a series of right hands and a piledriver for a two count. Onita went to piledrive Hyde, who broke free and nailed a running forearm. Hyde nailed a lariat for a two count but Tremont broke up the pinfall. That made Tremont the biggest babyface of all time in Philly in my book. Well, except Terry Funk. Hyde went to grab Onita, but had a fireball thrown in his face.
Hyde ended up caught in the ropes with his arms tangled. Tremont grabbed a cinder block and nailed him in the forehead with it. Hyde went down and Tremont pinned him.
Your winners, Atsushi Onita and Matt Tremont!
The match was exactly what you'd expect it to be, but it was fun. You aren't going to get an intricate back and forth bout. No one was looking for Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat here. They wanted Onita and they got him.
They explain CZW Champion MJF has vacated the title due to an injury, so the Cage of Death will be used to determine the next Champion.
Ricky Shane Page cut a promo saying he doesn’t think people understand how important this truly is to him. He wanted MJF in the Cage so bad, but being in the Cage with Mancer is special. They are going to have fun tonight.
Werner said that tonight, he is going to make a moment with RSP. They have barbed wire, boards, staple guns. It’s where moments and memories are made, inside the cage. They are in the ECW Arena, but they are going to make moments. He’s going to get the win and go to the pay window. He’s going to get the gold and he’s home. He promised that ol’ Mancer is going to get the gold and some light beer.
THE CAGE OF DEATH: Ricky Shane Page vs. Mance Warner to crown the new CZW Champion.
This is CZW’s traditional yellow Cage of Death with a lot of weapons, including plexiglass boards, barbed wire, light tubes, chairs and more. There's several platforms set up in the corners above the cage. There is a NASTY looking square full of nails set up as well.
They immediately went to war. RSP was sent into a piece of plexiglass, which exploded. Mance was slammed atop a barbed wire board. Mance was slammed on the nail board, which looked evil. RSP covered him for a two count, then hit him in the head with a pole that had a water cooler bottle atop of it.
RSP set up a chair in the corner before digging Mance’s face into the cage. RSP nailed him across the back and then in the head. They battled back and forth with punches. Mance went for a Bionic Elbow but RSP ducked. They battled over a chair until RSP was hit with a neckbreaker upon it. Mance then beat him with the chair. Recycling is fun.
Mance grabbed a chair wrapped in barbed wire and dug it into RSP’s head. He set up and nailed him in the guy with the water cooler bottle, then drove the barbed wire chair into the face of RSP for a two count. Mance nailed a big lariat for a two count. A piece of plexiglass was placed between two chairs. They battled up to the top rope. Mance nailed a tornado DDT off the top through the plexiglass for a two count. They battled back and forth. RSP was a bloody freaking mess.
Mance set up another pane of glass between two chairs. RSP rolled him underneath. Warner went to the ropes but RSP nailed him with several chair shots, then went to the top and nailed a big suicideplex off the top through the glass.
The battle continued. RSP used a staple gun to staple Mance’s tongue to a barbed wire board. Yeah, that was disgusting. Seriously. Mance tried to lift himself up was kicked in the face, which freed him. He was reaching in his mouth to get the staple out. Ewww!
RSP set up chairs and had ring crew come in to help him set up a barbed wire board across several chairs. Really? Ring crew? He directed the head of the ring crew to set up several chairs over it, then beat Mance with a crutch. They placed a glass pane over the two chairs. They battled in the corner and made their way above the cage to the platform set up in the corner. I don’t have a good feeling about this
They meet on the platform and swing back and forth with punches. RSP lifted Warner for a DVDR but he fought his way off. Mance went for a suplex and they went through some of wood set up for the platform, the glass, the chairs, the barbed wire board and a partridge in a pear tree. Jeez! Mance scored the pin as the place went nuts for this.
Your winner and new CZW Champion, Mance Warner!
Well, it was the usual craziness you'd expect from this bout. If you want something that has all sorts of chaos and violence, you really can’t go wrong with a bout advertised as the CAGE OF DEATH.
Warner did a victory lap around the building. He took the mic and said his head hurts; his back hurts and he's beat to sh** so he was going to keep it short and sweet. He said he loved all the crazy fans here. He said he wanted to get f'd up and have a good time tonight. He led a CZW chant before heading to the back.
Overall, this was a fun show. The voiceovers leading to each bout gave you a quick primer of what you were getting yourself into in terms of storyline background, so you weren’t going to be at a loss wondering what was going on and why. A show like this is pretty much playing to someone who wants a dirty, underground feel to pro wrestling and the sort of violence and stunts that come with that are going to translate well to anyone seeking such a product.
This was an entertaining PPV broadcast overall and worth tracking down if you miss the sort of nuttiness that FMW and ECW reigned with in the 1990s.
For more about CZW, visit www.CZWrestling.com.
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