COMPLETE IWTV PRESENTS THE MASKED WRESTLER EPISODE ONE REPORT

IWTV “The Masked Wrestler - Episode 1”

10/15/20 - SECRET LOCAAAAAAAAAAAAAATION

IWTV is debuting a new series tonight, conceptually similar to the popular television show “The Masked Singer”. It’s gonna be an 8-person, single-elimination tournament. All competitors will be in full body suit disguises for their matches. Anyone who loses will be unmasked. The winner goes on to challenge WARHORSE (currently) for the IWTV Championship at the end of the season.

Allie Kat is on the IWTV instagram live chat, trying Dunkaroos for the first time. Frosting is good. Cookies not so much. “Dunkaroos don’t bang like they used to.”

We’re in a nearly empty warehouse. At the panelists’ tables will be former IWTV Champion (and current AEW star) Kris Statlander, Independent Standout Mr. Brickster, and the producer of the upcoming “Paris is Bumping” Billy Dixon. Kris Levin is your referee. Denver Colorado and Dylan Hales are on commentary. Larry Legend is your host/announcer.

We have an intro for both of our first match. No one knows who each other is. Their voices are masked and both think they will have an advantage. They both do 2 truths and 1 lie and I find that pretty enlightening.

Match: Genkai (pink mask) vs Barf (green mask)

Lock up and technical scrambling back and forth to start. Barf has a good head scissor in, Genkai rolls through and up to a headlock. Barf takes the back. Genkai whips off but get locked up. Genkai scrambles more and keeps getting locked up. Genkai trying to chop out the leg. Barf with a cravat but Genkai gets the wrist. Barf with a shoulder block. Genkai with a step up arm drag. Match paces picks up into some quick pin sequence attempts. Genkai throws the foot down and hits a drop kick for two. Denver and Dylan are talking through the mystery of who the wrestlers could be. Barf catches Genkai’s face on the rope. Up to the top for a crossbody for two. Barf back to the cravat, Genkai brings them down for a pin attempt that they bridge out of. Barf with corner chops and a drop kick. Genkai starts to solve the puzzle and find counters...hitting a cross body, a flying uppercut and an Olympic slam for two. Statlander shouts “ARE YOU KURT ANGLE???”. Genkai with a flying knee. Barf dodges a corner charge, hits an enziguri to the back of the head and a missile drop kick for two. Barf wants a suplex, Genkai blocks. Trading shots. Rolling punch from Barf. Spinning elbow from Genkai. DDT from Genkai and Barf is OUT. 1, 2, 3.

Winner: Genkai

It’s time to find out who Barf was. Brickster says “ghost of Patrick Swayze or Danhausen”....is it Jaden Newman? No. Dixon thinks it’s someone from the Mid-Atlantic....was it Joey Janela? No. Statlander says they don’t know but they made a guess anyways. They guess Simon Cowell. No. They are all wrong. Barf is unmasked.

IT’S LOGAN EASTON LAROUX. https://twitter.com/loganlaroux

He thinks “the match went poorly because I lost”. He said he tried to wrestle less like the showman and more like a classic wrestler, to hide his identity. This was a mistake. But he’s sure he knows the identity of his opponent for sure. It’s...*cut to credits*

And that’s it for The Masked Wrestler, Episode 1. Looks like we’re getting 1 match per episode. With the title match, that would make 8 episodes total. I have my guess on who Genkai might be, based on the work I saw towards the end and some of the content from the promo. Overall, this is an interesting concept that works in this 1 match show format. I think a series of these matches in a single show might wear thin (since facial expressions and/or strong characterizations are a fundamental part of engaging matches) but the novelty of trying to guess who is who will be good stuff to carry us through this initial season.

I’ll pick this up next week/episode when...someone...fights...someone else. Until then! ;)

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