by Scotty Szanto-Nicodemus
Exclusive to OnlineOnslaught.com

Oh, and there’s one more thing that I want to bring to your attention before I get started.  If you go looking for these tapes over at ModTrom Production’s website, you’ll see that the show that I recapped two weeks ago (Royal Consequences 2) and this show are listed back-to-back, despite taking place five months apart.  I got the low-down from the guy at ModTrom, and here’s his response:

there were actually a few shows in between that span...the problem was we do all our editing on our computers, and we had a major problem with our mother board, and we didn’t have a computer for a while...so we never finished those shows...we are working on them, and hoping to slowly but surely get those shows done...they were some GREAT shows that we never released

So there you have it, and so having said that, I don’t want to waste any more time…

JAPW Actions Speak Louder Than Words
1/18/03 Woodbridge, NJ

The tape opens with the same brief ModTrom Productions promo as the other tape that I did from them, so I guess this is standard.  It includes a shout-out from The Living Legend Larry Zbysco.

The show itself begins with a match-by-match run down, complete with promos by some of the combatants.  This segment ends with Balls Mahoney, who ends his promo on Homicide by telling him, “Pray to your God to help you, because my God won’t.”  What a great line!!

After the opening credits, we get…more promos!  Dixie tells Deranged not to give the women watching “the satisfactorly” of hearing his sexy voice.  I’m not really sure what they’re saying in the promo, because I can’t stop counting the piercings in Dixie’s face!  No less than eight, by the way.  The segment continues with a promo from Slyk Wagner Brown w/April Hunter, and I just noticed that a Cypress Hill song is playing in the background…so things are all good!

We finally get a shot of the ring, and the announcers immediately discuss that only Mafia of Da Hit Squad is present…nobody knows the whereabouts of Monsta Mack.  This is the fed’s first event in the Hungarian-American Club, and when we pan the crowd, someone has a sign that reads, “JAPW + Woodbridge = Goodish”.

Skinhead Ivan v. “Explosive” Eddie Thomas v. Corvis Fear w/Church

Ivan is listed on the tape case as Crazy Ivan, but the ring announcer (along with the show announcers) continues to refer to him as Skinhead Ivan, so I will too.  Corvis Fear is the man formerly known as Roach, and he is the last-ever JAPW Student Heavyweight Champion.  Eddie Thomas comes to the ring to Highway To Hell by AC/DC.  Thomas rushes the ring, ducking Clotheslines from each of his opponents, and then coming off the ropes with a Dropkick and a Clothesline, respectively.  Thomas is afire in the early going, but Ivan puts a stop to that.  We are told that Ivan was trained in Berlin, Germany; furthermore Ivan has stated that only purebreds are allowed to train in Berlin.  Ivan coaxes Church into the ring, and receives a Full Nelson Slam for his trouble.  With the big Skinhead down, Thomas and Fear each come off the top with consecutive Frogsplashes.  Fear goes for the cover, but it is broken-up by Thomas, who goes for a Huricanrana, but Fear turns it into a BIG Powerbomb.  Ivan comes off the top with a Flying Elbow to break-up the pin.  Fear gets tossed to the outside, and Thomas is able to come back against Ivan with a Bulldog (running up the turnbuckles a-la Spike Dudley).  Corvis Fear back in the ring, and he eats a Bulldog.  The ref is checking on Ivan in the corner as the big man, Church re-enters the ring.  Thomas goes for the Kick-Wham-Bulldog, but Church holds him up, and then tosses him up in a release-slam of some sort.  The ref turned around before the move, mistakenly thinking that the interference was over, and he comically looked around ringside for something to pay attention to while the illegal move was executed.  Poor ref!  Ivan comes off the ropes with The Gas Chamber (a flipping-Axe Kick), and gets the 1, 2, 3.  Skinhead Ivan picks-up the victory, but Corvis Fear and Church cut his celebration short in the ring.  Ivan quickly bails to the entry ramp as they take their frustrations out on Eddie Thomas.

The Shaolin Wrecking Crew v. The Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz

Apparently these guys have yet to settle their issues from the previous summer!  The Shaolins are announced, and then…nothing.  While waiting, the crowd starts to chant, “Hurry Up!  Hurry Up!”  The music starts, and the ring announcer repeats their intro…at a total combined weight of “well over 600 pounds.”  The DRS come out and get the typical cheap-heat by insulting New Jerseyans (Jerseyites?).  They make their way into the ring, where they pose in the corners to mostly boos, which encourages the Shaolins to rally the crowd…and of course the DRS attack while their backs are turned.  Those guys really are dirty rotten scoundrels!  They get a few punches in, but then when they come off the ropes, the Wrecking Crew catches them with Stereo Spinebusters, followed quickly by two Short-Arm Clotheslines.  Double Clotheslines send both members of the Scoundrelz outside the ring, where they decide that they’ve had enough and start to make their way to the locker room.  Magic brings them back into the ring, and we get our second shot of a female fan in the front row that seems to be enamored by the Scoundrelz.  Some quick tags by the SWC, and Magic hits Negro with a big Crossbody Splash.  1, 2, he pulled him up!  K.C. Blade tags in, and Magic plays the Samoan-Ricky Morton roll.  Some double-team spots by the DRS as the announcers discuss the tag title match later…it is now official, Monsta Mack is not in the building, and Mafia is currently planning to take-on The Solution in a Handicap Tables Match.  The Scoundrelz continue to dominate with quick tags, but the tide seems to turn on a comedy-spot: with Magic standing in the center of the ring, each member of the DRS comes out of the opposite corners with running Vader Splashes, but because Magic is the big Samoan, it takes-out Negro and Blade, and Magic is able to make the tag!  Suma in with a Double Clothesline, and Suma is literally on fire!  Well, maybe not literally!!  Double Suplex, both members of the DRS in the corner, and they do an ambiguously gay spot involving the two of them falling onto one another.  The camera pans the crowd prematurely, expecting the female fan to make her way to ringside, and a few seconds later, she does!  She climbs up onto the apron as Suma hits a Samoan Splash onto both members of the DRS in the corner.  She manages to get Suma’s attention by taking off her jacket, and she lures him out of the ring.  This enables the DRS to double-team Magic and get the surprise Double-Team Roll-Up for the victory.  The young lady celebrates with and walks to the locker room with the Scoundrelz.

Simply Luscious v. April Hunter

While the ring announcer shills the crowd before the introductions, the camera pans the crowd and finds a small group of fans that are all dressed in various XFL gear.  As a football coach, I supported the XFL because I thought that it was an entertaining alternative to the increasingly corporate NFL, but I never managed to get my hands on any of their merchandise.  Simply Luscious comes to the ring, and I forgot that she hails from San Antonio…just minutes from my home!  I also forgot that her ring attire is atrocious!!  A sparkling-blue two-piece, with a long sleeve on one arm, and no sleeve on the other, and then the pants of course have one long leg and one short one.  This is her first appearance in JAPW.  April Hunter makes her way out, and what I forgot about her is that she’s huge!  They exchange slaps in the middle of the ring as the announcers discuss the ramifications of the Slyk Wagner Brown v. Steve Corino match later, considering that Hunter and Luscious are rumored to be romantically involved with each of them.  Hunter gets the action started with a Spear, followed by a big Clothesline.  A crazy Hanging Armbar in the corner looks painful, but she has to break the hold because they are tied-up in the ropes (think an Armbar version of the Tarantula and you’re pretty close).  Hunter climbs to the top, but she takes too long, and Luscious dumps her all the way to the floor.  Luscious follows her out, and takes-over with some punches and chops, followed by a whip allegedly into the ringpost.  Back into the ring, and Luscious remains firmly in control.  Hunter whipped into the corner, and Luscious follows her in, but eats a big boot.  Hunter brings her out of the corner with a modified Armdrag, and after some stiff chops she hits two rolling Snap Suplexes.  1, 2, no.  Hunter can’t believe that didn’t get the three-count, and the moment of distraction was all that Luscious needed to hit a Facebuster out of nowhere for a two-count of her own.  She too argues the ref’s cadence, but maintains control with a Jawbreaker.  Luscious climbs to the top turnbuckle, but she is taking w-a-y too much time, and Hunter brings her out with a big Powerbomb.  1, 2, 3.

Deranged w/Dixie v. The Insane Dragon

I only started buying Indy tapes a little over a year ago, and on that very first purchase (Best o’ the Indies 2001 from RF Video) Dixie and Insane Dragon (who are brothers) were known as Youth Gone Wild, and they were JAPW Tag Team Champs.  In fact, they had two matches on that tape, one a successful defense and in the other they lost the belts to Da Hit Squad.  Somewhere along the lines Dixie and Dragon broke up, and Dragon and Deranged formed the team Wasted Youth.  At the Royal Consequences 2 show, we saw footage of Dixie presumably recruiting Deranged as Dragon walked by.  Now here we are a few months later, and Wasted Youth has gone the way of Youth Gone Wild, and it’s all wrapped up in one match.  Not really, because eventually Dragon will have to face Dixie…hopefully for the JAPW Light Heavyweight Title that Dixie will be defending later tonight.  Now that you’re up to speed, let’s get to it.  Tie-up into a Front Facelock by Deranged…reversed, into the ropes, and a Dropkick sends Deranged out to the floor.  He tries to convince the ref to disqualify Dragon for pulling his bandana that is tied covering his hair.  That’s funny.  They do a neat spot back in the ring when Deranged falls backwards; Dragon grabs his legs and flips him over onto his feet…into a Spinning Enziguiri!  Dragon rolls to the outside, and Deranged comes out with a Springboard Moonsault, going inside in the corner, and flipping over the corner ropes!  That was spot-tastic!  The Bald Guy on commentary rightfully lets the fans have it for chanting “ECW” after the move.  Deranged works Dragon over in the middle of the ring with some kicks to the back, and he obliges the crowd when they chant “One More Time!”  Dragon reverses an Irish Whip, hits an Armdrag as Deranged comes out, then sends him back into the corner, where he gets hung-up momentarily before getting sent crashing into the guardrail at ringside.  Dixie rushes to his side, but then bails when Dragon comes soaring over the ropes in a beautiful Running Moonsault.  The crowd loves it!  For safety’s sake, Dixie really should have stuck around, but Deranged is nothing but a tool to use against his brother to Dixie, and had to be sacrificed.  Back in the ring, and Dragon takes control with a Fugiwara Armbar, until Dixie is able to distract the ref, and then place Deranged’s foot on the ropes.  The tide begins to turn as Deranged locks-in a Figure Four in the center of the ring.  He quickly scoots to the ropes and uses them for leverage.  Dixie also gets involved again (after having already attacked Dragon at ringside several times), by pulling Deranged’s arms back for leverage.  The ref eventually sees what’s going on, and he kicks Deranged’s hands off the ropes, causing him to flip immediately into a Reversal.  Both men to their feet, and Dragon is limping.  Deranged zeros-in on the left leg.  A leglock submission slows things down, and when Dragon reaches the ropes, Dixie smacks his hands away from outside the ring!  The ref didn’t see it, but eventually Dragon makes it to the ropes.  Deranged comes off the opposite ropes, but Dragon Back Body Drops him over the ropes and onto Dixie on the floor.  The announcers just said that Insane Dragon is in fact the #1 Contender to Dixie’s Light Heavyweight Title, so down the road I’ll be looking for that match!  Both men in the ring, and Dragon hits an awesome Flip Kick that looks to practically decapitate Deranged.  That has to be it.  1, 2, Deranged kicks out!  Of course that wasn’t it, or else that kick would’ve had a name!  Dragon hits a high-impact Pancake move, and Dixie gets up on the apron to distract the ref.  Dragon locks-in a Standing Dragon Clutch, which brings the ref in close to check for the submission.  When Dragon drops down into a Downward Spiral, the ref goes down to an errant kick to the crotch.  Dixie slides in the ring, hits a Tornado Elbow on Dragon, enabling Deranged to hit his finisher, the Mad Scientist…a very nice looking running version of the Amazing Red’s Code Red.  1, 2, 3.  Deranged gets the victory in a fantastic match.  Seriously, these guys blew me away with this match.  It was a well-sculpted match that told an ongoing story, and the execution was flawless.  I’m guessing right now that if you find a Best o’ the Indies tape at someplace like RF Video you’ll get to see this match.  I don’t have a thesaurus capable of describing how much I enjoyed this match, as well as the ongoing feud between these three guys…I smell a 3-Way Dance for Dixie’s title in the future!!

Tony Lazaro v. Jay Lethal (champ) for the JAPW TV Title

Lazaro is from Jersey City, and comes to the ring to Smooth by Santana w/Rob Thomas.  Lethal won the title, which is dubbed the ModTrom Title, in December, beating the Aerial Assassin Rain.  Lazaro and Lethal have faced each other twice before with the TV Title on the line, but both matches were 3-Way Dances.  The match starts slowly, with Lazaro disrespecting Lethal by slapping him.  This draws a moderate amount of heat.  Standing Side Headlock by Lazaro, and Lethal pushes him off into the ropes.  Lazaro comes off with a Shoulder Tackle, but Lethal doesn’t budge.  Again with the Shoulder Tackle attempt, with the same results.  Lazaro gets frustrated, and the match breaks down into a slugfest.  Lethal is really laying in the European Uppercuts!  Lazaro is on spaghetti legs, and Lethal comes off the ropes with a Big Boot…ducked by Lazaro, who goes for a Big Boot of his own, which is also ducked.  Then both men come off of the ropes from opposite sides, and…you guessed it!!  Matching Big Boots, and both men are down!  Both men are up by the count of five, and again slugging it out in the middle of the ring.  Lethal ends that with a Belly-to-Belly, but Lazaro catches him with a Low Blow, and a kick to the head gets two.  Off the ropes, but Lethal reverses with a Short-Arm Clothesline, and another.  Oriental Scorpion submission move applied, but he’s caught in the bottom rope and has to break the hold.  Lethal is in firm control when he goes for a German Suplex from the top turnbuckle, but somehow he winds-up tying himself to the Tree o’ Woe, and Lazaro flips over and lands on his feet.  Lazaro quickly takes advantage of the situation with a couple of running kicks, and then brings Lethal out for a two-count.  The crowd is yelling “Two!” after each pin attempt, and whenever it is Lazaro going for the pin he argues with them, yelling “Three!”  I’m sure that it’s much more entertaining to watch than it is to read about, but I’ll save my shilling for ModTrom Video till later!  On with the match…Lethal whipped into the corner, and Lazaro follows him in with a Shoulder Tackle.  1, 2, no.  Lethal comes back, and brings Lazaro from the top with a Superplex.  Both men are down, and the crowd counts along with the ref.  Both men up at nine, and Lethal takes over first with a Brainbuster, then with Rolling Dragon Suplexes.  He turns the third suplex into a Surfboard-like maneuver that he calls the Lethal Injection 2…for the three count.  The champ retains in an excellent match that really had the crowd fired-up and having fun.

Slyk Wagner Brown w/April Hunter v. Steve Corino in a #1 Contender’s Match

I’m not ashamed to say that I am a mark for Steve Corino, but after seeing Brown’s match against Mike Quackenbush on the previous tape, I was really looking forward to seeing the blow-off to their feud.  C’est la vie, I guess!  Brown gets in the camera to tell us that if Corino is the King o’ Old School, then he (Brown) is the King o’ New School.  The fans chant “Old School”, and there’s the bell.  Brown has a twenty-pound weight advantage, and is much more chiseled than Corino.  We are told that Corino is the Zero-One U.S. Champion, and he has a nice looking yin-yang on the back of his tights.  Appropriately, Corino starts the match focusing on the left leg with some stiff kicks.  Corino locks-in a Figure Four, but Brown makes it to the ropes.  Brown goes out to ringside, and the ref begins to count.  The crowd is counting along, and at nine Brown slides halfway in to break the count, but stays outside.  Now that’s some heel heat!  As the ref (and fans) begin to count again, Brown gets down on the floor and starts doing Push-Ups along with the count!  He finally makes it back into the ring at about seven.  He wastes no time, locking-in a Side Headlock, but Corino turns the tide off the ropes, enabling himself the opportunity to hit a Swinging Neckbreaker, followed by a Clothesline that sends Brown over the top rope and down to the floor.  Corino comes out after him with a Baseball Slide Dropkick, but Brown sidesteps, and slams Corino into the guardrail…Corino’s left hand is heavily taped, and he was slammed into the guardrail left arm first.  They brawl outside briefly, and Corino is holding his left wrist.  Naturally, Brown focuses his attack there as we go back into the ring.  Shades of Arn Anderson as Brown hits a Single-Arm DDT.  Corino draped across the middle rope, and as Brown distracts the ref April Hunter finally makes herself known.  That brings Simply Luscious out from the locker room.  Corino off the ropes, but they both go for Clotheslines, and both men are down.  Corino takes Brown into the corner, but after two kicks he starts to waste time by asking the crowd if he should go for a third.  Brown dodges the kick, and takes Corino down with a Tilt-A-Whirl Slam.  Corino takes over with a Powerslam that gets two, followed by a Brainbuster that also gets two, and Corino is obviously flustered.  Hunter comes into the ring, and she and Brown whip Corino into the ropes, but he ducks the Double Clothesline.  Luscious trips-up Hunter from the outside, and Corino connects with a kick to the gut on Brown, and he locks both of them up, and drops down connecting with a Stunner for April Hunter, and a DDT for Slyk Wagner Brown.  He calls for the Old School Expulsion, and connects with it, but Hunter pulls the ref out of the ring.  Luscious chases her back to the locker room, which distracts Corino enough to allow Brown to hit his finisher, the Slyk Slam.  1, 2, Corino kicks out!  Kick-Wham-Death Valley Driver, and your winner is Steve Corino, the NEW #1 Contender to the JAPW Title.

Dixie (champ) w/Deranged v. Aerial Assassin Rain for the JAPW Light Heavyweight Title

Dixie comes to the ring to Name of The Game by Crystal Method, a great choice because the vocals start with, “Listen-up you mother fuckers!”  Dixie has held the Light Heavyweight Title for eleven consecutive months, a JAPW record.  This is Rain’s fifth title shot at either the Light Heavyweight or the TV belt.  Dixie takes control of the match early, and Rain finally gets in a Spinning Heel Kick, but it does little to slow the champ down.  Rain is holding his back early in the match, but he is able to reverse a whip into the corner, and hits a Shoulder Block into a Huricanrana to bring him out.  Rain’s offensive flurry is short-lived, but after Dixie regains control, he wastes time taunting the crowd.  Side Headlock by Dixie, sent into the ropes, and it looks like they were both going for Flying Forearms.  At any rate, the result is that they are both down.  They both make it to their feet by seven or eight, and after an I-block-your-punch-then-you-block-mine sequence, Dixie is able to hit his Tornado Elbow out of nowhere.  He wastes time before making the cover, and Rain is easily able to kick out.  Dixie quickly locks in a Camel Clutch, but Rain is able to get to his feet and drops into a Stunner-like maneuver that he calls the Assassinator.  The champ kicks out at two and a-half.  Rain sent outside, where Deranged lays in a few punches while Dixie distracts the referee.  Insane Dragon comes out from the back, watching the match from the ramp.  Dixie begins to argue with his brother at ringside, and when Deranged on the opposite side of the ring distracts the ref, Dragon connects with a kick to the head from the apron.  Dixie staggers backwards into a Full Nelson Dragon Suplex by Rain.  Up to the top for a 450 Splash, 1, 2, and 3!!  The Aerial Assassin Rain is YOUR new JAPW Light Heavyweight Champion!  His celebration is short-lived, however, as the TV champ Jay Lethal comes out to challenge Rain for a Title v. Title match at the next event in Woodbridge.

“The Ugandan Headhunter” Kamala v. Jerry “The King” Lawler

As a youngster I was a huge mark for Kamala.  I haven’t seen him in anything in many years; so let’s see what he’s got these days.  Lawler did little to impress me in the ring on the last tape (a person’s offense should consist of more than one Dropkick, one Bodyslam and seventy punches before the Piledriver, don’t you think?).  Kamala comes to the ring first, and with the make-up and everything, he doesn’t seem to have aged at all!  In fact, if I had to guess, I’d say he’s actually thinner than I remember.  The King takes his time getting to the ring, seemingly intimidated by the Ugandan.  We are told that Lawler defeated Kamala in 1982 for the AWA Southern Heavyweight Title, and then again beat him twice for the USWA Unified World Title.  The history lesson continues, as we are told that Kamala debuted in ’82 in the mid-south area, and his first feud ever was against Jerry Lawler.  The match starts with lots of stalling, and when Lawler asks for a Test o’ Strength, the ref has to instruct Kamala in what to do!  Kamala gets the best of that, but Lawler breaks the hold by stomping on his bare feet.  Lawler lands a Dropkick, and then bails out of the ring when Kamala goes nuts over being taken off his feet.  Back in, and Lawler gets a Side Headlock, but Kamala picks him up for a big Slam.  After a couple more Bodyslams, the King again bails.  You know, I realize that these guys are old, and tickets are being sold just for their presence and not for their ring-work, but we are more than five minutes into this match and they are still doing opening sequences.  Another flurry by Kamala sends Lawler outside, and Kamala climbs the turnbuckles.  The ref tries to stop him from leaping to the floor, while the crowd chants, “Jump! Jump! Jump!”  Both men go outside, briefly, where Kamala introduces Lawler’s head to the ringpost.  They come back in, and a Back Kick from Kamala sends Lawler down.  Kamala goes for the big Splash, but Lawler moves out of the way.  Both men to their feet, and Lawler pulls the shoulder strap of his singlet down, which seems to be his own version of “Hulking up”.  Punch, punch, punch, but he can’t get the big man off his feet.  Lawler comes off the ropes with a punch that knocks Kamala down, allowing Lawler to come off the top with a Flying Fist.  1, 2, 3.  Wow.  I didn’t think it was possible to have a match that utilized less wrasslin’ moves than Lawler used against Corino at the Royal Consequences 2 show, but after seeing this match against Kamala, I realize that I was wrong…but like I said, these guys are on the card to sell tickets to the WWE fans that have never seen an indy show, so I am not going to hold a grudge against them for the lack of workrate.  Besides, it’s good to see that Kamala can still get work!!

Mafia w/Johnny D v. The Solution v. The Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz in a Tables Match for the JAPW Tag Team Titles

OK, here’s the story that is going on...because Monsta Mac has suffered an injury and therefore cannot compete, JAPW has stripped Da Hit Squad of the tag belts.  So the ring announcer tells us that the belts will be on the line in a match between the #1 and #2 contenders.  The Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz enter first, as they are the #2 contenders.  The Solution are the #1 contenders, and come to the ring to a Rage Against The Machine song.  The match gets underway between the DRS and The Solution, but when they tie-up, Da Hit Squad’s music comes on, and Mafia and Johnny D come to ringside.  Mafia’s got the mic, and if anything is going to go down regarding the tag straps, Mafia intends to be involved.  Just like that and we have a Handicap 3-Way Dance.  Mafia clears the ring quickly, and already the crowd is chanting “We Want Tables!”  Both The Solution and the DRS come in the ring and quadruple-team against Mafia, hitting him with a 4-way version of the Dudley Death Drop.  That was nice.  Each team goes for a pinfall, only to be pulled off by someone on the other team.  Mafia takes a powder outside the ring, and things breakdown between the DRS and the Solution.  “Let’s Go Mafia!” chant when he comes back in only to be double-teamed by the Solution.  E.C. Negro has Havoc (one member of the Solution) in the corner, but when Negro charges, he gets Back Body Dropped over the turnbuckles and actually lands on the top of the ringpost!  Jesus, that looked like it hurt!  Mafia is decimating Negro’s partner in the opposite corner, but when he steps out, Havoc takes him down with a Spear (or if you prefer, a GOAR! GOAR! GOAR!)  Havoc sets-up the first table, setting it up leaning in the corner where K.C. Blade is lying against the bottom turnbuckle…if someone goes through it, Blade is positioned under the table!  The Solution double-team to whip Mafia into the table in the corner, and sure enough Mafia goes through the table and then into Blade.  They score a 2-count on Mafia while K.C. Blade remains lifeless in the corner.  The Solution pull Blade out and go for the pinfall, but Negro is ready, and connects with a Baseball Slide Dropkick to break-up the count.  I still can’t get over that wicked table spot.  Oh, and if you were wondering (like I was) why Mafia wasn’t eliminated after going through the table, the announcers just said that the first team to score a pinfall will be the winners.  So I guess the Tables Match moniker just means that tables will be used.  Negro clears house against the Solution, and then goes out to get another table.  Negro sets the table up in the corner, but Havoc of the Solution grabs him for a Piledriver in front of the table.  Out of nowhere Mafia hits a Spear while Negro is being held in the Piledriver position, sending both of them into the table.  Surprisingly, the table bends but does not break under the pressure of more than 600 lbs crashing into it!  That seems to have infuriated Mafia, and he leans Negro against the table on his stomach.  Running start from corner to corner, and Mafia hits a big Spear, sending Negro through the table, and bending him backwards in a sickening visual.  The ref and Johnny D. quickly roll Negro out of the ring as the crowd chants, “Holy Shit!”  Deservedly so!  Blade comes in and tries to sneak a victory by going for the pin against Mafia, but one of the Solution breaks it up.  Miraculously, Negro is back in the ring less than a minute after being bent backwards through the table.  Mafia concentrates his attack there by hitting Negro with Knife-Edge Chops to the back as he tries to walk away!  Negro is positioned in the corner, hanging from the Tree o’ Woe, and when Blade charges, Mafia Back Body Drops him into his own partner in the corner!  Negro is again positioned on the top turnbuckle by Mafia, who brings him off with a Super Kabashi-Plex (that’s what the announcer called it, and I don’t know where that name comes from, but it looked to be a Head-n-Arm Suplex).  I am amazed at the amount of punishment that Negro has sustained in this match…and he’s already competed once earlier tonight!  I’m really turning around to the DRS in this one match…having only seen them once before, I considered them to be little more than comedic relief, but Negro at least is winning me over!  Papa Don (the other member of the Solution) breaks-up the pinfall attempt by Mafia, and then hits him with a DDT onto a fragment of broken table in the ring!  1, 2, no!  Mafia kicked out!  Papa Don and Mafia are alone in the ring, but when Don goes for a pin, he abandons the attempt in favor of going after the DRS outside the ring.  That was the wrong move, as they are waiting for him and they Clothesline him with a table as he slides under the ringropes.  DRS double-team him at ringside, and then bring another table into the ring.  They position Havoc for a combo DVD/Tornado DDT with one of the DRS holding him in the DVD position while the other leaps from the ropes with the DDT…and if that isn’t extreme enough, they do the move onto the table!  I don’t know where JAPW gets their tables, but this one doesn’t break either!!  The fans undeservedly shower them with a “You Fucked Up!” chant…I say undeservedly because the move looked flawless, so unless they are chanting at the table, I think they should shut up!  Negro sent out, as Havoc sets the table up in the middle of the ring, and he sends Mafia through it with a Powerslam.  1, 2, Mafia kicks out!  Both members of the DRS are sent outside the ring along with Papa Don, and Havoc is isolated in the ring against Mafia, who is getting to his feet.  Havoc goes for a Scoop Slam, but Mafia rolls him up…1, 2, 3!  Mafia has defied all the rules, and Da Hit Squad have become the Six-Time Tag Team Champions!

Balls Mahoney v. Homicide (champ) in a Street Fight for the JAPW Heavyweight Title

Balls comes to the ring with a chair and a trash can full of weapons.  He searches under the ring, collecting more chairs and various items of destruction.  By the way, I might as well get this out of the way now…I met Balls Mahoney (along with Sal E. Graziano, Chilly Willy and New Jack) at a gas station after an ECW event once while living in Wisconsin.  It’s a great story that I don’t have time to get into at this time, but if you want me to tell it, email me and I will fill you in…it’s a fun story!  Homicide rushes the ring, throwing the belt down, and we are under way.  They brawl in and around the ring, and with all the punches and trashcan lid shots, there is very little to call until Balls grabs a beer from one of the fans and pastes Homicide with it.  The finally make their way back into the ring, and Balls is already busted open in the early going of the match.  Homicide takes over, and we are told that Homicide defeated Winger for the Big Japan Cruiserweight Title the previous November.  Balls up, and he has two cookie sheets that he uses for a Con-Cookiesheet-O, followed by a Big Legdrop onto the cookie sheets on Homicide’s face.  I wouldn’t say that this match has been all Balls Mahoney, but it’s been pretty close.  Homicide rushes out of the corner, but Mahoney catches him with a Powerslam.  A kick to the gut by Homicide is enough to send Balls outside, but when Homicide leaps from the apron to the ramp with a chairshot to Mahoney’s head, the Hardcore Chair Swingin’ Freak is unfazed.  Balls invites Homicide to hit him again, and he does with an absolutely wicked shot to the head!  Mahoney is on wobbly legs, but again challenges Homicide to swing the chair.  This time Balls finally falls forward in a Flair Flop on the ramp.  Homicide positions Mahoney seated in the chair on the ramp (which is elevated about a foot below the level of the ring), and comes running off the ropes with a Suicide Senton through the ropes and onto Mahoney on the chair on the ramp!  Balls falls over to his side, and actually falls into the crowd.  Homicide gathers together remnants of two tables from the previous match as Balls crawls slowly back to the ring.  Whip into the corner sends Mahoney through one of the table fragments, as Homicide pulls a fork from his boot.  He pulls Balls into the ropes facing the entryway so that the camera can get in nice and close as he digs the fork into Mahoney’s already bloody forehead.  Repeated shots to the head with the fork, but Balls is able to come back off the ropes with a series of punches, followed by a big Spinebuster.  Mahoney is a bloody mess as he climbs to the top and comes off with a Frogsplash.  That only gets two however, and Balls hits him with a Piledriver before climbing back to the top for a Moonsault.  Homicide rolls out of the way, however, and nobody is able to get a clear advantage as they reverse one-another’s moves until Balls finally hits a Side Suplex.  He is too spent to go for the cover, though.  Balls brings the trashcan back into the ring, where Homicide still hasn’t moved.  Balls goes for a slam onto the trashcan, but Homicide reverses it into a Belly-to-Belly Suplex.  Mahoney is down as Homicide grabs chairs from out of the audience, and goes under the ring for more plunder…and what do you know, he found a piece of plywood that is covered in barbed wire!  Now that’s what this match needs, more Japanese hardcore influence!  Homicide creates a pile in the middle of the ring with the chairs and remnants of tables (and a hubcap!), but Balls reverses a slam and connects with the Nutcracker Suite piledriver onto the pile of foreign objects!  Balls goes for the cover, but Homicide gets his foot on the bottom rope.  Uh oh, Balls has noticed the barbed wire.  He leans it against the second turnbuckle, but Homicide avoids it.  Homicide positions the board in the middle of the ring, and brings Balls out of the corner with a Tornado DDT onto the barbed wire!  Homicide gets a two-count as I notice a big piece of Mahoney’s hair hanging from the barbed wire.  Balls is up as Homicide again repositions the barbed wire, but Mahoney connects with a Side Kick, sending Homicide falling backwards onto it!  Balls again climbs to the top, but Homicide crotches him there and brings him off with a Superplex onto the barbed wire…1, 2, 3!!  The champ retains, and immediately Slyk Wagner Brown hits the ring and attacks Homicide.  Balls gets to his feet and takes Homicide out with a chairshot.  Balls collects two non-folding chairs from the crowd, and Brown uses them to support the board covered in barbed wire.  Balls with a Powerbomb onto the barbed wire, breaking the board in the process, and Brown (who has been feuding with Homicide for many weeks we are told) badmouths the champ in the middle of the ring.  The ref tries to break things up, and receives a Nutcracker Suite for his trouble.

Homicide and the ref are still down in the ring as the fans begin to exit the arena, and we fade to a few replays from some of the highspots…I’m using the term highspot loosely, as Lawler’s Flying Fist is included.  Ha ha!  We get some footage backstage after the event, where it appears that Homicide and Mafia have made-off with Corino’s bag…hey, there’s Rob Feinstein!  Mafia takes Corino’s bag into the men’s room.  Thankfully, the camera does not follow him in, and the tape ends with Homicide saying to Corino (in the camera), “That’s what you get when you mess with me, Steve.  You get shitted on.”

… And we are out at just over three hours.

If you have been debating whether or not to buy a tape from an indy fed, I don’t think you can go wrong with this tape.  It has enough big names that you will recognize, and at least one match involving guys you’ve never seen that will blow you away.  Deranged v. Insane Dragon was phenomenal, and I hope that the ongoing feud between Dragon, Dixie and Deranged will now involve Rain now that he is in possession of the JAPW Light Heavyweight Title!  I’m thinking maybe a tag match that would involve tension between the heels, followed by a 4-Corners match.  I’m getting waaay ahead of myself, however.  In fact, ModTrom has released a couple of more recent shows since this one from January, and so you can go to their website right now and see what kinds of matches have transpired from this feud.  I haven’t seen much of Jay Lethal, but he seems like a decent enough TV Champ.  As for the two main events, well, I am beginning to believe the hype about Da Hit Squad.  They set the crowd on fire similarly to how the Dudleys did way back in the day at the ECW Arena.  Like Jay Lethal, I had only seen Homicide once or twice before this tape, and so I didn’t really know what to expect.  I was aware that he has spent a lot of time working in Japan, but I had no idea that he was going to be bringing the kind of plunder that he did to the ring!  Except for before and after the show itself, there were no promos, which is the only thing that I would’ve asked for.  I like to see a promo or two before matches to help set-up the story.  But that doesn’t really matter in the long run…besides, what should I have expected from a show called Actions Speak Louder Than Words!!  I give this tape my highest recommendation.

Well, I am now taking a brief hiatus from writin’ about wrasslin’.  I’m pretty stoked for the Folk Music Festival in particular; it is an 18-day event, and last year we went to one day.  This year we are going for 3 days and nights, which includes camping…and there’s also a canoe trip Friday morning!  As for what you can expect from me, wrasslin’ tape-wise upon my return, I have next to no idea.  You see, I gave Amey a list of twelve different tapes that I found that I’d be interested in checking-out (complete with a brief description of what is on each tape), and she has chosen four tapes from two different feds…but I won’t find out what they are until my birthday in two weeks!

PEACE

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