BG Says: FIP Florida Rumble 2006

It’s time to celebrate two years of FIP reviews written by myself! Apparantly people are still reading them, which is enough of a reason to celebrate for me. Let’s hope the show is a good one!

December 16, 2006 – Inverness, Florida

When we last left FIP
Larry Sweeney debuted as an ally of the Heartbreak Express and defeated Jerrelle Clark in his first match. Richards defeated Bryan Danielson to earn a shot at the FIP Heavyweight Championship and Roderick Strong defended that championship against Steve Madison. After the title match Erick Stevens challenged Madison to a Dog Collar match and Seth Delay challenged Sal Rinauro to a TLC Match. Finally, the Black Market ended their feud with the Heartbreak Express by defeated them in the Cage of Pain.

Jonathan Gold handles ringside announcements and Lenny Leonard is joined by Dave Prazak in the mobile studio. When Prazak is otherwise occupied Jake Cerone takes over commentary duties. That’s probably a closer spelling of his last name than the one I tried last time.

Before the Florida Rumble can start the YRR comes out for a gab session. Chasyn Rance gets to introduce the group and Kenny King complains about the upcoming gimmick matches that Steve Madison and Sal Rinauro have been booked in. Daffney takes a few shots at Allison Danger, which draws out the Dangerous Angel. Danger challenges Daffney to a match for later on.

This is an 11 man Royal Rumble style match. The order of elimination determines the matches that will occur for the rest of the night and the winner gets a title shot later on in the evening. Davey Richards is #1 and Delirious is number 2. They lock up and Richards grabs a headlock. They psych each other out before Richards kicks Delirious’s rump. Austin Aries is #3. Aries and Delirious double-team Richards as you would imagine would come from DP. Aries hits a bodyslam and Delirious follows suit. They climb opposite corners and hit Richards with double axe handles. Seth Delay is #4. He comes off the top with a crossbody onto Delirious and Aries. Aries goes to the eyes to cut off his momentum but he comes back with a dropkick to both Aries and Delirious. Aries hits Delay with a dropkick in the corner and Delirious follows up with a double stomp. Out of nowhere Delirious dumps Aries to the floor, eliminating him. Richards hits Delirious with a dropkick. Gran Akuma is #5. Delirious hits Richards with a back suplex as Akuma works Delay over in the corner. Aries sneakily rings the bell and Delirious predictably goes insane and eliminates himself from the match. That’s pretty great. Aries then quits DP Associates and reminds Delirious that the structure of the show means they’ll be facing each other tonight. Hallowicked is #6. Hallowicked goes right after Akuma, running through a little lucha sequence. He hits Richards with a hurricanrana and tries to eliminate him. Delay and Akuma set Hallowicked up top and hit him with a double superplex as Richards powerbombs them down. Larry Sweeney is #7. He hangs out on the floor while the other four beat each other up in the ring. Bryan Danielson is #8. Sweeney finally gets in the ring and goes after Richards. Richards comes back with a backdrop. Danielson’s first order of business is eliminating Richards. He puts an abdominal stretch on Gran Akuma but releases to put it on Seth Delay. Jerrelle Clark is #9. Clark goes right after Sweeney, hitting a dropkick but getting caught with a Manhattan drop. Danielson puts a sleeper hold on Akuma and tosses him to Sweeney who eliminates him. Sweeney and Danielson hit a double back bodydrop on Delay and toss him to the floor. They hit a double atomic drop on Clark and eliminate him. Colt Cabana is #10. Cabana goes after Danielson and Sweeney right away. Danielson misses a clothesline and Cabana elbows him to the floor. Erick Stevens is #11, rounding things out. Everyone tries to eliminate Sweeney but he sticks like glue to the ropes. Stevens rushes Sweeney and ends up on the apron. Cabana knocks Sweeney into Stevens, eliminating him. Sweeney puts Cabana on the floor and then sets his sights on Hallowicked. He hits a pancake and tosses Hallowicked over the ropes. Sweeney thinks he’s won but Hallowicked holds on and goes on the offensive. He hits a backdrop and tosses Sweeney over the ropes. Sweeney holds on but Hallowicked hits him with a big boot to send him to the floor for good and win the match at 17:54. I never saw the second annual Florida Rumble, but this was worlds better than the first one.
Rating: ***

After the match Strong comes out and taunts Hallowicked. He puts over the FIP fans until Davey Richards walks out. Richards challenges Strong for the title again. Strong gives him his shot… this Friday at the ROH show. Richards should be happy, but attacks Strong anyway. The entire babyface roster runs out to break it up.

VS.
Logic would dictate Aries and Delirious would have their match first, but FIP is about “Anything Goes,” not logic. They lock up and Clark hits a shoulder tackle. He hits a pair of armdrags but Delay comes back with one of his own. They both go for dropkicks and nip up but the YRR runs out and beats both guys down. The match ends in a no-contest at 1:16. Ahh, that’s why this match went on first. Daffney calls Danger out for their match.
Rating: DUD

VS.
Daffney attacks Danger while the YRR are still in the ring. Danger blocks a blind charge and hits a clothesline. She tosses Daffney around the ring by her hair but Sal Rinauro trips her from the floor. Daffney rolls her up with a handful of tights for the win at 1:36. Two matches under two minutes in a row, not the greatest thing as far as I’m concerned.
Rating: ¼*

After the match the YRR keep beating on Danger until the Black Market makes the save. Prazak comes back out and tells the Black Market that they’ll be facing DP Associate Shingo and new import Osamu Nishimura.

VS.
Nishimura and Machete start. Machete gets a headlock takedown. Shingo and Murphy tag in and lock up. Murphy overpowers Shingo, frustrating the Dragon Gate star. Machete tags in and goes after the arm. Murphy tags in and hits a bodyslam for 2. Machete tags in and goes back to the arm. He hits a back elbow and tags to Murphy. Black Market hits a double shoulder tackle and Murphy hits an elbowdrop for 2. Machete tags in and hits a bodyslam. Milo Beasley trips him up and Nishimura beats him on the floor. Nishimura attacks Machete’s leg and rolls him back into the ring. Shingo stays on the leg and chokes Machete with a Japanese flag. Nishimura tags in and works over Machete’s leg in the corner. He puts on a leglock and tags to Shingo. They make a wish and Shingo hits a back elbow. Machete fights back and gets a sunset flip for 2. Shingo goes back to the leg to cut him off. He hits a legdrop on Machete’s leg and puts on a toehold. Nishimura tags in and puts on a Mutalock. He slams Machete’s knee against the mat and hits a European uppercut. He hits a shinbreaker and climbs the ropes. He goes for a kneedrop onto Machete’s leg but Machete dodges it and tags to Murphy. Murphy cleans house with bodyslams as the YRR appears on the stage. Murphy gets distracted and Nishimura catches him with a backslide for the win at 10:35. Machete is no Ricky Morton and this match was pretty much just there.
Rating: **¼

VS.
Sweeney introduces his friends the Heartbreak Express before the match so that they can save face on the microphone after losing Cage of Pain the night before. Sweeney stalls to start. They lock up and Cabana flusters Sweeney. He puts on a spinning toehold and goes low. Sweeney tries to return the favor but Cabana attacks his thumbs in defense. Sweeney puts on a nerve hold but Cabana tickles him to escape. Cabana puts on the bodyscissors and slams him rump to the mat repeatedly. Cabana continues to focus on Sweeney’s tush and hits a big hiptoss. Phil and Sean trip Cabana and Sweeney hits him with a stun gun. He covers Cabana for 2 who inadvertently hits a low blow when kicking out. He hits a kneelift and a pair of fistdrops for 2. He Garvin stomps Cabana all over and takes down his straps. Cabana comes back with a roll up for 2. He hits a bionic elbow and the Flying Asshole. He hits a lariat for 2. Sweeney bails but Cabana slingshots him in. Cabana gets distracted with the Davises and Lacey runs in to low blow him. Sweeney takes advantage with a forearm to the back and an elbow off the top for the win at 11:56. This had some fun comedy and cute throwback moments as well as some decent wrestling throughout.
Rating: **½

VS.
Delirious’s post-bell antics are borderline stalling here. They lock up and fight over a wristlock. Aries hits a dropkick to gain control and follows up with his elbow out of the corner. Delirious bails so Aries follows him out with the Heat Seeking Missile, taking Beasley out in the process. He beats Delirious on the floor and rolls him back into the ring. Delirious catches Aries with a neckbreaker onto the middle rope, sending him back to the floor. He rakes Aries’s back and slams his head into a chair. Back in the ring Aries gets a sunset flip for 2. Delirious counters the crucifix bomb to a slam for 2. He puts on a camel clutch and pokes Aries’s eyes. He kicks Aries’s back for 2. He hits a back suplex for 2. He dropkicks Aries into the turnbuckle but Aries dodges the Panic Attack. Aries hits a series of clotheslines from the apron and an elbow off the top for 2. He hangs Delirious on the top rope and then hits a slingshot splash for 2. He hits a Lionsault for 2. Prazak distracts Aries on the apron and Delirious hits the Panic Attack for 2. Aries comes back with the corner dropkick for 2. He climbs the ropes but Prazak shoves him down. Delirious uses the distraction to put on the Cobra Stretch. Aries gets his foot on the bottom rope but Prazak shoves it off. Aries is forced to tap at 11:48. Really good stuff all around here. Everyone played their rolls well and Aries now has a meaningful reason to dislike DP Associates.
Rating: ***

VS.
Akuma looked a lot smaller before he lost his mask, but with a face like his I’m not surprised he wore it as long as he did. They knuckle up and Richards grabs a wristlock. He hits the shoulder kick but Akuma comes back with a headlock. Richards hits an overhead suplex and then kicks Akuma down for 2. He puts on a headlock and hits a back suplex for 2. He rams Akuma’s back into the corner and hits a kneedrop to the back. He hits a snap bodyslam and a kneedrop for 2. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special but Akuma gets to the ropes. Richards lays in some more kicks for 2. He hits a snap suplex for 2. He goes back to the headlock and hits a hammerlock legsweep. Why doesn’t he do all this cool stuff in ROH? He hits a series of armbreakers but Akuma comes back with kicks to the chest. Akuma slams Richards’s knees to the mat and hits a buzzsaw kick for 2. Richards hits a chinbreaker but Akuma comes back with an octopus stretch. Richards slowly but surely walks to the ropes to escape. Akuma hits a bodyslam and climbs the ropes. Richards cuts him off and hits a superplex for 2. Akuma blocks a blind charge but walks into a hurricanrana. Richards hits a running forearm and an exploder for 2. Akuma gets a roll up for 2 despite the fact that Richards’s shoulders weren’t down. He unloads with kicks but Richards catches him with a DDT. He puts on 14:59 and Akuma taps at 8:24. It was a little short and the finish was rather abrupt, but the match was a lot of fun while it lasted.
Rating: ***¼

VS.
This is a big test for Stevens. Danielson starts things off with a waistlock but Stevens gets to the ropes. Danielson puts on a headlock but can’t take Stevens down with a shoulder tackle without taking himself down as well. Danielson tries to psych Stevens out with his ‘40s grappler shtick but Stevens throws it back in his face and knocks him down. Stevens grabs a headlock and hits a hiptoss. Danielson bails and regroups with Prazak. Stevens suplexes him back into the ring for 2. He knocks Danielson across the ring with a forearm and gets a headlock takedown. Danielson shoots Stevens to the floor and into Beasley’s chair. Beasley dives onto him from the apron, knocking him out of the chair. Danielson follows Stevens out and chokes him on the barricade. Back in the ring Danielson hits a headbutt. He hits a kneedrop for 2. Stevens comes back with a sunset flip for 2. Danielson chokes him on the middle rope but ends up crotching himself on it. Stevens kicks the rope so Danielson stomps on his hand. Danielson shoves Stevens to the floor again where Prazak and Beasley beat him up. Back in the ring Danielson gets 2. He puts on a chinlock and blocks a sunset flip by sitting on Stevens’s chest for 2. He climbs the ropes but misses the diving headbutt. Stevens hits the choo-choo avalanche and a backdrop. He hits a lariat for 2. He climbs the ropes but Prazak grabs his foot and Danielson slams him to the mat. Danielson gets a sunset flip for 2. Stevens reverses it for 2. They go back and forth that way until Prazak grabs Stevens’s foot again. Danielson pins Stevens with his feet on the ropes but the referee catches it. Danielson hits a double axe handle off the second rope for 2. He hits another for 2. Stevens blocks a third and hits the TKO. Prazak distracts the referee and Stevens long enough for Beasley to pass Danielson some brass knuckles. Danielson hits Prazak with them by mistake and Stevens forces him to hit himself with them before hitting the gutwrench powerbomb for the win at 15:15. The match started a little slow but the second half was a great comeback story for Stevens and the finish was fantastic.
Rating: ***½

After the match the YRR attack Stevens in full force. Steve Madison gets on the microphone and lets Stevens know that before he can get to the dog collar match he’ll have to go through “The Gun for Hire” Brent Albright. Black Market, Jerrelle Clark, Seth Delay and Allison Danger make the save. Machete challenges the YRR to an 8-man tag for tonight.

VS.
They lock up and Strong puts on a wristlock. Hallowicked gets a roll up for 1. Strong comes back with a chop to the exposed area of Hallowicked’s back. Hallowicked does what you’d expect any CHIKARA wrestler to do; armdrags. He rolls Strong up for 1. Strong goes back to the arm so Hallowicked goes to the ropes. Strong counters a sunset flip attempt to a backbreaker in the best moment of the night so far. He hits another backbreaker and shoots Hallowicked to the floor. He throws beer on Hallowicked and rolls him back into the ring. He hits an elbowdrop for 2. He puts on the leggy nelson and rolls Hallowicked up for 2. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. He hits a slingshot suplex for 2. He kicks Hallowicked’s face for 2. He ties Hallowicked up and gets a crucifix pin for 2. He hits a fall away slam for 2. He puts on a hammerlock but Hallowicked comes back with a neckbreaker. Hallowicked hits a few chops and a hurricanrana. He hits a side Russian legsweep and climbs the ropes. Strong cuts him off but Hallowicked shoves him to the mat and hits a senton for 2. Strong hits a chinbreaker and an enziguiri. He hits the uranage backbreaker for 2. Hallowicked gets a sunset flip for 2. He gets a roll up for 2. He gets another roll up for 2. Strong hits a German suplex into the corner and the Sick Kick for 2. Hallowicked hits the Rydien Bomb for 2. Strong hits the gutbuster and the tiger driver for the win at 12:24. They mostly just threw big moves at each other the entire match, but nobody can say it wasn’t entertaining.
Rating: ***