Colling It In The Ring Reviews: CZW Cage of Death IV 12/14/2002

Combat Zone Wrestling presents Cage of Death IV
Date: 12/14/2002
From: Philadelphia, PA

Lobo cut a promo saying that he owns Zandig and owns his company. Lobo has paperwork saying that the contract he signed is void. Z-Barr enters the picture with some paperwork for the electricity and whatnot. Lobo is just signing the stuff and Z-Barr leaves. Lobo tells Zandig he lost his chance to get his company back. Lobo is not going to be in Cage of Death.

Zandig cut a promo after a short workout video. He remembers Lobo being his first student and says he made Lobo. Zandig has a poster for the first show on February 13th 1999. Zandig notes that only a few people are still in the company. John is pissed that Lobo doesn’t workout and instead spends time with his girlfriend and works his real job. They aren’t friends anymore. The workout video is rather humorous.

Lobo and his army open the show and it looks like Lobo causes something to blow up right in his face. Rockin’ Rebel has a microphone and announces that there will not be a Cage of Death this year. Lobo has recovered and states what Rebel just said. Lobo shows footage from earlier in the day. The footage reveals that Zandig was attacked by Lobo and his army. They tossed him into a loading truck and locked it up. Zandig was talking to a group of people so this is flawed. The video continues with Zandig being held by the army as Zandig has light tubs broken over his head. Lobo wants Zandig to sign papers but Zandig continues to refuse to sign anything. They are beating him up in a ring and toss him through a barbed wire table. Lobo has the contract and is trying to get Zandig to sign but he won’t. Zandig is sent into another barbed wire table. Zandig is screaming for Wifebeater to help him but no one is there. Jesus Christ, they have Zandig hanging on fish hooks. They force Zandig to sign the contract. That was just too much. Back live, Lobo is sure that Zandig isn’t going to show up. Naturally, Zandig shows up and bloody mess. Zandig says the contract is invalid and it means nothing. Zandig has a contract by Z-Barr, but Barr swerves Zandig and rips the contract! Zandig says that Adam Flash too care of some business. Flash is the real snake and screwed over Lobo! The contract is hung over the cage.

Opening Contest: Lobo vs. John Zandig in a Cage of Death: Lobo attacks Zandig early on with a trash can. Zandig tosses Lobo into the electrified side of the cage. Zandig slams Lobo onto a cactus! Lobo gets the advantage by sending John head first into the cage. Lobo hits an overhead belly to belly suplex sending Zandig through a table in the corner. Zandig sets up a table, puts two chairs on it and then places glass on top of the chairs. Lobo is trying to get the contract and is on the scaffold above the ring. They are both up there and Zandig is trying for the Mother F’n Bomb. Lobo has Zandig on his shoulders and hits a Death Valley Driver off the top of the scaffold to the floor through a series of tables! That was nuts. It takes about a minute for both men to get up. I can’t believe they are just treating that as just another spot. Zandig works over Lobo on the floor with a chair. John puts Lobo on a table and climbs back to the top of the cage. Zandig could win the match, but instead jumps off and elbow drops Lobo through the table! They are back at the top of the cage moments later and Zandig tosses Lobo off the scaffold with the Mother F’N Bomb. Lobo crashes through the tables with the glass on it. Zandig is alone at the top and grabs the contract to win the match. (*1/2. There were a couple of crazy spots, but this isn’t good. There entertainment is lacking too, but I don’t think it would be expected for this to be all that good.) After the match, Zandig thanks everyone for coming out. He says that he made a mistake at Cage of Death I. Zandig puts over Lobo for taking a beating. Somehow Lobo has gotten to his feet like he didn’t just get tossed through a table with glass on it. Zandig puts the attention on Wifebeater and the fans chant for him. He reveals that if he couldn’t continue in the match that Wifebeater would step up and do it for him. Zandig messed up last year about bringing in outside guys last year and apologizes again for that mistake.

Second Contest: Adam Flash, Chris Stylz, Derek Frazier, Ian Knoxx & Jon Dahmer vs. Chris Ca$h, Danny Rose, GQ, Greg Matthews & Rockin Rebel in an Elimination Match: The start of the match sees everyone brawling and this is an elimination match. Frazier attempted a dive onto his opponents but he was caught by everyone. Dahmer dives over the top to take everyone out. Flash decides to leap off the top to take everyone out with a cross body on the floor. Ca$h and Frazier legally start the match. Ca$h catches Frazier on a hurricanrana attempt and puts a Boston Crab on Derek briefly. Rebel tags in because Frazier wanted him, I guess. Rebel power slams Frazier to keep the advantage and clotheslines Derek in the corner. Frazier delivers a running step up kick in the corner and drop toe holds Rebel followed by a running kick. Rebel hits a standing dropkick and tags in Matthews. They lift Frazier up and drive him down onto the canvas. Frazier plants Matthews face first onto the canvas with a tilt a whirl head scissors. Matthews plants Frazier with a Snow Plow to eliminate Frazier! Stylz enters and power slams Matthews for a near fall. Matthews quickly stomps Chris on the groin to get the advantage. Rebel is back in and chops away on Chris. Rebel leaps off the middle rope to clothesline Stylz. Chris quickly hits a t-bone suplex and a super kick Rebel blows fire into Chris’s eyes and pins Stylz. Adam Flash enters the ring and is able to counter a powerbomb by Matthews with a face buster. Flash hits a middle rope bronco buster and pins Matthews. Flash is flap jacked by Danny Rose and Rebel. Rose hits a Death Valley Driver and Rebel follows up with a leg drop for the pin on Flash. Dahmer enters to attack Rebel and Rose. Flash hits Rebel with a chair and pins both Rose and Rebel. Knoxx clotheslines GQ and hits a fall away slam. Ca$h connects with a dragon suplex n Knoxx. Dahmer drops Ca$h on his neck with a backdrop driver. GQ plants Knoxx with a DDT but comes off the top to curb stomp Dahmer, which looked like a botch. Knoxx choke slams GQ off the middle rope! Ca$h saves GQ and hits Knoxx with with a Torture Rack driver. Dahmer breaks up the pin, though. GQ dropkicks Knoxx who is hung in the tree of woe. Dahmer misses a clothesline on GQ who did a springboard. Dahmer spikes GQ with a sick piledriver to eliminate him. Knoxx is crotched by Ca$h on the top rope. Ca$h hits the Ca$h Flow on Knoxx from off the middle rope to eliminate Ian! Dahmer misses a top rope moonsault and Ca$h drives Dahmer chest first down to the canvas to win the match. (**1/4. Not too bad of a mach here as the eliminations were rather fast and that kept my interest. If it had dragged on for a while it would have killed me to sit through this, I think. But, they kept the timing between eliminations short and made for a fine contest.)

Third Contest: Z-Barr vs. Rick Feinburg & Hurricane Kid: Feinburg is a cheap shot at Rob Feinstein, owner of RF Video and ROH (at the time). Hurricane Kid dropkicks Barr from behind and Feinburg hits a spinning slam for a near fall. Feinburg hits a swinging side slam and Kid drops an elbow. The fans are not overly interested in this one. Barr drop toe holds Feinburg into Kid and hits a snap power slam on Kid after sending Rick to the floor. Hurricane Kid is back dropped over the top onto Rick on the floor. Barr takes them both out with a somersault dive over the top. Rick just kissed Barr and taunts him. Barr swerves Rick into thinking he liked it and clotheslines him. Barr hits a t-bone suplex on Rick and blocks a sunset flip by Kid. Kid connects with a hurricanrana but the fans aren’t impressed. Kid plants Barr with a tornado DDT and Rick hits a middle rope elbow drop but Rick wants to get the pin. So, now they are disagreeing on who pins Barr. Barr has a double claw on his opponents but that doesn’t last. This is going on way too long and people just don’t care. Barr thankfully ends the match after a simple fist drop. (*. Well, that was just bad on many levels.)

Josh Prohibition cuts a promo telling the fans what a professional wrestling match looks like. He tells us a wrestling match does not include drinking beer in the middle of it. I guess you learn something new everyday.

Fourth Contest: Josh Prohibition vs. Nick Berk in a Submission Match: They start off with some basic mat wrestling in the opening moment of the contest. Berk puts a cobra clutch on Josh but that is countered and Josh almost has a dragon sleeper on Berk. Berk goes to the floor where Prohibition takes him out with a suicide dive. Berk sends Prohibition back first into the guard railing. Josh hits a side suplex and locks in a STF. Nick is able to reach the ropes rather quickly, though. Berk drives Prohibition down with a backbreaker. Prohibition hangs Berk over his back but lets go quickly. Berk drives Josh face first down to the mat and has a reverse Cattle Mutilation locked in! That doesn’t get him a submission, though. Berk can’t get a Boston Crab on Josh. Prohibition hits a neckbreaker and has a choke hold on Berk. Berk raises his arm up before a third drop and fights back. Prohibition chokes Berk with his legs over the ropes and continues to choke Nick over the top rope. Berk misses a lariat and is driven down by Prohibition with a reverse DDT! Berk drop toe holds Prohibition and locks in the Oriental Scorpion. Josh is able to reach the bottom rope. Berk continues to go for submissions but Prohibition won’t give in. Prohibition hits a t-bone suplex to gain some momentum. Berk avoids brass knuckles once but Prohibition hits him on a second attempt. Josh locks in the Path of Resistance but Berk won’t give in! Ian Knoxx comes out with a beer and offers it to Prohibition. Knoxx hits Prohibition with a beer and Berk locks in the Texas 2K2 and wins the match. (*1/2. That was rather boring and uninteresting. The fans were dead for it and there wasn’t much emotion put into a submission match.)

Fifth Contest: Ruckus vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. M-Dogg 20 in a number one contenders match for the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship: Dutt hits a hurricanrana on Dogg but Ruckus takes Dutt over with one of his own. Dogg tried for a head scissors/DDT combo but that was avoided. Dogg arm drags both men and dropkicks them to the floor. Dogg head scissors Ruckus off the apron onto the floor, but that looked botched. Dutt is tossed by Ruckus and Dogg but neither man can hit anything. Ruckus kicks Dogg in the face and Dutt is dropped. Sonjay is dropkicked to the floor by both opponents. Dogg really likes head scissors and Ruckus shows he can do one too. Ruckus hits a spinning powerbomb on Dogg. Dutt hits a running neckbreaker and a leg lariat on Ruckus. Dutt spins Dogg over and drops him gut first on the mat for a near fall. Ruckus misses a handspring splash and Dutt is cut off by Dogg who powerslams Dutt into the corner. Ruckus hits the handspring splash on a second try. Dogg takes Ruckus and Dutt out with a twisting dive over the top rope on the floor! Dutt springboards off the top rope to hit the Hindu Press! Dutt appears to have injured his left ankle. Dogg climbs up the pole and hits a cross body on both Ruckus and Dutt on the floor! Ruckus splashes Dutt on the floor and Dogg splashes Ruckus from the apron as well. Dogg suplexs Dutt off the top and Ruckus hits a German suplex on Dogg off the middle rope! Ruckus hits a spinning slam on Dutt but Dogg breaks up the cover. Dogg drops Ruckus across his knee but can’t get a three count. Dutt and Ruckus work over Dogg with double standing shooting star press. Dogg botches a somersault double DDT on Ruckus and Dutt. Chris Ca$h comes out with a chair, but drops the chair. Ca$h enters the ring but is attacked by the three men in the match. Ruckus drops him with the Cronic! Ruckus puts the chair on Ca$h and hits a moonsault leg drop! Dutt decides to hit a springboard Hindu sault. Ruckus plants Ca$h with a piledriver. Dogg hits a shooting star press off the top. Ca$h finally bails to the floor. Dutt counters an arm trapped power bomb with a DDT. Dogg takes Ruckus out with a reverse hurricanrana. Dutt counters a head scissors by Dogg and rolls him up for the win. (**1/2. There were a few nice spots in this match but it was rather repetitive and there were several botches that just ruined the match for me.)

Chris Hero cut a promo saying that he is here to wrestle the H8 Club. Hero is proud to be IWA-MS doesn’t care about CZW. Hero reveals his partner as being… B-Boy!

Sixth Contest: CZW World Tag Team Champions H8 Club vs. B-Boy & Chris Hero: Hatred and Hero kick off the title match. Hero wants to do a test of strength but Hatred just hammers away on Hero instead. Nate hits a belly to belly suplex on Hero and delivers a few elbow strikes. Hatred clotheslines Hero in the corner to keep the advantage. Hero goes chest first into the corner and Hatred drives Hero down with a reverse DDT. Gage tags in to knock Hero off his feet with a double shoulder block. Gage drives Hero down to the canvas with a back suplex. Hatred hits a German suplex on Hero but B-Boy enters and dropkicks Hatred’s knee. Boy legally tags in and works over Hatred with a few strikes. Hatred knocks Boy out with a massive clothesline. Gage enters to drop Boy down to the mat with Hatred for a near fall. Boy hits a swinging neckbreaker on Gage. Boy dropkicks Gage in the corner. Hero gets back into the ring and gets a two count on Gage. Hero hits an overhead suplex on Nick for a near fall. Gage is laid out over Hero’s knees and Boy comes off the top to double stomp Gage for a near fall! Boy nails Gage with a spinning heel kick but can’t keep Gage down long enough. Boy is stopped by Gage with a brain buster. Hatred drops Hero with a spine buster. Hatred drops Boy face first to counter a head scissors. Gage and Hatred hit Hero over the back with a chair on the floor. Hero is flap jacked onto a table by the champs. Boy takes the champs out with a cross body off the top onto the floor. Boy avoids a chokeslam by Gage twice and hits an ace crusher! Boy connects with the shining wizard but Gage kicks out at two. Gage drops Boy across his knee but can’t keep Boy down long enough. Hatred puts Boy away with a stiff clothesline to win the match. (**1/4. Another match that wasn’t all that great. It seemed like it was more of a match to put over the champs rather than giving them a threat to the titles.) After the match, B-Boy leaves the ring to leave Hero all alone to be beaten up by the champs.

Seventh Contest: Backseat Boyz vs. Nick Mondo & Ric Blade in a TLC Match: Kashmere and Mondo start off the match. Yes, it’s a tables, ladders and chairs match but they are starting off with normal tag rules. Mondo kicks Kashmere down to the canvas but Kashmere quickly gets up and chops Mondo. Acid tags in and soon Blade does as well. Neither one of them can get a clear cut advantage. All four men are in the ring and going at it, finally. Blade and Mondo take Acid and Kashmere out with double somersault dives! Blade places a ladder onto two chairs. Blade has the SSJ on Kashmere and drives Johnny down to the canvas. Acid sends Blade through the ladder with the Blue Thunder Driver! Mondo backdrops Acid onto the ladder but Kashmere hits Mondo with a baseball bat. Kashmere drops Mondo gut first over the ladder too! Blade is tossed through a second ladder and the Backseat Boyz hit the T-Gimmick onto the ladder! Mondo tries to springboard but the ladder is tossed at him instead. Acid and Kashmere drop the ladder across Mondo’s back. Kashmere and Blade are brawling into the crowd. All four men are over by the Eagles Nest. Mondo and Blade kick their opponents down. The Backseat Boyz are put onto two tables and a ladder is placed over them too. Mondo and Blade moonsault off the Eagles Nest but the tables don’t break! Blade and Mondo hit sit down fisherman suplexs for a near fall on both Acid and Kashmere. Blade swanton bombs a ladder onto the Backseat Boyz and Mondo jumps off to leg drop the ladder! They decide to do a double moonsault onto the ladders because they can! Blade sets up the biggest ladder in the match. Blade climbs all the way up and leg drops Kashmere! Kashmere is able to somehow kick out at two. Ric misses a reverse 450 splash. Mondo avoids the T-Gimmick but the Backseat Boyz hit the Dream Sequence. They hit a double somersault dive to send Blade crashing through a table. Mondo avoids the Gator Mouth with a ladder and attempts the Assault Driver on Acid but can’t hit it. Acid nearly pins Nick with the Yakuza kick. Blade hits the dragon twist on Acid for a near fall. Kashmere connects with the Backseat Driver on Blade onto a chair. Mondo double stomps a ladder into Kashmere’s neck for a near fall. Mondo sets up a table up on the floor while Blade puts a ladder on the floor. Acid crotches Blade on the top rope. Kashmere hits a middle rope cradle breaker! Acid backdrops Mondo over the top and Nick crashes the table. Blade is kicked onto the ladder by both Backseat Boyz for a near fall. They hit the Gator Mouth on Blade to win the match. (***1/4. Well it was a solid spot fest match but the finish was kind of lackluster considering all the other stuff they did in the match. For sure the best match on the card thus far.)

Main Event: CZW World Heavyweight Champion Justice Pain vs. CZW Ironman Champion The Messiah: This match is taking place under Ironman rules. Pain works over Messiah’s left arm early on but Messiah quickly recovers to shoulder block Pain. Messiah arm drags Pain a few times to keep the advantage. Messiah gets a two count after a neckbreaker. Messiah gets another two count after a spinning heel kick. Pain superkicks Messiah in the corner two times and hits a overhead belly to belly suplex into a corner! Justice flapjacks Messiah for a near fall. Pain hits a backdrop driver and locks in a full nelson. Messiah leaps off the middle rope to plant Pain with a tornado DDT for a near fall. Messiah hits two snap suplexs and drops Pain across the top rope gut first. Pain is able to clothesline Messiah from the apron. Messiah dropkicks a chair into Pain’s face and Justice falls off the apron. Messiah puts Justice on a table on the floor and climbs to the top. Pain tosses a chair at Messiah to knock him off the top and crashes to the canvas. Messiah misses the Holy Roller and lands on top of the table, but it doesn’t break. Pain hits a running neck snap on the floor. Pain hits the Blockbuster but Messiah refuses to stay down. Messiah sends Pain into the guard railing and gets a two count on the floor. Pain is able to spin kick a chair into Messiah’s face and taunts the fans. Messiah is busted open after being whacked over the head with a steel chair by Pain. Messiah hits a cross body over the top onto Pain and they land on a dozen chairs that were set up on the floor. Pain comes back in the ring with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Nick Gage runs into the ring and plants Messiah with a brain buster! Gage grabs Pain and drives him across his knee with a choke slam! Gage dumps thumbtacks on the canvas and just leaves. They stand up and trade right hands. Messiah hits an elevated ace crusher on Pain for a two count! Messiah hits the Fall From Grace onto the tacks but Pain kicks out at two! Pain hits the Pain Thriller on the tacks but Messiah kicks out at two. Pain grabs a table from under the ring and slides it into the ring. Pain goes up top but Messiah cuts him off. Messiah drives a table into Pain’s head on the top rope. Messiah hits a superplex slamming Pain onto the tacks! Messiah goes for the cover but can’t get the three count. Messiah drops Pain with the Pain Thriller onto the tacks but that’s still not good enough. Messiah counters the Pain Thriller with a roll up to win the match. (**. That was not entertaining to me. Neither man is good in the ring and it showed in this match. I don’t like the constant kicking out of finishing moves because that is just lazy. They should have actually tried to tell a story or something. But, since this is CZW, maybe that was just wishful thinking. A lackluster main event to close the show.) After the match, Messiah offers to shake hands with Pain. Pain accepts the hand (which is missing a thumb) as the fans chant for CZW.

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The 411: A disappointing show from CZW to close out 2002. On paper, you would've thought this would deliver some crazy matches, but really the TLC match was the only match that was without a doubt entertaining from bell to bell. CZW Cage of Death IV gets a thumbs down from me.
Final Score:  4.5   [ Poor ]