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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Insanity Pro Free Matches Part #1

November 23, 2012 | Posted by TJ Hawke
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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Insanity Pro Free Matches Part #1  

Mike Quackenbush vs. Billy Roc from IPW’s Super Jr. Heavyweight Tournament 2006

This was a quarterfinal match in IPW’s annual Super Jr. Tourney.

This may surprise you, but this match started with both men exchanging holds. This went on for a while, and it was beautiful. Roc hit a backstabber and a slingshot senton. Quack came back and went after the left leg of Roc. Quack was in control for a while until Roc hit a desperation enzuigiri. Roc made a comeback. He hit a spinning heel kick and got a nearfall with a schoolboy. Quack managed to Snake Eyes Roc and hit the Saving Grace: 1…2…NO! Roc came right back with a tornado DDT and a nifty diving hurricanrana: 1…2…NO! Roc went to the top rope, but Quack met him up there with a superplex. Quack then immediately transitioned into a Quackendriver III: 1…2…3!

Quack got on the microphone after the match. He admitted that he had never heard of Billy Roc before he got here. However, he says that after wrestling Roc, he realizes that Roc is a great and that Indianapolis is lucky to have him. Roc and his students sporadically worked for Chikara after this match.

This match was beautiful and made Roc look like an outstanding wrestler. I’m a sucker for competitive chain wrestling, and this match absolutely gave me that. I would love to see what these two would do together in 2012, but it seems unlikely that the match would ever happen.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Davey Richards vs. Billy Roc from IPW’s Animosity 2009

This is apparently Roc’s “retirement” match. I don’t know if this was Roc’s first retirement match, but apparently he is one of those guys that has had many retirements. Davey was about to break out in ROH/DGUSA, but he hadn’t quite put it all together at this time. After some trading of holds, Roc sent Davey to the outside and then did some fake-out dives. Roc went for a leapfrog, but Davey took him down with a spinning heel kick. Davey started to get the heat after that. Roc came back with a couple of dropkicks and a spinning heel kick. Roc went for a suicide dive, but Davey hit an enzugiri to block it. Roc low-bridged Davey to the floor and then hit the suicide dive. Back in the ring, Roc hit a diving cross-body: 1…2…NO! Roc then hit a slingshot Lionsault: 1…2…NO! Roc went for a big move, but Davey escaped and drilled him with a kick to the chest. Roc reversed a powerbomb into a hurricanrana. Roc then hit a Code Red: 1…2…NO! Roc went to the top rope, but Davey kicked him and hit a superplex. Davey hit the handspring kick to the head: 1…2…NO! Davey then hit a missile dropkick: 1…2…NO! Roc hit a pair of step-up enzugiris and a standing Sliced Bread #2: 1…2…NO! Roc tried for a super Sliced Bread, but Davey came back with a super German suplex! Powerbomb from Davey: 1…2…NO! Roc avoided a DR Driver and hit the SOS: 1…2…NO! They traded some shots. Davey hit an alarm kick, a lariat, and a DR Driver: 1…2…NO! Davey hit a high kick to the head and then another DR Driver (really just a butterfly suplex this time): 1…2…3. The locker room emptied to give Roc a big sendoff. The crowd was very appreciative.

They really went for epic here, and Roc looked as tough as possible, kicking out of almost everything Davey threw at him (Davey said in his post-match speech that Roc was the first person to kick out of the DR Driver. Even at the time, that can’t be true, right?). Roc showed off everything in this match, and he made sure to “leave it all in the ring,” so to speak. Very strong match.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Chrisjen Hayme vs. Jesse Emerson from IPW’s Reign of Insane 2010

This is a Last Man Standing match. They immediately start beating the shit out of each other. They ended up in the crowd, and Emerson threw Hayme into some chairs. Hayme fought back and threw a chair at Emerson. They made their way back to the ringside area where Emerson sent Hayme headfirst into the ring post. They made their way back into the ring, and Emerson was in complete control. Emerson hit a pair of low blows. Hayme’s forehead was bleeding by this point. Hayme fell to the mat, but he got up before the ten count. Hayme managed to send Emerson to the floor and then hit a moonsault to the floor! Hayme brought Emerson and a table sized plank of wood into the ring. Hayme managed to give Emerson a Torture Rack Driver through the table. The crowd loved that. Emerson made it up before the ten count, so Hayme got out another table and placed it in the corner. Emerson’s managed was arguing with the referee. Emerson managed to powerbomb Hayme through that table. Hayme got to his feet before the ten count, so Emerson got two chairs. Emerson set up teh chairs next to each other, and he then gave Hayme an Alabama Slam through the chairs. Fuck! Hayme got up right before the ten count again. Emerson picked up a chair, but Hayme booted the chair into his face and then whacked him in the head with the chair. Hayme pulled out a bag of tacks and poured them onto the mat. Emerson then backdropped Hayme into the tacks. Again, Hayme made it up before the ten count. Emerson placed Hayme onto the top rope for a superplex into the tacks. Hayme avoided that though, and he hit a sunset flip powerbomb into the tacks. Fuckkkkkk. Emerson got up before the ten count. Hayme threw a chair at Emerson’s face. Hayme then bridged a new plank of wood onto two chairs. Hayme went to the top rope, but Emerson crotched him. Emerson whacked him in the head with a chair. Emerson whacked him again. He then placed two chairs onto the bridged plank of wood. Emerson then hit a super urinagi through the chairs and wood. Both men were down after that. Emerson got up at 8. Hayme failed to get up. Emerson wins!

This was a hell of an effort from these two guys. This was obviously a big grudge match, and the crowd was rocking by the end of this. That being said, the structure of the match wasn’t really that interesting to me. Shortly before the half-way point in the match, Emerson and Hayme started trading these huge moves that resulted in a bunch of nine counts. I can’t really describe well why it didn’t grip me, but basically, it just isn’t a match that I would ever rewatch. This match was built up by a lot of people though and that may have skewed my expectations. I recommend that you watch the match for sure though.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Bryan Danielson vs. Drake Younger from IPW’s Reign of the Insane 2010

This was a part of Danielson’s return to the indies 2010 summer tour. Danielson had actually returned to the WWE a week earlier as a surprise at Summerslam.

Dragon got a LeBell Lock early, but Younger quickly made the ropes. They traded holds for a bit, until Dragon established an advantage. Younger came back and hit a suplex for a nearfall. Dragon took him down with a forearm and then brought the action to the floor where he dominated Younger some more. Dragon brought Younger back into the ring and remained in complete control. Dragon had a nasty Dragon Sleeper locked in, but Younger survived. Dragon delivered some big kicks, until Younger finally caught Dragon with an exploder suplex. Younger started a big comeback and hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall. They trading pinning combinations. Younger dropkicked Dragon to the barricade and then hit Dragon in the ribs with a chair. Younger sat Dragon in the chair and went for his rolling senton, but all he hit was the chair. Dragon then pulled out a tie and started choking Younger. Back in the ring, Dragon hit a missile drokick and then a Buzzsaw Kick: 1…2…NO! Cattle Mutilation! Dragon transitioned that into the “MMA Elbows,” the bell ran to signal the end of the twenty minute time limit. Younger said there is only glory in winning, and he told IPW Mike to ring the bell.

The bell rang, and Dragon and Younger started trading big forearms. Dragon got an O’Connor Roll with a bridge: 1…2…3! The bell rang, but the referee claims it was only a two count. Dragon got on the microphone and insisted that it was a two count. Younger speared Dragon and hit a half-nelson suplex. Younger then hit a middle rope DVD: 1…2…NO! Younger went to the top rope, but Dragon crotched him and hit a super back suplex. Dragon delivered the elbows again. More elbows. Dragon went for Cattle Mutillation, but Younger avoided. Dragon hit three kicks and then a bridging Regal-plex: 1…2…NO! Dragon delivered some more kicks to the chest, but Younger came back with a Falcon Arrow and a moonsault: 1…2…3!

Danielson put Younger over huge on the microphone after the match.

These two had an incredible match building, as the crowd heat and the atmosphere was just off the charts. Younger put in one of the best performances in his career, and Danielson didn’t phone it in at all, despite already being back on WWE TV. However, I do have to the say that the last few minutes really fell flat in my mind. If they ended the match a little earlier. I would have considered this match to be truly great, but instead, it’s merely very, very, very good. You should definitely watch this match.
Match Rating: ***3/4

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Sami Callihan from IPW’s Showdown In Naptown 2011

This may surprise you, but these two struck each other a lot when this match started. Sami went for the Stretch Muffler early, but Kyle escaped. Kyle hit a striking combination that allowed him to take over the match. Sami managed to send him to the floor and hit a tope suicida. Both men then accidentally chopped the ring post. Kyle then suplexed him on the floor. Ouch. Back in the ring, Kyle hit a missile dropkick. Kyle started selling his left leg after that, so Sami tried to lock in the Stretch Muffler. Kyle managed to avoid it. They traded some strikes. Kyle then hit his rolling butterfly suplexes. Kyle seemed to be in control, but Sami hit a saito suplex out of nowhere. Sami got a nearfall with a Sliding D. Sami then tried multiple times to lock in the Stretch Muffler, but Kyle avoided it. Kyle locked in the cross armbreaker. Sami escaped, but Kyle transitioned it into a triangle choke. Sami escaped and went for the Stretch Muffler again. Sami kicked Kyle in the back of head, which finally allowed him to lock in the submission. Kyle taps!

This is definitely what you would expect out of each man at this point of their careers: there was a lot of striking, a lot of submission attempts, and it was a lot of fun. Neither man did a lot to engage the crowd, but they both have improved on that since this time. I think a match between these two now would be even better, but this was still pretty damn good.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Ricochet vs. AR Fox from IPW’s Showdown In Naptown 2011

This match was for Ricochet’s IPW Junior Heavyweight Championship. Ricochet had recently completed his first tour of Dragon Gate.

They started out a little more tentative than I expected. Fox eventually managed to send Ricochet to the floor. Fox went for the kick-flip moonsault, but Ricochet avoided it and hit him with a superkick. Ricochet rolled him back into the ring, and he started to work Fox over. Ricochet hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall. Fox came back with a bulldog that drove Ricochet’s face into a turnbuckle. Fox followed that with a diving single knee codebreaker. Ricochet fell to the floor, anf Fox then hit a somersault plancha. Fox put him on the ring apron, and he then hit the diving guillotine legdrop. That always looks painful. Back in the ring, Fox hit Thugbait: 1…2…NO! Ricochet then hit a standing flipping senton for a nearfall. Ricochet hit a backslide driver: 1…2…NO! Fox came back with his twisting brainbuster: 1…2…NO! Fox went to the top rope, but Ricochet crotched him. Ricochet went for a super back suplex, but Fox knocked him down. Fox went for a Phoenix Splash, but Ricochet avoided it. Ricochet then hit a middle rope Phoenix Splash: 1…2…NO! Ricochet then hit a Torture Rack Driver: 1…2…3!

This match was a lot of fun, and I can only imagine what they would be capable of doing now. AR Fox had only just joined the DGUSA/Evolve family at this point, and he has made tremendous strides since this time. Ricochet was already having great matches around this time, but he too is so much better now. I definitely recommend that you check out this match.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Thanks everybody for reading! You can send feedback to my Twitter or to my email address: [email protected]. Also, feel free to check out my own wrestling website, FreeProWrestling.com. Also, check out my Best of Chikara blog and an archive of all my 411 video reviews.

Check out IPW at the:
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The 411: This is an awesome collection of matches, and I highly recommend that you check out all the matches. The Danielson/Younger match is especially worth taking the time to watch.
 
Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]  legend

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TJ Hawke

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