Plot: What’s it about?
If you’re a fan of independent wrestling, then you’ve heard of Ian Rotten’s IWA: Mid-South promotion. The promotion celebrated its ninth anniversary in 2005, a legacy of brutality, innovation, old school, and revolution, one unlike any other promotion. Perhaps best known for the annual King of the Death Matches Tournament, IWA: Mid-South is often pinned down as hardcore only, which isn’t the case. In IWA: Mid-South, you’ll find the best wrestlers in the world, from high flyers like Mike Quackenbush and Chris Sabin to hardcore icons like The Necro Butcher and Ian Rotten himself; from technical wizards like Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli to colorful workers like Delirious and Colt Cabana. IWA: Mid-South promotes an annual tournament known as the TPI, in honor of the late Ted Petty, also known as Rocco Rock. This tournament embodies what IWA: Mid-South is, a blend of all styles in one place, each man chosen because he is one of the best in his style. The 2005 TPI was incredible, I attended both nights and was blown away by what I saw. If you’re even a casual fan of wrestling, the 2005 TPI is a must have and can be found at SmartMarkVideo.com, where you can also find more IWA: Mid-South DVDs and tons of other great indie promotions, or IWAMidSouthWrestling.com, home of IWA-MS. The 2005 TPI is a six disc collection and in order to avoid spoilers, I will not include results.
The twenty-four men chosen for the 2005 TPI represent the best of their styles, who must endure multiple contests in the two day event, then take on two other finalists in one last triple threat showdown. Previous winners include Chris Hero, Danny Daniels, and A.J. Styles. The lineup for 2005 includes the massive Tank, WWE superstar Jamie Noble, Ring of Honor Champion Bryan Danielson, Canadian luchadore El Generico, TnA stars Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley, IWS bruiser Kevin Steen, head trainers of Chikara Chris Hero and Mike Quackenbush, IWA-MS Tag Team Champion Sal Thomaselli, rising stars Marek Brave and Tyler Black, PWG star Joey Ryan, West Coast star Puma, Toryumon trainer Skyade, former Wildside star Rainman, Swiss ace Claudio Castagnoli, and IWA-MS regulars Josh Abercrombie, Brad Bradley, Nate Webb, Arik Cannon, Matt Sydal, Delirious, and Brandon Thomaselli. All of these men have matches the first night, with the winners returning for more punishment on the second night. The second night also features an insane elimination style tag match with Super Dragon, not to mention a wild match between Jimmy Jacobs and the incredible Mickie Knuckles. This is about ten hours of top notch wrestling, so do not miss the 2005 Ted Petty Invitational, available now from IWAMidSouthWrestling.com or SmartMarkVideo.com.
Video: How does it look?
The event is presented in full frame, as intended. The SmartMark crew covers the action better than any other crew in independent wrestling. The angles are always spot on and coverage is superb, very rarely will you miss seeing the brutal moves close up. This isn’t WWE, where the camera angles change to avoid impact, so be prepared to see some stiff punches, chops, and kicks. You’ll be able to watch as necks bend, heads are dropped, and backs are brutalized. The visual quality is as good as we could want and in my opinion, is more clear and detailed than most other indie stuff.
Audio: How does it sound?
If a chop is stiff, you’ll hear it and if a guy gets dropped on his head, you’ll hear the bones crack. In other words, this is as good as indie wrestling can sound. My lone complaint about the set is the choice of commentators, but you can always mute the television, right? The in ring action comes across well, while the crowd is alive and loud as well. If you like chants and random comments, you’ll like this one and I can assure you there are plenty of outlandish things yelled by the crowd.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release includes no bonus materials. This is a six disc collection with like ten hours of wrestling, what more do you want?
