Lacey vs Mercedes Martinez (IWA MS, 9-17-2004)

IWA Mid-South Ted Petty Invitational, Highland, IN

I’m re-watching the greatest live wrestling experience of my life, the 2004 Ted Petty Invitational, because, well, what else am I doing during a lot of the day and evenings right now? I’ve got a Twitter thread going (these shows are extremely long and I do have some other stuff to be doing, so it’ll take several days to finish both nights), but also decided to put up some posts here while I watch. Why not?

This and the following match I’m reviewing having watched them last night, so perhaps less detail, but that’s probably better anyway.

This is for Lacey’s NWA Midwest/IWA Mid-South women’s championship. She was the first champion, winning the belt in a three-way tournament final back in May at the landmark Volcano Girls event, beating Martinez and Daizee Haze. That single show in Hammond was Dave Prazak’s baby, and is really the brick on which SHIMMER would be built. Prazak was pushing hard at this time to feature women’s wrestling more in IWA Mid-South, and for women’s wrestling in general to start being treated more seriously. It was cool at the time to see that taking shape, but it’s even cooler with hindsight now, to know I got to see where the changing of the guard for American women’s wrestling really started taking shape.

Lacey comes into this match, though, with a bad knee. She’d suffered a torn MCL and claims in a pre-match backstage promo before the show that she’s “nowhere near” 100 percent, but she has to defend the title or be stripped, and she’s going to go out there at an estimated half-strength instead of just give up the belt. This is admirable for a miserable heel.

Martinez was just getting going with her career, too, but she was a clear standout among the women working on the U.S. indies at this time. She came out of the northeastern indies, and Prazak obviously was a believer in her ability, and Prazak believing in her ability transferred to the fans paying attention. Mercedes in real life has just made it to a WWE contract, which was years and years overdue. It was 16 years ago that I was first seeing her in action, and it was clear then she had major potential.

This is a solid women’s indie match of the time, though it wouldn’t likely fare well on the star ratings scale for a younger fan today. There is certainly some sloppiness that comes from the fact that neither of them are particularly polished workers overall, as this is still indie wrestling, after all. But you can see the ability both of them have and how determined they are to be taken seriously.

Lacey’s knee, of course, is the real focal point, but the Move of the Match comes when she absolutely fuckin smokes Martinez with a forearm. Martinez frankly looks a bit gassed and seems to accidentally lean into that one a bit more than normal, and it also appears to legitimately rock her, as she’s a bit fuzzy for a moment after.

The finish sees Martinez get Lacey in a leglock I probably used to know the name of, and though Lacey is determined not to give up, her shoulders go down for a three count, as she basically passes out from the pain. The injured heel is given a moment of some glory in defeat, choosing to endure physical torture until her body gives out rather than simply giving up in a no-win situation.

Rating: 2.5/5. Again, both are still kind of in their formative stages in the ring, so you deal with a little bit of greenhorn stuff, but it’s a fine match for the time and setting, and has a bit more extra oomph for me due to being part of that early rise of women’s wrestling on the indies. I wouldn’t give it **1/2 if I were star rating, but I am not star rating. Frankly I’m not sure what my ratings mean in all honesty but people like ratings attached to wrestling reviews. They are “entertainment value points,” I guess. How much did I enjoy watching this match, is basically the idea, with some respect to actual quality mixed in.