IWA Mid-South Ted Petty Invitational, Highland, IN
After three hours of wrestling-on-tape time for night two, the 2004 TPI quarterfinal round is finished, so that means MORE SPICY NON-TOURNAMENT ACTION! This is a three-way dance for the IWA Mid-South tag belts, held by the bruiser team of Bradley and Boz, taking on the enormous Tank and more enormous Iceberg from NWA Wildside, plus Chikara’s upstart young fucks The Wildcards, Black Jack Marciano and Eddie Kingston.
Tank and Iceberg were both incredibly nice, and it was very clear you did not want to see any other side of either of them. Particularly Tank, if I’m picking here. I might be able to outrun Iceberg.
This is first fall wins, no elimination.
Before he established his long-running personality, Kingston was a wonderful shithead, as was Black Jack Marciano, who didn’t wrestle anymore after Dec. 2004, which necessitated Kingston going solo and developing more of his tough guy persona.
Wildcards dick around some to start, but then Tank tags Iceberg in and snapmares his ginormous partner into a senton on Kingston. Eddie stooges a bit more for Iceberg, then Bradley blind tags his way in. Kingston suggests they team up to take out the big guys. Bradley slaps him in the face, Kingston shouts, “What the fuck!” and Bradley chops him in the chest.
It’s Marciano who takes the bigger beating from Bradley and then Boz. Bradley had been training at the Inoki Dojo in California, adding to his game, and he really showed a lot of growing confidence and ability during this time.
The Wildcards are great here adding their comedic spice to things, which otherwise would just be a bunch more guys hitting each other. That’s great normally, but this is a two-night show of a lot of Serious Wrestling, it’s valuable to mix other styles in. Kingston even tries a moonsault to the floor, with near-disastrous results. Eddie is not a high-flyer.
But after that, both Boz and Bradley hit some legit great dives onto everyone, Boz a tope suicida that wipes everyone out, and then Bradley soaring over the top to do the same.
Listening to Nate Webb audibly smack food in his mouth on the commentary 15+ years later. I have now learned this is not my ASMR trigger.
Marciano really takes a horrible beating in this match, including a brutal cobra clutch suplex from Tank. With the big guys fighting, Kingston sneaks in and chucks powder in Bradley’s eyes, leading to Bradley inadvertently clotheslining Boz. Fun moment as Kingston dumps a dazed Boz from the ring, leading to some fans expressing disappointment that Eddie didn’t pin him, with Kingston shouting, “HE’S NOT THE LEGAL MAN, YOU FUCKIN IDIOTS!”
Kingston powerbombs Tank from the second rope (Tank was on the second rope and Eddie got under him, I mean), and then the Wildcards hit the Drive-By to win the IWA MS tag team championship.
After the Wildcards leave victorious, Bradley & Boz and Tank & Iceberg still have plenty of words for one another. Tank & Iceberg get “please come back” chants.
It’s a fun match, and I remember thinking the same live even though this show had gone on forever and I was really only interested in seeing the tournament play out at this point. It was a good change of pace and the Wildcards really got a chance to shine as clever, resourceful young assholes, overcoming two bigger and badder teams.
Tape Machines Are Rolling 
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