IWE Kings of Controversy 3 -- Augusta on November 23

From Larry Goodman:  Kings of Controversy 3 did what it had to do - build the January War Games  into a colossal high stakes deal. The closi...

From Larry Goodman: 

Kings of Controversy 3 did what it had to do - build the January War Games  into a colossal high stakes deal. The closing segment of the show -- the return and reveal of Coach Mikey as the fifth member of Team Blackmon for the War Games brought the delicious IWE magic back. It was pandemonium. Crowd was losing their minds. 

Paid attendance was 255, a far cry from the numbers this company was putting up earlier this year at American Legion Post 163 but not too shabby with a sold out front row priced at $25.

Other overall thoughts: The ringwork at Kings 3 was good to excellent. The card was almost exclusively 6-10 minute matches. Some of them cooked but weren't given enough time to get to a boiling point. The booking of so many clean finishes was refreshing. There's just no way a crowd of 250 can duplicate the intensity of this venue packed out.

Kings of Controversy 3 was the first IWE event to stream live on IWTV. The commentary was by Gerard Bonner and Brian Atkinson. Kevin Pierce directed. 

(1) Suge D defeated Chad Skywalker (c) and Brino Royce to win the IWE Mayhem Championship in 6:27. Mostly heels Suge and Royce teaming up against the babyface champion. Suge scored consecutive two counts and said 2 + 2 = 4. Referee Daylin wasn't buying it. After a comedic exchange between Suge and Royce, Skywalker pulled of a double sunset flip, clotheslined Suge and double stomped Royce. A masked man surreptitiously clocked Skywalker with a foreign object. Suge rolled Royce up with feet on the ropes to capture the title. The disguise came off the masked guy revealing Najasism. He stomped Skywalker's nut sack and applied the Sharpest Shooter. The ref had to pry Naja off Skywalker. The landlord came and collected. 

Suge vs. Skywalker in a singles would have been more interesting to me.  Royce was fine and allowed the title switch without Skywalker being pinned. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say IWE will host one of the matches in the best of seven series between Skywalker and Najasism. 

(2) Brittany Jade defeated Maggie Lee in 7:35. Jade engaged the crowd with her sassy attitude. Lee made several attempts at a Samoan driver and finally hit the move but Jade kicked out just before the three count. Jade executed a backstabber followed by a running knee to the face to pin Lee. The crowd was not happy. 

Jade knows the soft spots to rile up a crowd. At 5-11 with her look and athletic ability (former college volleyball player), Lee getting signed by a major company is a matter of when not if. 

War Games hype. The appearance of IWE owner James Caleb Kitchens got heat as soon as he came through the curtain. The women in the photo at right wasn't with him unfortunately.  Kitchens was in his Christmas suit Kitchens called his company the IWE of me. Deposed owner Tim Blackmon appearance got a pop that he milked it for all he was worth. Kitchens won the coin flip for the man advantage in the War Games. Kitchens introduced Joe Black as the captain of his team. Blackmon brought out Rob Killjoy as his captain. Killjoy said 2024 had been a tough year for the Duckman - he lost his father, his dog and we lost control of IWE. Killjoy said his team would end Hierarchy at the War Games. Black's teammates were introduced as Murder One, Kenway, Suge D and Kitchens. Killjoy's team: Billy Brash, Owen Knight, Skrilla The Great and...Blackmon said maybe that piece of info would be revealed later.

 A nice piece of business,  Blackmon keeping the 5th member of his team a mystery especially. Killjoy is so over in this building it's not even funny. 

(3) "Creme Pie Papi" Reyhan Inteus (with White Mike) defeated Pontay Khalifah in 6:33. The crowd showed their love for Inteus. Mike got a mixed reaction. Mike cut a promo maintaining that he was the real Creme Pie Papi. With supreme confidence, Mike said he still ran the place and would start his one year celebration (as IWE Champion) as soon as he beat Billy Brash. He chomped on a creme pie during the match. Crowd started booing Khalifah when he got control. Inteus caught Khalifah and planted him with a swinging side slam. Kahlifah got a close near fall with a fireman's carry slam. Khalifah ran his mouth and got goozled. For the finish, Khalifah went for wheelbarrow and got faceplanted. Inteus pinned him with a tombstone piledriver. 

 White Mike is unrepeatable. Match was OK for what it was. Inteus' power game looked good. He gave Khalifah a lot of offense. 

 Dre the Goat video. Too hot to handle, too cold to hold. Guy talks a good game. 

 (4) All Star Special (William Huckaby & Jay 2 Strong with Hold My Beer Hanson) defeated Exotic Youth (Zach Mosley & Cornelius Pepperbottom) to retain the IWE Tag Team Championship when Huckaby pinned Pepps at 7:13. ASS came to the ring wearing Santa hats to "All I Want Is Christmas For You" and had the crowd singing along. Early on, Mosley ate the Right Hand of God from Huck. EY cut the ring in half against 2Strong. He hit an Attitude Adjustment on Pepps and made the tag. Huck with an exploder and a spinebuster. EY with stomp/famouser combo on Huck but 2Strong broke up the pin. All Stars won it with a powerbomb backstabber combo. 

In a word - disappointing. EY rarely has average matches and All Star was coming of a title win over Hierarchy that some called a match of the year candidate. This was the fourth time these teams had met in IWE ring. Maybe they just ran out of new ideas. 

(5) The Hierarchy (Joe Black & Murder One and The Kenway) defeated Rob Killjoy & Owen Knight & Cody Fluffman in 12:40. Killjoy hit a flip dive to the outside to spark six way action before the bell. Kenway took heat. Hierarchy isolated Knight. Fluffman ran wild with the crowd chanting for him to "Fluff him up". Murder cut Fluffman off and Hierarchy ran the isolation play on him. Killjoy cleaned house with the hot tag. A train of finishing moves left all six men down and cycled back to Killjoy and Black. Knight surprised Killjoy by tagging himself in. Black caused Killjoy and Knight to collide. Killjoy was pinned after a triple team powerbomb/assisted senton by Hierarchy. 

Best match of the show, strongest crowd energy and sustained heat by far EXCEPT for the blow away closing segment. It piqued interest for War Games and teased the possibility Team IWE was not entirely on the same page. 

 (6) Dani Jordyn (with Superfan Emily) defeated Ameera Roze via submission to retain the IWE Women's Championship in 6:32. Jordyn immediately launched a savage attack on Roze's wrist and had the armbar applied in the first minute of the match. Roze got a ropes break. Roze had her moments but the issue was never in doubt. Jordyn roughed Roze up, got the armbar locked in again and Roze tapped. Jordyn reluctantly released the hold. 

Roze did fine. She simply isn't in Jordyn's league at this stage and the crowd knew there was zero chance of a title change. 

 

Mila Johnson video. Johnson has something. She must have next with Dani. 

(7) Skrilla The Great defeated Colby Corino in 7:39. Corino attacked Skrill before the bell. Skrilla teed of on Corino with chops and tried for Skrill Ride. Way too soon. Corino necked Skrilla on the top rope. Corino punished Skrilla's back. The crowd got behind Skrilla and started chanting his name. Corino applied a sharpshooter but Skrilla made it to the ropes. Comeback time. Corino hit a killer package backbreaker for a false finish. Skrilla broke out a poisonrana as a set up move for the Skrill Ride. 

They packed a whole lot of stuff into an eight-minute match. Skrilla over clean was the only finish that made sense. 

(8) White Mike defeated Billy Brash to retain the IWE Championship in 9:15. Intense lock up. Intense lock up. Trash talk abounds. Brash lured Mike in with a headstand on the turnbuckle and beat him silly on the outside. Mike was limited to gutter offense until he locked in a variation of the Indian deathlock. Brash countered Mike's vaunted giant swing front facelock. Inteus tried to interfere. Brash handed Inteus his ass but Mike was able to roll Brash up using the tights. 

Mike and Brash have chemistry. The finish protected Brash going into the War Games. 

 Mike was ready to start the one year celebrating. Out came Killjoy for a man to duck talk. Killjoy said he was the team captain. Mike assumed Killjoy was looking for him to be his #5. Killjoy said you're not it but after War Games I'm coming for you and that title. Killjoy hit Mike with the mic and clotheslined him over the top. Team Kitchens hit the ring and beat hell out of Killjoy and Brash. Knight and Skrilla joined the fight but Blackmon's team still outgunned. 

Coach Mikey to the rescue and announced as the 5th competitor on Blackmon's team and a pop that blew the roof off. All 10 men brawling all over the building with the crowd losing their minds.  Mikey got his hands on Kitchens. The show closed with Mikey and Killjoy standing tall and the heels with their tails tucked between their legs. 

Perhaps IWE can go home again with Ugly Ducklings. The building exploded when Coach Mikey came out. The 10 man brawl was pure bedlam. This fight had passion. 

NOTES: Lewis Santiago, Mike Fullilove, Yolanda Wright and Daylin were the officials...Alex Amaya was the ring announcer...C Dub, Nate Mansions and Josh Fields were among the notable wrestling personalities in the house.