For the fifth week in a row, I bring you, the fine readers of Violent People, Rotten Rewatch. What’s that? It’s been a full month since the last column? Honestly I feel like I let the dozen of you that read this down. I could blame Violent People Radio, but that takes up about 2-3 hours a week. I could say I’ve been busy watching modern day wrestling, but I haven’t and why would I do that?

Real life has been crazy, in both good ways and bad. The bad side of being busy is dumb cheer team drama, having to work to make a living, both leaf blowers dying on me, and a ex-girlfriend of mine being arrested for murder. On the good side though I found a great new cheer gym, work has been busy which means more money, multiple projects at the house completed and my swimming pool is crystal clear. I’m sure none of you are too pressed about the lack of Rotten Rewatch columns or want to hear about a stranger’s personal life, but there’s the Dan Rice update. I can’t really blame all that for the lack of columns, though. Just felt a real mental block in finishing this one for whatever reason. 

In conclusion Rotten Rewatch #6 is coming your way next Thursday…unless it doesn’t

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IWA Mid-South Hardcore Hell In A Cell

04/25/98

Scottsburg, Indiana

Shark Boy vs GQ Masters III

GQ is a Lexington, KY boy, so we both bleed blue. Outside of that I don’t know him at all. Shark Boy comes out to the Jaws theme, which I’ve always loved. 

Shark Boy is the IWA Television champion. Sharkboy runs down GQ and whoever booked this match. He brings up GQs terrible record and refuses to defend the title against him, Strangely this was a face promo because then GQ gets on the mic and runs down the fans and the state of Indiana. GQ talks about defending his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Jushin Thunder Liger and He’s won me over.

Shark Boy opens this up stalling more than Tracy Smothers. It’s great, mostly because GQ sells it like an angry toddler. He jumps up and down and demands Shark Boy get in the ring. 

We’re fifteen minutes into this show that opens straight to entrances before there’s any physical contact and it’s the two competitors accidentally headbutting each other going for a lock up. This leads to GQ stalling. He gets into it with several fans.

This is actually funny unlike most future Shark Boy matches I remember. GQ grabs light tubes from a fan. He’s strutting around the ring. When Shark Boy rolls out and grabs a weapon of his own, GQ screams and throws his light tubes straight up in the air before rolling in the ring to escape.

The last three minutes of this are just a basic match that Shark Boy wins with a top rope dropkick and it’s by far the weakest aspect of this whole thing.

GQ lays in the ring and throws a fit after the match WATCH this for sure

Corporal Robinson vs Suicide Kid

This is my first time covering Corporal Robinson for Rotten Rewatch, though I did discuss him in multiple episodes of Talking Tourneys. He’s accompanied by a manager who I believe is Jim Fanin. WAIT It’s OVW’s own Kenny Bolin

Both of these men were trained by Ian Rotten, though I think Corp trained somewhere else first. 

This is only a few months into Suicide Kids career. It’s amazing how quickly the deathmatch scene(amongst other things I presume) age Corp. He looks crazy young here. 

This starts out awesome. Suicide Kid chucks Corp to the outside, hits a diving hurricanrana to the outside and then he immediately runs back to the ring to hit a tope. This leads to some crowd brawling and chair swinging. Suicide Kid has TERRIBLE punches. That’s the kind of thing that’s gonna stick out in IWA.

Corp KILLS him with a DDT to a chair on the outside. Corp takes over and Suicide Kid tries to live his name with every bump. 

Robinson almost dies himself, trying to dive onto Suicide Kid on the outside. This is in no way Suicide Kids fault, but Corp seems angry nonetheless and kills him with a chair to the back.

Suicide Kid takes all kinds of damage including a lighttube shot, but gets the win with a roll up when Robinson is arguing with the referee after a kick out. Corp and Bolin beat the poor Suicide Kid down after the match. An easy WATCH

Tables Match: Harry Palmer vs American Kickboxer

AK is also managed by Kenny Bolin. I  have no idea who Harry Palmer is, but he dwarfs AK.

This starts out as absolutely nothing in the ring. Like nothing to even recap. I’m ready to write this match off and then they go outside the ring and AK comes alive. He absolutely kills Palmer with multiple chair shots. Sets up a ladder outside the ring, jumps off it onto the ropes into an Asai moonsault. It ‘s nuts.

Palmer is really the problem here. When he’s in control even with AK bumping his ass off it’s boring. Then the second AK is on offense it flips a switch. AK hits a leg sweep when Palmer is holding the ladder and then when he’s on the ground with the ladder on him he immediately hits a springboard leg drop.

Also this is a tables match, but the ref is counting pin attempts. 

There’s some fun crowd brawling and then they go back to the ring for the finish. Palmer hits a sitout powerbomb off a table on the top rope through another table.

Palmer sucks, but this is a WATCH. American Kickboxer hits a ton of stuff people should watch and steal.

IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Title Match: Tarek The Great vs The Wild Child

The match is so fucking weird. It’s like a mid nineties junior heavyweight match, but between two junkies who aren’t totally trained, so it’s way better than your standard junior match. They’re stiffing each other, dropping each other early, there’s random weapons involved. 

Then they go to a chin lock section that turns into them rolling around until Wild Child is thrown out of the ring.

It’s all so random at times I don’t know how to recap it. Tarek hits a springboard dive to the outside while holding a chair. He powerbombs Wild Child onto the middle rope. There are hurricanranas a plenty. Slaps and hair pulling. Just real slow motion chaos at times. This also may have been Wild Child’s last ever match and I don’t blame him

It’s definitely too long and there is no real structure, but every time it threatens to get boring something insane or brutal happens. WATCH

Cash Flo vs Bull Pain

Skinny young Cash Flo will never not be weird. Bull Pain is managed by Kenny Bolin, who he demands get to do his ring introduction. When IWA MS has a manager they really get there money’s worth and have them manage a butt load of guys.

We don’t miss anything, but the screen does go completely blue for thirty seconds.

This opens up with Bull firmly in control. Beating down Cash FLo with fists and kicks and a guitar.

Cash has some hope spots, but it’s mostly an ass kicking. Bull throws him into chairs, punches him in the mouth and suplexes him on the outside.

Even when Cash gets a chair he can’t take control. 

The finish has Bull Pain set up a slingshot suplex but instead he just spikes poor Cash FLo on his head,

After the match Bull suplexes what I hope is a plant fan on the floor.

If a mostly one sided Bull Pain squash  match doesn’t appeal to you, then I don’t know how you’re reading this. WATCH Bull Pain punch a dude in the face.

IWA Mid-South Heavyweight, Barbed Wire Cage Match: Ox Harley vs Ian Rotten

This is the namesake “Hell in a Cell” I’m not sure exactly how to describe it so I included a picture. It looks like the fifth year senior made it in shop class.

There’s a tight lockup with neither man wanting to go into the wire. Ox gets shoved into it first. Quickly turns into both men being raked over the wire. 

On the positive side Ox has even better strikes than I remembered from his last match. On the negative side, he is loud in this match. Like lots of loud moaning and groaning. Got an audible “What the fuck are you watching” from the other room. I explained it was my private rotten time and to leave me alone.

This is honestly insanely disappointing. By far the weakest Ian match I can remember watching. 

There’s obviously good punches, Ian is over huge, and it has lots of blood and weapons so it’s not the worst thing in the world. It is just real meandering and Ox gets so slow toward the end.

On top of all my trepidation to rating this as a watch there’s no finish. Bull and Corporal Robinson run in and beat both men down. I hate to say, but it’s a SKIP

I was so sure this was going to be the first show where everything was worth watching, but I just can’t recommend the main event WATCH everything up until that and it’s a great show.