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FULL IMPACT PRO DVD REVIEWS

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*** Official OWW.com FIP DVD Reviews by Brad Dykens ***
September 8, 2006 - SECOND YEAR SPECTACULAR (NIGHT #1) - Inverness, Florida

It would be an understatement to say that FIP has come a long way in the last two years, gaining steam with each and every DVD home release they produce. If you compare the very first DVD, Emergence, with this DVD two years later you might think you were watching an entirely different promotion.

The second year anniversary show started with some words from manager Dave Prazak, introducing the newest members of DP Associates into the fold; Delirious, who is a grade-A talent, and Cyber-Kong, who looks like a first ballot hall of shamer. Cyber Kong is actually a blatant rip-off of a Mexican wrestler named Gronda. As Prazak was bragging about having FIP Champion American Dragon in his group, he was confronted by Roderick Strong. Strong promised that he'd be the one to take the FIP belt away from Dragon some day. Then the YRR faction of Steve Madison, Chasyn Rance and Kenny King showed up and attacked Roderick Strong until Sal Rinauro, Erick Stevens and Seth Delay made the save.

Next up in the FIP mobile studio, Black Market came out with their new manager Allison Danger (great choice!) and issued an open challenge for the FIP Tag Team titles which was immediately accepted by Colt Cabana and Sal Rinauro.

Black Market successfully defended their FIP Tag Team titles against Colt Cabana and Sal Rinauro in a good match that featured two babyface teams ( 7 / 10 ). After the match, So-Cal Val introduced her secret weapon to take out Allison Danger - the Lovely Lacey! YES!!!! So they immediately had a Ladies match pitting Allison Danger against Lacey - which is, I think, the first ever Ladies match in FIP history. So-Cal Val hates Allison Danger so much that she actually got physically involved in the match, albeit behind the referees back. SHIMMER chairman Dave Prazak obviously had a hand in getting this match booked. Allison Danger won the match by pinning Lacey ( 7.5 / 10 ). There was some extra-curricular hardcore brawling after the match between Black Market and The Heartbreak Express which actually included So-Cal Val get delicately slammed onto a merchandise table - and she sold it like she was stung by a bee. Black Market's Joey Machete challenged The Heartbreak Express & Lacey to a No-DQ six-person tag team match with the FIP Tag Team titles on the line the following night in Crystal River!

The Briscoe Brothers have finally made it to FIP - well technically they were on two shows back in May, but NOW they are regulars! I have no idea why these tag team specialists are wrestling in singles matches, but whatever. Mark Briscoe, with Jay Briscoe in his corner, had to cheat to defeat the masked Canadian Cougar ( 6 / 10 ). They're still playing it off as though nobody knows who Canadian Cougar is, but all the internet marks know that it's actually Tony Kozina. The cat is out of the bag, and under a mask!

Six man tag team action saw the YRR faction of Steve Madison, Chasyn Rance, and Kenny King take on the team of Roderick Strong, Erick Stevens and Seth Delay. The great thing about the FIP fans is that they are mostly untainted by the internet and they are actually marks for wrestling, which is not at all a bad thing and is actually refreshing. The bad thing about FIP fans is that there are female marks who think a high-pitched scream every fifteen seconds actually helps their favorite babyface gain an advantage. I'm here to tell you it's annoying and doesn't help. Dave Prazak left the announce position during the latter stages of the match and went to ringside to get a closer look. Hopefully he doesn't have any hookers backstage for the YRR this month. Roderick Strong finished off Steve Madison but Dave Prazak distracted the referee so that Cyber Kong could run in and take out Strong with one move. This helped the YRR pick up the tainted victory ( 7 / 10 ).

After the intermission, Roderick Strong attacked Cyber Kong for costing him a victory in the previous match. They ended up in the ring and a referee appeared out of thin air and started the match. Cyber Kong is a short power-house wrestler who looks incredibly familiar but I think he's just an FIP trainee or something. The gimmick is ridiculous but the wrestler isn't all that bad - after watching the match I realized he must have some experience elsewhere. He looks like something WWE would create. Roderick Strong won by disqualification after Delirious interfered ( 5 / 10 ). Setting up Roderick Strong vs. Delirious tomorrow night!

It was Jay Briscoe's turn to show his stuff as he took on original FIP high-flyer Jerrelle Clarke. I guess there was some time to fill on the DVD because this match was way too long. These two are great performers but their style is suited more for shorter matches. Jerrelle Clarke defeated Jay Briscoe despite constant interference from Mark Briscoe, which is a major upset in my books ( 5.5 / 10 ).

Delirious is so lovable it's hard to accept him as a heel member of DP Associates. All of his goofy lizard man antics are rendered useless in this environment, but the man has overwhelming talent to pull this sort of thing off. His opponent was Super 8 Winner and PWG/ROH/FIP Superstar Davey Richards - and by the way this was the main event! I love both of these guys but that's kind of a disappointing main event for an Anniversary show. Delirious did all his pre-match crazy mofo stuff, even yelling at an elderly couple in the front row in lizard language. I burst out laughing when I saw that because the old couple totally no-sold it with straight-faced silence. Delirious is not Lou Thesz! Davey Richards defeated Delirious by Submission ( 8.5 / 10 ). After the match, Cyber Kong showed up and smashed a pineapple over Davey Richards head! Roderick Strong made the save and then challenged American Dragon to a match next time they come back to Inverness. Richards and Delirious delivered a really amazing performance and capped off a great night of FIP entertainment!

Final Thoughts: Congratulations to FIP for two years of steady evolution. I'm happy to be a small part of it by doing these DVD reviews. I hope my contributions have helped to get the word out about a truly great product, and I hope to continue reviewing DVDs for many more anniversaries.

If you would like to purchase this or any other Full Impact Pro DVD, please check out ROHwrestling.com - and also be sure to show your support by checking out www.fullimpactpro.com/ - Thank you!



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