Zona 23 – La Guerra Comienza

Zona 23 is my favorite promotion that I've never watched a full show from, well was now that I've watched a full show from them. I love their youtube stuff and I just love the idea of a wrestling promotion in the middle of a junkyard. Lot of people I'm seeing for the first time on this show, but a few I've seen in other stuff since I just watched an IWA:MS King of the Deathmatch tournament

Guerrera Negra vs, Sadik Maiden

You know it's going to be good when the match starts with them just smashing a bunch of lighttubes over each others heads. Sadik knocks Negra to a seated position then hits running knees to the back of the head with some lighttubes. Negra takes the advantage after some brawling ringside and sticks some lightubes down the back of Sadik's shirt and smashes them with double knees to the back. Sadik makes a comeback and drapes Negra over the ropes and neckbreakers her off them. They go back to the outside and start exchanging strikes. Sadik grabs Negra by the hair and charges her into the crowd as none of them bother mobing out of their chairs. Sadik piles chairs on top of Negra and one fan who didn't move and starts hitting the pile with more chairs. Negra breaks out the skewers and hammers them into Sadik's forehead. Sadik returns the favor and for the first time I've ever seen gets every skewer to stick in. The shen pulls them out and bites the forehead. Sadik comes off the second rope with a splash onto lighttubes and Negra for the win. The top rope is a little loose so she wisely doesn't go up there.

The match has a little too much of them no selling stuff and who has control of the match randomly changing that a lot of deathmatches can suffer from, but otherwise this is a fun brawl between the two women and while they don't go too crazy with any huge spots they do have them build up to bigger stuff throughout the match which is another thing a lot of deathmatches mess up so kudos to them for not doing that.

6/10

Lanatik Extreme vs. Lunatik Fly

We start off with some nice lucha wrestling and escapes for each other and Fly sends Extreme to the outside and hits a dive. We take a turn to the hardcore as Fly slams Extreme repepeatedly into a car near the ring. He thin hits a legdrop off the car onto Extreme, good height on that jump too. Extreme takes advantage and hits an avalanche falcon arrow onto the remains of some lighttubes for a two count. He follows that up with a powerbomb into the corner onto lighttubes. Extreme goes for a double stomp onto the apron, but Fly moves out of the way and then hits a beautiful asai moonsault on Extreme. Back in the ring Extreme regains control and hits a powerbomb onto his knee for the three count.

A fast paced affair between these two and an enjoyable match. My favorite kind of deathmatch where the two competitors just have a good match where some weapons happen to be involved. The leg drop on the outside is insane.

7/10

Joe Lider vs. Super Mega vs. Ultimo Gladiator

A short three way exchange of crazy happens and Ultimo knocks everybody to the outside and hits a suicide dive on Lider. Mega gets back in the ring and hits a suicide dive onto the other two with a bunch of lighttubes in front of him. Mega hits Lider over the head with an unfolded chair like a jerk as they brawl over toward a car. Ultimo suplexes Lider from the hood to the roof then climbs on top of a trailer and hits a splash onto Lider on the car. Lider rolls off the car and Mega suplexes Ultimo onto the roof then takes Lider into the ring. Mega charges at Lider in the corner who counters with a hiptoss through lighttubes and a pane of glass. Mega sets up a barbed wire wrapped chair and runs Lider into it after shoving some skewers into Ultimo's head. Lider breaks up a pin attempt and shoves a bunch of skewers into the forehead of Mega. Lider then gets some skewers courtesy of Ultimo. Ultimo and Mega suplex Lider onto some lighttubes. Mega hits a superplex on Ultimo onto a pile of chairs and lighttubes that gets a two count. Lider drops an elbow with a lighttube and gets the three count.

The three way rule really helped this match be going at all times and led to a bunch of great spots throughout the match and good work from all three of these men. The actual pinfall was pretty anticlimatic and probably should have come more quickly after the superplex, but whatever. Still got a ton of great hardcore spots and good work throughout.

8/10

Pirata Morgan, Super Crazy & Toxico vs. Histeria II, Psicosis II & X-Fly

Psicosis II hits a sloppy tilt a whirl move, but follows it up with a nice suicide dive and has already made his way to the car where he hits a tombstone piledriver on Toxico on the roof. The action is crazy and all over, but it gets back in the ring and the rudos are teaming up on Pirata Morgan. The technicos make a comeback and start brawling around ringside again. Crazy has set up the hood of a car over three chairs on the outside. Psicosis II strips Toxico's shirt off then powerbombs him onto thumbtacks. Psicosis tries to roll out of the way of a Crazy moonsault, but doesn't go far enough and still gets hit. They brawl to the outside and he puts Crazy on the carhood and jumps off the top rope with a legdrop, but Crazy moves. The ref calls for a disqualification victory for the rudos because Pirata Morgan hit a dick kick with lighttubes, but considering all the other stuff going on I don't know why the fuck that would matter.

This match had too much going on to focus on anything and a lot of the people in this match looked pretty bad during it as well. For a while I was worried they were going to restart the match, but all the talk afterword didn't lead to anything thankfully.

2/10

Eliminatoria de cachetadas

A masked wrestler I don't know is in the ring and has issued an open slap challenge and a bunch of fans get to come in and accept it. He's a thoughtful guy so he lets the fans strike first. He no sells the two fans strikes and fucking rocks them with slaps. Dumb, but fun to see. The fans really tried, you love to see it.

Aeroboy vs. Ciclope

Aeroboy Irish whips Ciclope through a barbed wire board then Ciclope Irish whips him into a car hood. Aeroboy hits a suicide dive that slowly sends Ciclope crashing through the chairs. The brawl back and forth on the outside with some lighttube usage involved. A car hood is setup over to chairs with some lighttubes on top for good measure. They brawl on the outside until Ciclope slides off Aeroboy's back into the ring. He trips Aeroboy down then bounches off the far ropes and hits a crossbody through the bottom ropes that sends them crashing through the car hood, awesome spot. Aeroboy recovers despite his back being a bloody mess and gets the barbed wire chair and slams it over Ciclope's back several times. They exchange lighttube shots then brawl over to a car. Aeroboy suplexes Ciclope onto the room then climbs up a stack of trucks and misses a senton that destroys the roof of the car, and probably Aeroboy's insides. Ciclope is lazy so he has the ring crew carry Aeroboy into the ring for him and only gets a two count. Ciclope comes off the top with a moonsault with a bundle of lighttubes and misses. They have a nice exchange of big moves that culminates in Aeroboy hitting a senton followed by a tiger driver for the three count.

The beginning of this match was kind of not much, but sloppy brawling, but once they get out to the car it becomes a lot more entertaining. Some fun bumps and cool stuff from the two guys, but this definitely suffered from death match random control change issues and the biggest spot kind of happening in the middle of the match. A fun match between these two guys though.

6/10

Fly Star vs. Miedo Extremo

Some back and forth exchanges leads to Miedo rolling to the outside and Fly Star hitting an Asai moonsault then chucking a paint bucket at him. We get a lighttube broken over Miedo's head and Fly Star then uses the remains to cut his forehead. Unfortunately that just powers Miedo up who returns the favor, but does a better job of opening a cut. Both men just start grabbing whatever they find at ringside and hitting each other over the head with it. They climb to the top of a trailer and Star throws Miedo off it then goes for a senton that misses. Back in the ring Miedo kicks a bundle of lighttubes into Star's chest then hits a half and half suplex for a two count. He follows up with a big powerbomb onto a car hood and lighttubes in the corner for two. Star drops Miedo stomach first on some lighttubes then hits a sitout fisherman suplex on light tubes for a two count. They exchange some striles before Star hits a german suplex that Miedo no sells then hits one of his own leaving both men down on the mat. Both men struggle to their feet and Star hits a springboard Canadian Destroyer onto some lighttubes then puts Miedo on the top rope. He drags the car hood over then sets it up on some chairs then he lights it on fire of course. Miedo shoves Star off the ropes through the fire. Miedo hits a big lifting reverse DDT then puts a bundle of lighttubes on Star before hitting a 450 for the three count.

A really good brawl between these two guys with some nice wrestling sequences mixed in as well. It was a little directionless before the car spot like the match before, but it gets to that part sooner and does more after it as well. A great use of weapons and they escalate the spots well. Crazy to know the finish doesn't involve the fire spot and still isn't a disappointment. Miedo's 450 was beautiful as well. Both men hit some really good looking suplexes throughout the match as well.

8/10

Matthew Justice vs. Demoledor

After a few stale mate lockups we get a chop exchange between the two men that quickly morphs into a forearm exchange. Demoledor runs to the corner followed by Justice and backflips over him, pretty impressive for a dude his size, but Justice charges and spears him to the mat. Demoledor charges the corner and Justice Demoledor so he flips over to the ground. Justice follows up with a pescado. Demoledor hits some strikes and puts Justice in a chair with some lighttubes then hits a suicide dive. They brawl around the ring taking turns slamming each other into the ring posts with a few light tube shots mixed in. They climb up to the top of the trailer and the roof of the car has been so destroyed they put some glass panes on it as well. They brawl on the roof then Demoledor lifts Justice up and tosses him off with a DVD. The crowd hypes Demoledor so he jumps off and misses a senton. They exchange strikes and then Demoledor puts some skewers into Justice's forehead. The two men get in the ring and exchange chair shots to the head. Demoledor gets the advantage then piles the chairs up with some light tubes thrown in for fun. He climbs the ropes, but Justice cuts him off with a chair shot and powerbombs him onto a chair. They brawl to the outside again and then climb up a different stuck of trailers and trucks next to a car. Justice kicks Demoledor off the ladder onto the chair then hits a big splash for the three count.

A good brawl from tehse two men with some good stuff, but they make the biggest mistake a deathmatch can do and thats have the finish not be a bigger bump than the stuff they did previously. I let some of the earlier matches off after doing the bump onto the car and doing other stuff, but just doing a different one, but without glass this time as the finish is a let down. That being said it is an entertaining brawl before hand and both men do good work throughout the match.

7/10

Overall: This was a fun show to watch and the first whole Zona 23 show I've watched. I usually just check out matches they upload to youtube, but this was a show that built up well with the matches being pretty normal deathmatch stuff until the matches near the end had way bigger bumps and lasted longer. Every match had a bunch of promos afterword, which since I don't speak Spanish since I'm too lazy to do my duolingo lessons seemed to last a while, but I also don't love promos after death matches as it kind of takes the impact out of the damage the wrestlers have done to each other. Must have been some rain fairly recently as it wasn't as dusty at ringside as I've seen it before. Definitely a fun show to watch and a reminder of wrestling shows with fans before the pandemic started.

IWA Deathmatch 97

I'm watching the version with 2005 commentary getting me Dave Prazak and Trik Davis to help me through this show. We get an opening highlight video set to Queen's “The Show Must Go On,” which is a very good song for that kind of video. This ring looks even sketchy then it ends up

Cash Flo vs. Ian Rotten

Rotten has hit Cash with a thumbtack bat to the head and piledrived him on thumbtacks and we're just starting this match. After brawling on the outside Cash turns the tables and hits Rotten with a bunch of lighttubes. The ref isn't wearing globes and gets a thumbtack in the hand while counting a pinfall. Ian hits a bunch of big moves to Cash on the thumbtacks before hitting a DVD and putting him down for the three count.

Pretty much just a squash match from the booker here and Cash really proves how tough he is in his first deathmatch showing I believe. Ian is limping from doing a legdrop onto a thumbtack bat onto Cash's chest.

3/10

Bull Pain vs. Rollin Hard

This one starts with Bull Pain backing Hard into the corner and some punches before dragging his head across the rope, nice that we start with some wrestling before getting right into the big spots. Pain effortlessly throws him over the makeshift rope guardrail and into the chairs. Hard is busted open from anb unprotected chairshot and wisely covers his head the second time. They brawl to the outside, but no camera gets to the action right away. The camera guy gets outside, but its so dark its not much better than not seeing it. After a bunch of brawling on the outside they get in the ring and Hard backdrops Pain onto the tacks. Pain takes Hard to dick kick city and hits him with the thumbtack bat a couple of times. Hard hits the worst fucking tornado DDT I've ever seen onto the tacks for a three count.

This was a fun crowd brawl and a very good change of pace from the previous match. Both men do some decent wrestling and get some color. The finishing move looking terrible kind of hurts the match, but still a fine display.

5/10

War Machine #1 vs. Balls Mahoney

War Machine is the first guy wearing regular wrestling gear so he gets respect for that. Although Balls is also wearing the only gear I've ever seen him in even if it is jean shorts and a shirt. The green sign a fan is holding has been used in all three matches so far. Now Balls is using the rope guardrail to choke Machine, I like the resourcefulness. Back in the ring and Machine takes the barbed wire bat to the forehead of Balls and busts him open. Balls gets Irish whipped into two barbed wire boards. Hero does question if it's the same ring IWA:MS kept using in '05 and allegedly it's not. Machine takes a slow Irish whip into a board and then Balls hits him with an inverted piledriver for three.

This was decent when it was a crowd brawl, but back in the ring the match was very perfunctory and was over pretty quick.

4/10

Axl Rotten vs. War Machine #2

Machine gets tossed out of the ring into a pit of mousetraps. He even gets up with one stuck to his tights. Axl dents a chair over Machine's head then sets up the barbed wire panel over two chairs. Axl hits a powerbomb through the board for three.

This match was also nothing like the first one so a disappointing first round.

2/10

Tower of Doom vs. Mad Man Pondo

Doom wins a test of strength to put Pondo to his knees. Pondo with an uppercut to the dong and then a stop sign to the head. Pondo grabs a testicular claw then shoves him into the pit of thumbtacks and barbed wire. Doom hits a terrible sidewalk slam onto the mousetraps since he didn't want to drop into them as well. Then he hits a piledriver onto some broken glass and Doom is not happy about hitting that move. Pondo then grabs some glass and cuts Doom open. Doom goes up to the second rope and hits a missile dropkick that gets two before Pondo gets a foot on the rope to break it up. Doom grabs a bunch of thumbtacks and individually pushes them into Pondo's head. Doom hits a legdrop off a chair onto Pondo who's on a barbed wire panel. Doom gets laid out on the barbed wire panel and Pondo hits a crooked Harlem Hangover for the three count.

This had some substance to it, but it's also the bad kind of deathmatch where they hit each other for stuff and nobody really sells anything and there's no flow to the match at all. It's just them hitting stuff. I will say that these guys used the weapons a little more fun than the others though.

3/10

Doug Gilbert vs. Ox Harley

Gilbert throws Ox into a barbed wire board then Harley reverses an Irish whip and sends Gilbert into the barbed wire. Ringside Gilbert puts a panel on top of Ox and double stomps it onto him. Bryce is on commentary and makes a joke about quarantining after all the blood in a match and that really hits different now. A bunch of brawling in the ring leads to Gilber hitting a piledriver onto the barbed wire with a lazy kick out then he follows it up with a piledriver that looked super dangerous. Gilbert taunts too much and Ox rakes the forehead of Gilbert with barbed wire. Ox goes up to the second rope, but Gilbert cuts him off and throws him off the top through a barbed wire panel for three.

A little more back and forth and something resembling a real match here, but Gilbert has too much of a need to taunt during the match, but at least it seems more like wrestling.

4/10

Rollin Hard vs. Ian Rotten

Some brawling and barbed wire use has lead to both men being busted open again, granted it's pretty easy since they were both bleeding earlier in the night. The brawl outside and Ian hits him with a bunch of different signs that the fans have at ringside. Ian and some ring crew or fans put in a barbed wire contraption with some glass as well. Ian barely lives Rollin up enough for a powerbomb and basically hits him with a throwing piledriver and we get the first Holy Fuck out of Prazak for the night.

This was some okay brawling and chair shots and Ian nearly killing Rollin Hard so not a lot there, but at least we get an impressive spot at the end. Rollin Hard is a real bloody mess after the match too.

2/10

Balls Mahoney forfeits from the second round because h has an ECW Championship match coming up which is stupid so just have him lose in the first round.

Doug Gilbert vs. Mad Man Pondo

They lockup and Pondo backs Gilbert into the barbed wire, but he no sells and superkicks Pondo into the opposite side ropes barbed wire. The first crazy bump that looks like something that happens now when Gilbert suplexes him off the side of the ring with no ropes into the barbed wire and broken glass. Prazak leveling up from “Hook the leg Man” to yelling “Hook the Leg you Fuck!” when Gilbert does a cocky cover after a piledriver. Gilbert gets a hot shot onto the barbed wire and that gets him the three count.

This match was not good at all, and maybe because I don't get why Doug Gilbert is so cocky all the time it kind of hurts the match, but it's a deathmatch tournament get your shit together.

3/10

Ian Rotten vs. Axl Rotten

The setup of this match is cool as its electrified barbed wire ropes with lighbulbs on the ropes that are providing illumination for the match. Doug Gilbert is a coward and doesn't want to wrestle in the finals so it's just a Rotten match up so that's good. Axl wins a test of strength and delivers some knees to the chest. Some scuffling on the mat leads to the getting close to the edge and Axl rubs the barbed wire on Ian's head. They are using normal lightbulbs on the ring and not light tubes and they are much harder to break so that might be why thigns change in the future. Breaking the light bulbs doesn't seem to work too well, so Ian just grinds the broken remains into Axl's forhead to draw more blood. Uppercut to the dick from Ian and he hits a legitimately good dropkick to Axl that surprised me and Prazak on commentary. Doug Gilbert runs in and hits a piledriver on Ian, but the ref is distracted enough that he can't get the three. Gilbert runs back in and piledrives Axl and the ref starts a count. Ian gets up at ten and falls back down and wins the match.

This was a pretty standard brawl with some cool deathmatch shit hanging around it, but Gilbert not wanting to wrestle then piledriving both guys to lead to a shitty ten count finish for Ian it is so bad.

3/10

This show is so fucking bad. It might have been slightly better at the time, but I doubt it, because I've seen cooler deathmatch stuff from earlier than this as well. Almost none of these were good matches and this is back in the times when most of the deathmatch wrestlers didn't bother to learn how to wrestle a good match. I wasn't expecting much, and this show underdelivered on that. I can't believe the bullshit finish to the tournament.

I wouldn't recommend watching this show, but I'm glad shit like this is saved online anyway. I don't know why, but it's kind of a nice bookmark for how deathmatch wrestling has evolved from where it started at in America. This show really highlights the shitty version of how deathmatch wrestling works and also has so many people dropping out that it proves how tournament booking is tough if you're dumb. IWTV has good stuff even if this show isn't. I'll prove it by writing up a review for a good recent deathmatch show tomorrow.