Independent's Follower: June 22, 2002

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IWA MID SOUTH UPCOMING EVENTS
IWA Mid-South Hardcore Wrestling returns to the new IWA Arena (1309 Woerner Ave.) this Saturday night, June 22nd. Bell time is 8pm. Tickets will be available at the door.

Stemming from the wild brawl at "No Blood, No Guts, No Glory" on 6/15, Tracy Smothers will do battle with "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton in a battle of two wrestling legends. More matches to be announced shortly. Call (502) 569-1701 for up to the minute card information for this Saturday night.

Then, the IWA will be back at the Knights of Columbus (200 N. Lynhurst Dr.) in Indianapolis, IN on Friday night, June 28th. Bell time is 8pm Central. Tickets are just $12 & $10, and will be available at the door. On tap for Indianapolis on 6/28: Mad Man Pondo vs. 2 Tuff Tony in a Barbed Wire Tables Match... "Mean" Mitch Page & Rollin Hard vs. Ian Rotten & Mark Wolf... Chris Hero vs. "Spyder" Nate Webb in a 2 out of 3 Falls contest... Tracy Smothers vs. Corporal Robinson... Nadia Nyce vs. Dave Prazak... plus many more of your IWA favorites.


OFFICIAL RING OF HONOR PREVIEW
June 22nd will be a historic night in Ring Of Honor history. ROH returns to the Murphy Recreation Center in South Philadelphia with four tournaments. The winner of each tournament will advance to the July 27th event where they will meet in a 4-way one-hour ironman match with the winner of the most falls becoming the first ROH champion. With so much on the line, issues are sure to escalate as things heat on June 22nd. For tickets, directions and more call 215-891-9404, visit ROHwrestling.com or RFVideo.com. There will be $15 general admission tickets available the night of the show at the door. Bell time is 7:30pm. Here is a complete preview of June 22nd.

The conclusion of the show will have a ceremony with the four tournament winners. They will be brought to the ring and ROH’s $3,199.00 title belt will be unveiled to them and the public. The first part of this ceremony will have a very special announcement that will change the course of ROH and the Philadelphia wrestling landscape forever.

Tournament A:
Spanky “The Showstopper” vs. Paul London
Spanky’s flamboyant style and undefeated streak has taken him to the top of the ROH roster. Paul London has already earned the respect of the educated, diehard ROH fans. A win by either of these Rudy Boy Gonzalez trainees will push either of these two to main event status. These two high-flyers are the future of the business.

“Wonderkid” Jonny Storm vs. “Phoenix” Jody Fleisch
These two end their two-week tour of the United States at ROH. They know in order to come back to ROH they have to win this tournament. Both have stolen the show everywhere they have gone from CZW to PWF to HWA. They bring their lightning quick daredevil style to ROH and both have promised to unleash some new moves in Philly on June 22nd.

Spanky/London winner vs. Storm/Fleisch winner.
The final of tournament A will put two of the top young high-flyers in a first time ever match. This is guaranteed to be good.

Tournament B:
“The New F’N Show” Jerry Lynn vs. “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles
These two have fought in competitive matches on PPV and overseas, now this budding rivalry comes to ROH. Lynn’s title history includes an ECW world and WWE light heavyweight title reign. Styles captured the ROH audience in his debut on April 27th with a match of the year vs. Low Ki, which he lost in controversial fashion (tape available now at RFVideo.com or by calling 215-891-9404). Both these men are looking to solidify their spot in ROH with a victory here.

“The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels vs. “The Black Nature Boy” Scoot Andrews
The challenges were issued in the ring at “A Night Of Appreciation” and now these two will collide in the first round. Daniels has become ROH’s most controversial talent and says he has big plans in mind for June 22nd. Andrews can pin anyone at anytime with his Force Of Nature finisher. This one should be interesting. What does Daniels have planned?

Lynn/Styles winner vs. Daniels/Andrews winner
This final match is too tough to call. Any combination of these four could meet to determine who goes on to July 27th. No matter what the bout is, fans are in for a classic.

Tournament C:
American Dragon vs. Bio-Hazard
American Dragon has proven to be the man to beat in ROH with several high quality bouts including a match of the year candidate victory over Low Ki at The Round Robin Challenge (available for immediate shipping at RFVideo.com or by calling 215-891-9404). ROH wanted to give an unknown an opportunity to become a star in one night. Rudy Boy Gonzalez suggested recent Texas Wrestling Academy Bio-Hazard. If Bio-Hazard can beat Dragon, he has earned his spot among the elite.

Jay Briscoe vs. “The Anarchist” Doug Williams
Jay’s brother Mark might be letting Jay know that he has lost more than he won in ROH, but Jay has proven to be a top notch athlete and a future star. Doug Williams is regarded as the top guy in the U.K. and one of the most underrated wrestlers in the world. This one could be a classic. Both men will represent themselves well in this tournament.

Dragon/Bio-Hazard winner vs. Briscoe/Williams winner
Lots of interesting second round matches are possible. No matter the finals are of tournament C, it should be a very well fought contest among two of the most skilled competitors going today.

Tournament D:
Low Ki vs. Prince Nana
Ki knocked out Nana at the last ROH event, can Nana gain some revenge? Low Ki seems poised to make a strong run at the title after delivering a match of the year candidate on each of the first three ROH events.

The Amazing Red vs. Xavier
This has to go down as a pick ‘em. Both guys have had their share of success so far in ROH and they both seem prime to make an impact in 2002. This should be a fast-paced, exciting match.

Low Ki/Nana winner vs. Red/Xavier winner This will produce a match New Yorkers will be familiar with. There are several combinations here that should produce a memorable second round bout.

Non-tournament action:
Several tag teams are signed to appear this Saturday including Da Hit Squad, The Natural Born Sinners, SAT, Divine Storm, The Carnage Crew and The Christopher Street Connection with Allison Danger. With all the attention in ROH on the singles title, the tag teams will be looking to do something to steal the show. With no set matches for all these duos, mayhem and violence is sure to go down as all these tandems try to position themselves as the top tag team in ROH.

When you see ROH’s "A Night Of Appreciation" videotape, you’ll see that Simply Luscious is looking for a new spot in Ring Of Honor. What will be in store for her on Saturday?

In addition to that, Sumie Sakai from the JD promotion in Japan will continue her public relations tour at the ROH show this Saturday. She is regarded as the most underrated woman wrestler in Japan.

These questions will be answered:

What will be ROH's huge announcement that will change the landscape of the Philadelphia wrestling scene and ROH's future forever?

What does ROH's $3,199.00 championship belt look like?

Who will be the four tournament winners that will advance to fight to become the first ROH champion?

Jody Fleisch and Jonny Storm have stolen the show everywhere they have gone on their two week tour of the United States that ends at the 6/22 ROH event, what new moves will they pull out on Saturday to try to steal the ROH show?

What does Christopher Daniels have planned?

What kind of tag team mayhem will happen with Da Hit Squad, Natural Born Sinners, SAT, Divine Storm, Loc & Devito and The Christopher Street Connection with Allison Danger all signed to appear, but not in scheduled matches?

What will Sumie Sakai do in her only ROH appearance?

ROH has produced three legitimate match of the year candidates on its first three events, how many match of the year candidates will take place this Saturday with ROH's deepest talent roster yet?

Will Jay Briscoe finally break through as a main player?

Can Doug Williams make a name for himself in one night in the United States?

Does anyone kick harder than Low Ki?

Can Spanky back up his "Show Stopper" moniker?

What new moves will Paul London execute?

What will happen when the AJ Styles vs. Jerry Lynn rivalry comes to ROH?

Will Bio-Hazard be the next man trained by Rudy Boy Gonzalez's Texas Wrestling Academy to impress?

Will Simply Luscious finally be happy with her spot?

How many *** star plus matches will take place on June 22nd?

How much will things heat up this Saturday as the issues reach a boiling point and are set to explode now that ROH is so close to crowning its first champion?

What can ROH possibly do to surpass its first three critically acclaimed events this Saturday, June 22nd at the Murphy Recreation Center in South Philly just five blocks from the ECW Arena and five minutes from I-95?

Who will uphold The Code Of Honor?

All these questions and more will be answered this Saturday night. Be there and witness history for yourself!!! Pure wrestling is back!!!