?Reported by Bob Magee of WrestleView.com

On Sunday, July 31, 2005 at 7:11 AM EST

Combat Zone Wrestling drew its largest Tournament of Death crowd in history, drawing what the promotion estimated at 700; despite the well-known location change forced by the actions of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, a delay of the New York bus traveling to the event (as well as some of the crew, due to several accidents on I-95 and the NJ Turnpike, as well as normal summer traffic).

The promotion was not expecting this large a crowd, and was frankly shocked at the number of fans that made the trip down to New Castle, DE from the ECW Arena location.

Tournament of Death First Round

In the opening match, entitled "Barbed Wire Madness" (involving an "ultraviolent X" set up much as the Ultimate X match minus all the high spots) involving a barbed wire bat, chairs, and trash cans, as well as a staple gun), JC Bailey defeated Sexxxy Eddy after dumpingg thumbtacks in Eddy's trunks and then kicking him in the crotch, followed by a pinfall.

In a Light Tubes Match, Toby Klein defeated Madman Pondo after a Death Valley Driver through one of the sickest gimmicks I've ever seen...and one without light tubes.... a board with sharpened No. 2 pencils...then laid on chairs to prop it up. Can we say graphite poisoning, folks?

In a surprise to most, Brain Damage defeated Beef Wellington in an Tables match. Damage won the first fall, putting Wellington through a barbed wire table out of the ring. The second fall was taken by Wellington, who powerbombed Damage through a flaming table. Damage took the final fall and the match after powerbombed Beef off the ropes through a light tube table.

Nick Gage defeated Nate Webb in a Light Tubes/Ladders match after putting him through a log cabin of light tubes....off of a ladder.

Zandig defeated Robby Mireno and Eddie Kingston in a Fans Bring The Weapons match. Joker returned for the show, as he's on leave from his military service in Iraq, so CZW wanted to find a way to get him on the show...and made the match a sort of improvised tag team match (that wasn't really a tag team match, as Zandig advanced as an individual). Post-match, Zandig threw kayfabe out the window as he congratulated the members of Blackout for their toughness in the match.

Tournament of Death Second round

Nick Gage defeated JC Bailey in a Pane Of Glass match after a reverse top rope piledriver through a collection of light tubes bridged across a chair.

Necro Butcher defeated Brain Damage in the Fans Bring The Weapons match that saw some scary looking punches being thrown by both guys at one another.

In a Light Tube Log Cabin Match, Zandig defeated Toby Klein 2 "falls" to 1 as Zandig powerslamed Toby Klein off a table propped up on the turnbuckles through one of the log cabins for the first fall. Klein took the second fall with a Death Valley Driver through another log cabin. Zandig threw Klein through the last log cabin with a Falcon Arrow for the third fall.

Non-Tournament Match

WHACKS won the "Ultraviolent Student Battle Royal" which featured glass, light tubes...and light tubes, and light tubes, and a flaming bat brought out by Whacks. This was the one match I could have done without...even though its purpose was designed to give WHACKS a well-deserved reward for all the work he does for CZW. More than a few fans who got into the rest of the show thought that some of the students were trying but too hard... and doing things bordering on reckless to try and get over with the crowd; one of whom had their "wifebeater" style t-shirt catch on fire briefly.

Tournament of Death Final Finals

In a nice touch, wrestling legend Gypsy Joe, who was present at the first IWA Mid-South King of the Death Matches tournament, was introduced as the special guest referee for the main event.

In the match, Necro Butcher defeated Zandig and Nick Gage to win the 2005 Tournament Of Death, with Zandig eliminated first, then Gage. Gage may have been burned during one moment where a table was lit on fire.

The match featured pits with salt, barbed wire, and lemons (ouch...) also featuring the remains of an astonishing amount of weapons brought by fans for this show...far surpassing that of any TOD ever held.

The most unique weapon in this main event was what I'll call an effigy of Frank Talent, attached to light tubes with rather creative commentary, as well as several items with unprintable comments directed at the PSAC; as well as endless weapons involving light tubes, accumulated broken glass, another barbed wire bat, a multi-story wooden structure filled with light tubes, as well as another one...a three tier glass structure placed atop a table for later use during the match.

CZW runs a MBA charity show in Sewell, NJ next week, and returns to the ECW Arena on August 13 for what should be a newsworthy event, given the recent situation with the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission. The promotion is still advertising a no-rope barbed wire match for the show.

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