?Reported by Bob Magee of WrestleView.com

On Sunday, June 12, 2005 at 7:25 AM EST

IWA Mid-South Wrestling debuted at the ECW Arena as part of the "Violent by Design" doubleheader at the ECW Arena before an estimated crowd of 400 yesterday afternoon...an extraordinary crowd for a summer afternoon during the Jersey shore season.

In match results (thanks to IWAmidsouthwrestling.com for some detail):

Josh Abercrombie defeated Delirious with the Phoenix Splash to win the IWA Light Heavyweight Title in the opening contest.

Homicide defeated CM Punk with an inside cradle. While a good match, it wasn't up to their ROH standards.

Post-match, Ian Rotten announced that Punk's last IWA-MS match will take place next Friday in Midlothian, IL. Other sources have reported that while they believe Punk's departure to WWE to be coming soon, a contract has not yet been signed....but Rotten clearly expects this to happen.

Mickie Knuckles defeated MsChif and Allison Danger to become IWA Mid-South/NWA Midwest Women's Champion.

Danger was eliminated from the match after MsChif blew red mist in her eyes, and she "couldn't continue". MsChif busted Mickie open with a running knee strike in the corner with her spiked vest over Mickie's face. Mickie scored the final pinfall following the shining kick to the face.

Ian Rotten and several IWA-MS wrestlers joined a bloody Mickie in the ring following her victory to congratulate her on achieving her dream (Knuckles was trained by Ian Rotten and Chris Hero).

The match, the first I've seen Mickie Knuckles in live, proved out that she is likely be the toughest woman wrestler on earth not trained by Chigusa Nagayo, or named Mae Young. This match was WOMEN....who were WRESTLING...as well or better than many of the men I've seen this year. More fundamentally sound, and taking tougher bumps than many of the men than I've seen this year.

Note to Vince McMahon: I'd watch these women a lot quicker than I'd watch your surgically enhanced, anorexic nameless bimbos with the IQ of a ground squirrel from the casting couches of America that you've trotted out in recent weeks in your "Diva Search" segments.

"Double C" Claudio Castagnoli (with Jade Chung) defeated Tracy Smothers with use of a chain behind the referee's back.

The Iron Saints (Vito and Sal Thomaselli) won a 5-team tables elimination match (think Royal Rumble-style tables elimination match) to become IWA Mid-South World Tag Team Champions.

Eric Priest came to the ring first and replaced Silas Young with former ECW wrestler Chad Austin. They started the match with ROH students Davey Andrews and Shane Hagadorn) for the first two minutes, before Jim Fannin and Jade Chung's duo of Eddie Kingston adn BJ Whitmer entered the fray.

After a rant by Fannin shilling a War Games match on July 2 where he'll get the chance to "ake over the promotion", Kingston eliminated both teams when he powerbombed Hagadorn on top of Austin, who was laying on a table, simultaneously eliminating both teams. IWA Mid-South Tag Team Champions Trik Davis and Ryan Boz (who is a moose) were the next team to enter. Next were The Iron Saints, then Brandon Thomaselli and B-Boy.

Whitmer and Kingston were eliminated when Brandon superbombed Chung off the ropes through Whitmer and the table. Vito & Sal then scored the deciding elimination when they hit the Double stomp off the top rope to the floor through a table on Davis.

Axl and Ian Rotten and Nate Webb (subbing for Balls Mahoney, who Ian Rotten tore into post-match for no-showing the booking, which Rotten appeared to blame on Mahoney being booked tonight by Vince McMahon on today's ECW-themed "One Night Stand" PPV; and then deciding to demand more money) defeated JC Bailey, MadMan Pondo, and Toby Klein in a match that channeled the spirit of old school IWA Mid-South with blood, brawling

In the first fall of the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title gauntlet, Danny Daniels defeated "Anarchist" Arik Cannon in the first pairing of the Gauntlet Series for an IWA World Heavyweight Title shot after a tombstone piledriver.

In the second fall of the gauntlet, Chris Hero defeated Danny Daniels with the Hangman's Clutch in the second Gauntlet Series pairing to earn the title shot.

In the final fall of the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title gauntlet, Jimmy Jacobs retained the IWA World Heavyweight Title over Chris Hero after throwing powder in his eyes, then hitting the back senton off the top rope.

In an incredibly sick, stiff match, Samoa Joe defeated Necro Butcher in the main event of the afternoon via knockout following several knee strikes and a kick to the side of the head.

NecroButcher took one of the sickest spots I've ever seen, with Samoa Joe delivering a flatliner off of the apron face first onto the floor. This was a frightening looking spot, with more than a few people running over to see if Necrobutcher was breathing, forget if he could continue.

Post-match, Ian Rotten told the Philadelphia fans he would give them a rematch between the two men upon their eventual return to Philadelphia, at a date to be determined.

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