IWA King of the Deathmatch Tournament 1995

I saw IWA's King of the Deathmatch Tournament when i was maybe 13 years old at a friends house. It blew my mind completely. The most hardcore thing i had ever seen in professional wrestling up to that point was some chair shots or something like that. I had definately never thought that two dudes would get in a ring with barbwire ropes or bodyslam eachother into thumbtacks and c4 explosives. It destroyed my concepts of wrestling and made all those wwf and wcw guys look like total cartoons. Imagine Hulk Hogan taking a barbwire baseball bat to his shiny tanned bald head. It would never happen because hes a big pussy just like the most of those monday and thursday night primadonnas of today and yesterday.

If you dont get why Mick Foley is so respected in the wrestling world you will understand after watching this. The guy was paid 300 dollars to go through this legitimate life shortening physical hell. The main event of the tournament features Foley as Cactus Jack taking on the "Hardcore Legend" Terry Funk. Some would say that this match is the most legendary and best hardcore match ever. I dont think its the best but i would definately put it in my top ten. What is for sure about this match is that it sparked a life long friendship between the two hardcore legends that would bring us many great wrestling moments for years to come.

This video has some true legends of hardcore but is lacking some people that would have made it a dream tournament but that fact does not take away from the sheer awesomeness of this tape.

I have found every match from this event on Youtube. If you havent seen this tape youre not a real wrestling fan and you dont know shit about hardcore. Watch now.

*Also i recommend FOR LAUGHS the version of this tape with overdubbed commentary from the Insane Clown Posse.


The Card:
1. Tiger Jeet Singh vs. Mr. Gannosuke (Barbed Wire Barricade match)
2. Leatherface vs. Terry Funk (Barbed Wire Barricade, Chain match)
3. Cactus Jack vs. Terry Gordy (Barbed Wire Baseball Bat, Thumbtack match)
4. Shouji Nakamaki vs. Hiroshi Ono (Barbed Wire Baseball Bat, Thumbtack match)
5. Flying Kid Ichikara vs. T. Okano
6. Iceman vs. Kamakaze
7. Funk vs. Singh (Glass, Barbed Wire Barricade match)
8. Cactus vs. Nakamaki (Bed of Nails, Barbed Wire)
9. Gypsy Joe Ceremony
10. Headhunters vs. Silver King & El Texano
11. Dan Severn vs. Tarzan Goto (NWA title)
12. Funk vs. Cactus (Tourney Final-No Rope Electrified Barbed Wire Barricade Explosion match)

Bruiser Brody

The reason my first post is about Bruiser Brody is because he was a true artist who was brutally murdered for his wit and integrity. I see him as a true martyr of nihilism, hardcore, and liberty. Bruiser Brody is one of my favorite wrestlers. He never gained the popularity that he deserved in America due to his unpredicability in the ring and his unwillingness to take shit from scumbag promoters. However in his short span in America he held nearly every title of relevence in pro wrestling at the time. His matches with Terry Funk, Abdullah the Butcher, and the Sheik helped revolutionize pro wrestling and basically laid the groundwork for hardcore wrestling.

Heres a classic Brody VS Terry Funk brawl.




Probably one of the coolest wrestling promos ever:


On July 17 1988 Brody was stabbed to death by another wrestler/promoter in puerto rico. The story is too fucked up to even tell in this blog. If you want the gory details you can go here: http://www.solie.org/articles/brodeath.html

Here is Tony Atlas giving a detailed, eye witness video account of the murder:



The story of Bruiser Brody's life and death is one of the most shakespearean in modern sports history. It makes the Aronofsky's film look downright cartoonish.Its a real shame that he doesnt get more recognition and that his story doesnt get more attention.

The legacy of Bruiser Brody lives on today in hardcore pro wrestling organizations like CZW,BJW,and FMW. Many wrestlers homage and ape his style including Necro Butcher, Mick Foley, Undertaker(who he had his first match with), Mike Knox and countless otheres. Almost every indy promotion has a Bruiser Brodyesque character these days.

Im gonna end this post with a video of King Kong Brody putting over a young Leon "The Baby Bull" White who would later become Vader. Have a laugh.