IGPW SHOW 31: “RECKONING”
Location: United Center, Chicago, IL
Attendance: 19,811 (Sellout)
Commentary Team: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, and Alicia Atout
Theme Song: “No Shelter” by Rage Against the Machine
🔥 KICKOFF MATCH #1:
Mustafa Ali vs. Sammy Guevara vs. Santos Escobar vs. Hiromu Takahashi
– Inaugural IGPW Cruiserweight Championship – Fatal 4-Way Elimination
A blistering, high-octane match to kick things off. Hiromu gets a thunderous ovation for his debut. Escobar eliminates Sammy Guevara early after a Phantom Driver. Hiromu and Mustafa Ali exchange insane reversals before Hiromu hits Time Bomb II on Escobar, and then Dynamite Plunger on Ali to win.
Winner & NEW Cruiserweight Champion: Hiromu Takahashi
🔥 KICKOFF MATCH #2:
Speedball Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight vs. The Young Bucks
Old-school vs. new-school in a tag team firestorm. Speedball and Knight showcase fast counters and brutal strikes. Kevin Knight hits a sky-high dropkick that stuns Nick, allowing Speedball to deliver Ultima Weapon for a shocking upset.
Winners: Speedball Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight
MAIN CARD
MATCH 1:
Brody King & Buddy Matthews (c) vs. Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly
– IGPW Tag Team Championships
Kyle and Roddy are red-hot and focused, going after Brody’s legs to take the monster down. Buddy Matthews dominates stretches, but a miscommunication leads to Strong hitting an Olympic Slam on Matthews. Brody runs wild until Roddy dodges a Cannonball and O’Reilly locks in a Guillotine—Brody passes out.
Winners & NEW Tag Team Champions: Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly
MATCH 2:
Kevin Owens vs. Finn Bálor vs. Karrion Kross vs. Ricochet vs. LA Knight
– #1 Contender Match – Intercontinental Title
Kross dominates early, throwing bodies everywhere. Owens and Knight briefly team up to get rid of him, while Ricochet dazzles. Knight hits BFT on Ricochet but gets pulled out by Scarlett. KO hits Stunner on Balor for the win.
Winner: Kevin Owens
MATCH 3:
Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander vs. Rey Mysterio, Andrade & Dragon Lee
– IGPW Trios Championships
An electric lucha/traditional hybrid match. Andrade and Dragon Lee control most of the action… until Ricochet appears from the crowd and hits Rey Mysterio with a steel chair mid-dive, knocking him out cold.
The match breaks down, Andrade is left outnumbered. Cedric hits Lumbar Check, Shelton follows with Paydirt, and Lashley Spears Andrade.
Winners & STILL Trios Champions: The Hurt Business
Post-match, Ricochet cuts a bitter promo:
“I’m done playing the good guy. Rey stole my legacy. Now I’m taking everything from him.”
MATCH 4:
Adam Cole vs. Damian Priest
– Last Man Standing Match
A brutal war of attrition. Kendo sticks, chairs, and ladders galore. Priest chokeslams Cole off the stage through tables. Cole comes back with a low blow and Panama Sunrise on the steel steps. He zip ties Priest to the post and superkicks him repeatedly until the ref counts 10.
Winner: Adam Cole
MATCH 5:
Hangman Page vs. Kenny Omega
Long-time rivals collide again in a technical, emotional masterpiece. The crowd is split. Hangman resists the One-Winged Angel, and Kenny kicks out of the Buckshot Lariat at 1. After a grueling 25 minutes, Hangman hits a Deadeye onto a chair, followed by another Buckshot for the win.
Winner: Hangman Page
Post-match, Omega offers his hand. Page accepts. The Elite slowly reunites.
MATCH 6:
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. El Phantasmo
– Intercontinental Title – Street Fight
A shockingly violent match. Okada bleeds, ELP uses trash cans, thumbtacks, and even a barbed-wire kendo stick. Okada roars back and counters Sudden Death into a Rainmaker, but ELP kicks out at 1!
After hitting Tombstone onto thumbtacks, Okada delivers Back-to-back Rainmakers.
Winner & STILL Intercontinental Champion: Kazuchika Okada
MATCH 7:
CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Will Ospreay
– #1 Contender Match – World Title
Chicago is behind Punk, but Ospreay shines. Cody and Punk exchange barbs mid-match. Ospreay hits Hidden Blade on Cody, then sets up for Storm Breaker, but Punk low blows him behind the ref’s back and hits the GTS on Cody.
Winner: CM Punk
After the match, Punk stares into the camera: “Swerve. I’m coming for your soul.”
MATCH 8:
Bronson Reed & Kyle Fletcher vs. DIY vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. War Raiders
– #1 Contender Match – Tag Titles
Tag chaos! Everyone gets their moments. Reed looks unstoppable until MCMG double team him with Skull & Bones. DIY sneak in, hit Meet in the Middle on Fletcher.
Winners: DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa)
MATCH 9:
Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton
– Falls Count Anywhere
This turns into a backstage war. Orton hits an RKO on the catering table. Drew powerbombs Randy through a vending machine. They brawl into the parking lot where Drew hits a Claymore off a truck for the win.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. AJ Styles
– Dream Match, Technical Clinic
A brilliant closing contest. Styles targets Zack’s ribs, but ZSJ tortures AJ’s arm. The crowd is locked in. AJ goes for the Phenomenal Forearm but Zack counters mid-air into a Flying Armbar and rolls into a Jim Breaks Special.
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr. (via submission)
After the match, Zack grabs the mic:
“I didn’t come here to play games. I came here to dismantle your icons, one at a time.”
Absolutely! Let’s rework the main event of IGPW: “Reckoning” to reflect Swerve Strickland retaining with help from the Hurt Syndicate (Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander), and an epic showdown against the House of Black.
🔥 UPDATED MAIN EVENT:
Swerve Strickland (c) vs. Malakai Black
– IGPW World Heavyweight Championship
The crowd is buzzing, knowing this match is a clash of dark charisma and sheer violence. The entrances set the tone—Malakai Black appears through smoke with eerie lighting and the full House of Black (Brody King & Buddy Matthews) in tow. Swerve walks out alone, stoic, title over his shoulder.
🔥 Match Story:
Early on, it’s a war of precision and strikes—Swerve’s unorthodox counters against Malakai’s icy brutality. Malakai targets Swerve’s arm to limit the Swerve Stomp, while Swerve works on Malakai’s legs to nullify Black Mass.
Swerve hits a springboard uppercut and House Call for a close 2-count. Malakai strikes back with knee feints into a brainbuster, then Black Mass—but Swerve rolls out of the ring just in time.
⚠️ Chaos Erupts:
Suddenly, Brody King and Buddy Matthews circle the ring, distracting the ref. They slide in and start attacking Swerve as Malakai watches coldly.
But then — “The Hurt Syndicate’s theme hits!”
Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander storm the ramp, charging to even the odds.
The crowd erupts as Lashley Spears Brody King into the barricade!
Cedric hits a springboard dropkick to Matthews.
Shelton throws fists with Buddy until both tumble over the timekeeper’s table!
Inside the ring, Malakai sets up for another Black Mass…
…but Swerve ducks, hits a low dropkick to the knee, and springs off the middle rope into a Swerve Stomp to the back of the neck!
1…
2…
Malakai kicks out at 2.9!
💥 Finish:
Malakai stumbles to his feet, dazed, as the Hurt Syndicate keeps the House of Black neutralized outside.
Swerve smirks and yells, “This is MY house now!”
He spins and connects with a brutal House Call to the temple.
He climbs the top rope and lands a second Swerve Stomp, this time to the chest.
1…
2…
3!
Winner & STILL IGPW World Champion: Swerve Strickland
🎤 Post-Match Angle:
Swerve stands tall in the ring, holding his title high, flanked by Lashley, Cedric, and Shelton—the Hurt Syndicate. The crowd is shocked as this new alliance is cemented.
On commentary, Mauro shouts:
“Swerve didn’t just survive—he’s just declared WAR, and he brought his own damn army!”
The House of Black stares them down from the ramp, bloodied but seething. Malakai Black smirks, whispering something to Brody as the screen fades…
💣 Closing Tease:
Just before the show ends, CM Punk appears again at the top of the arena, arms crossed, smirking.
He mouths to the camera:
“Swerve… You’ll need an army.”
Cut to black.
