1) Swiss Money Holding (Claudio Castagnoli & Ares) vs. Chris Hero & Mark Wolf - IWA Mid South: We Are Family - 7/4/03
This DVD gets off to a great start as Claudio enters the ring wearing a badass suit while Chris Hero comes out to "Rape Me" by Nirvana. Unfortunately that was the only real highlight of this match. Claudio & Ares did some solid heel tag team work here by dominating the majority of the match and using some nice double team moves. Hero got worked over most of the bout which built towards him finally getting the hot tag to Wolf. Wolf comes in cleaning house only to recieve an inadvertant elbow to the jaw from Hero which ends up costing them the match. All in all, the match was pretty basic aside from a unique double team manuever by Claudio & Ares where Ares wheelbarrowed Claudio up and drove him shoulder first into Hero in the corner. Everything else was basically just body slams, arm drags, and rest holds. The match was your typical heel heat format early on with the babyface comeback at the end never really happening. Not a "bad" match per say, but it was pretty dull. Could have been better if they had gotten more time because the finish felt like it came out of nowhere although it was a logical way to end the bout.
Match rating - **1/4
2) Swiss Money Holding (Claudio Castagnoli & Ares) vs. Steve Stone & Beef Wellington III - IWA Mid South - 7/12/03
After seeing Swiss Money Holding for two conesecutive matches, I'm really digging the gimmick which basically portrays them as Swiss Bankers from what I can tell. The entrance music is pretty catchy too. It's funny that I'm saying all this now considering what happens after this match. However, let's not get ahead of ourselves. This bout was a small step up from the first match on this set. It felt like Claudio & Ares were able to display their abilities more here. It wasn't a big step up though because the structure of this bout was almost the same as the other tag match. The action was slightly better though and unlike the previous match, there's a reason you should check out this match as Claudio gets some serious height on a frogsplash only to crash and burn on the mat. It was seriously the highest of seen anyone get on a splash off the top rope. Stone takes advantage of this mishap from Claudio and hits a moonsault for the victory. Decent little tag match.
Match rating - **1/2
Following the match, Ares confronts Claudio about the loss and cuts a heel promo on America before Claudio cuts him off and says he likes it in America. FACE TURN! The face turn was solidified as Ares took out Claudio to end the segment. This was a good way to lead into the next match on this set.
3) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Ares - IWA Mid South - 7/19/03
Chris Hero is on commentary alongside Nate Webb for this match which provided some good insight. Hero talked about how well these two know each other and that they could steal the show. While I didn't see this whole show, I can say that I feel bad for whoever had to follow this match because it was really good. They started out with an extremely fast paced display of catch as catch can wrestling followed by Claudio hitting a big plancha over the top rope onto Ares. However, that was the peak for Claudio for the time being as Ares took over from that point forward. Claudio would fight back after being beaten down for awhile and we got an epic strike exchange that saw right hands, headbutts, and those awesome European uppercuts that Claudio throws like no one else. In the end, Castagnoli picks up the win after an innovative springboard swinging DDT on Ares. Great match!
Match rating - ***3/4
4) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Alex Shelley - IWA Mid South: A Phenomenal Invasion - 9/15/04
When looking through the match listing on this set, this is one really stood out. In my opinion, Shelley is one of the most underrated wrestlers of the past decade. He's one hell of a technical wrestling, but can fly too. As you would probably expect since Claudio isn't a highflyer, this match showcased the latter. This was a technical showcase from the opening bell. It was fairly even until about mid-way through the match when Shelley began working over the leg of Claudio. He did this throughout the match in a variety of ways such as hitting dragon screw leg whip on Claudio off the second turnbuckle and locking him in various submissions. The limb work here was superb and made for a remarkable contest. I really hope these two have faced off some other time because this match left me wanting to see more.
Match rating - ***3/4
5) Claudio Castagnoli vs. CM Punk - IWA Mid South: An IWA Homecoming - 9/16/04
Just like the Shelley match caught my eye, this one did the same. CM Punk is one of my all time favorite wrestlers and we never got to see him face off with Cesaro before he retired so I was really looking forward to this one. This was a really fun match. Punk used the same strategy here that he used in his first classic bout with Samoa Joe by repeatedly putting Claudio in a headlock. So much so that Hero on commentary dubbed him "King of the Headlock". It was really cool seeing these two lock up, they worked quite well together. Solid match.
Match rating - ***
6) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Nigel McGuinness - IWA Mid South: Ted Petty Invitational 2004 Night One - 9/17/04
This was a good british style wrestling match. The catch as catch can style was put on display several times throughout the match while it really came down to submissions in the end. It didn't really tell much of a story and never really got into high gear, but it was fun while it lasted. Decent match.
Match rating - **3/4
7) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brandon Thomascelli - IWA Mid South: Battleground in Bloomington - 10/20/04
I had no idea what to expect here considering I'd never seen Thomascelli compete. According to the commentators, he was a newcomer at the time. Well if he was a newcomer, he was certainly a talented newcomer because he put in a solid performance here. Unfortunately these two weren't alotted enough time create anything notable so there wasn't much to talk about here.
Match rating - **1/4
8) Claudio Castagnoli, Nigel McGuiness, Chris Candido, & Steve Stone vs. CM Punk, Matt Sydal, Ace Steel, & Danny Daniels - IWA Mid South: Revolution Strong Style Tournament 2004 - 10/22/04
As Eddie Kingston & Dave Prazak noted on commentary, there's a real cast of characters in this match. That statement set the tone for the rest of the bout because it was pure comedy from bell to bell. That's not a complaint though because it showcased a different side of all these men. Punk was dancing throughout his entrance, Candido's team all had weapons hidden in their tights, this was just alot of fun. Reminded me alot of the comedy stuff that PWG does nowadays as we saw Punk lift up Sydal on his shoudlers while Candido lifted up Claudio and they locked up in mid air which is a spot that Gargano & Taylor and London & Kendrick used in 2013. Wonder if this was the match they got it from or if someone else had done it before this match. Either way, it's funny stuff. The ending to this match is too wild to describe as Candido brings out powder and all eight man are tied up in the center of the ring.
Match rating - **3/4
Disc 2:
9) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chad Collyer - IWA Mid South: 8th Anniversary Show - 10/23/04
Here we have a trainee of Regal & Hero (Claudio) against a trainee of Dean Malenko. It's a dream match on paper and certainly translated into such in physical form. While this didn't go long enough to be as good as it could have been, it was quite enjoyable while it lasted. Claudio targeted the elbow during the match whereas Chad targeted the knee. I like how the worked on those body parts the entire match and tied them into the finish as Chad picks up the submission victory by making Claudio tap to the texas cloverleaf. Good match.
Match rating - ***
10) Claudio Castagnoli & Blackjack Marciano vs. All Money is Legal - CZW Night of Infamy III - 11/14/04
This was Claudio's in-ring CZW debut. From what I could tell, he alongside Blackjack were basically Chris Hero's lackeyes. Hero cut a promo before the match that solidifed that. It really reminded me of how Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder were Edge's "Edgeheads". That's basically the role Claudio & Blackjack played here and they did so very well. It made for some great comedy during the match as they used many cravats and wore Chris Hero's ring gear. They wore down All Money is Legal early on however they fought back and ended up picking up the victory after a flurry of fast paced offense. Fun match.
Match rating - **3/4
11) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Jimmy Jacobs - IWA Mid South: Winter Wars 2004 - 12/17/04
Claudio has always had chemistry with smaller wrestlers and that was the case here. I really enjoyed watching these two work together. It was more fast paced than arguably any other match on here although it did slow down at some moments, particulary when Claudio was in control. There wasn't much of a crowd there for this match so I don't think these guys showcased what all they could do. The groundwork was definitely there for something great and it shined through in this match. Solid bout, but I'm sure they can do better.
Match rating - **3/4
12) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Jimmy Jacobs - IWA Mid South: Anything Goes 2k5 - 1/15/05
Now, THIS is the match I felt Claudio and Jimmy could have just based off watching their previous match on this set. The crowd was much larger than their last encounter and these guys definitely delivered on another level. Some highlights here include Jacobs hitting a hurricanrana on Claudio off the ring apron to the floor and Claudio throwing Jacobs up in the air and the crowd exploding when he nailed him with an uppercut. Really good match. The reactions from Dave Prazak, Tracy Smothers, & Chris Hero on commentary were gold as well.
Match rating - ***1/2
13) Claudio Castagnoli vs. B-Boy - IWA Mid South: Shadows Over Vincennes - 2/11/05
I've always enjoyed watching B-Boy compete simply because his strong style offense is so fun to watch. With that being said, I was intrigued to see how this match would turn out considering Claudio is a hardhitter himself. Needless to say, it turned out exactly as I expected with both guys going full speed at each other. I liked how they dodged each other's signature moves early on then built up to finally hitting them later in the match. Claudio moving out of the way and nailing B-Boy with an uppercut when he went for the footstomp in the corner was such a great counter. It was clear both men had their opponent well scouted as B-Boy found a way out of Claudio's signature mid-air uppercut and countered into a stiff kick to the face. The bout ended with a fantastic strike exchange with alot of elbows and uppercuts before B-Boy would finally manage to hit the shining wizard after several missed attempts. Great, somewhat strong style encounter.
Match rating - ***1/2
14) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Hero - European Rounds Match - IWA Mid South: Givin Em The Business - 2/12/05
The rules to this were pretty complicated, but thankfully Dave Prazak broke it down to easier terms on commentary by saying it's basically a 2/3 Falls Match with 12 three minute rounds. Once I caught onto the rules, I really liked how this one played out. The first round saw both guys feel each other out while things really broke down in the second round as we got an epic exchange of lucha style armdrags that brought the crowd to it's feet. Claudio began working over the left shoulder/arm Hero in the closing moments of Round 2 and continued that in Round 3. Claudio played the perfect sneaky heel here by taking cheap shots and finding ways around getting yellow cards/warnings. Speaking of the yellow cards, they were well placed throughout this match with a red card calling for the end of the match as Hero hit a low blow in plainsight which called for a DQ in Round 6. I was truly hoping this one would go the full 12 rounds because I was really enjoying it. None the less, this was really good while it lasted. Don't let the intricate rules shy you away from this match because it's something worth checking out. Another good match here, Disc 2 has been more consisent than Disc 1 thus far.
Match rating - ***1/4
15) Claudio Castagnoli & Chris Hero vs. B-Boy & Nate Webb - CZW Liberated & Coming Full Circle: Hellbound - 3/12/05
While Hero & Claudio were rivals in IWA Mid South at the time, they were still teaming together in CZW. Just like the earlier match on this set from CZW, Claudio and Hero are annyoning heels that use goofy antics to get on the crowd's nerves. For instance, they came to this match dressed as each other which made for some confusion during the match because they look so similar. This was a decent tag team match that probably wold have came off better if the crowd would have been more into it. There were several nearfalls however the audience wasn't into them at all. The crowd definitely hurt this one.
Match rating - **1/2
16) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Arik Cannon vs. Danny Daniels - IWA Mid South: Simply The Best - 4/9/05
I didn't really know what to expect here considering my knowledge of the other two competitors in the match was minimal. Things started off with a nice multi-man exchange although it soon fell into basic triple threat match format as two guys battled in ring while the other guy was outside. I thought this one was gonna be pretty lackluster for a few moments early on, but they really picked up the pace about mid-way through the match and put together a solid closing sequence. Claudio was the real highlight here as he hit uppercuts from any and everywhere, including one off the top rope. Jimmy Jacobs came down and interfered near the end and Danny Daniels chased him to the back while Claudio and Cannon battled in the ring. Fun three way match.
Match rating - ***
Disc 2 recap: As a whole, Disc 2 was more solid than Disc 1 as the matches were consisently good aside from the dull CZW Tag Match. However, this disc didn't have any matches that reached the level of Claudio/Shelley or Claudio/Ares from Disc 1.
Disc 3:
17) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Derek Frazier - CZW Best of the Best V - 5/14/05
This was a solid power vs speed match up as Frazier is a highflyer and Claudio is obviously the powerhouse. They had a few nice fast paced exchanges however most of the match was Claudio grounding Frazier and wearing him down. That strategy would end up leading Claudio to victory and to the second round of the 2005 Best of the Best tournament. Decent match with some good exchanges.
Match rating - ***
18) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Mike Quackenbush - CZW Best of the Best V - 5/14/05
I had seen these two square off in Chikara prior to viewing this so I was pretty pumped going into it and luckily it met my expectations. Claudio has a certain chemistry with some guys that is just amazing to watch. Generico/Sami Zayn is one of them and Quackenbush is clearly another one because they had some fantastic exchanges here that are remniscent of a Claudio/Generico match up. My eyes were glued to the screen the whole time as these two tore the house down. I wish the crowd would have been more into some of the near falls because it probably would have put this one over the top. But regardless, this is an awesome match. Some remarkable moments include Claudio trying to backbody drop Quackenbush over the railing only for Quack to land on the ring apron, springboard onto Claudio and hit a swinging DDT on the floor. That exchange alone explains how fun of a match this was. Best match on the set so far as we saw Claudio at his best and each facet of his style was showcased. From highflying to striking to catch as catch can, we saw a bit of each here in one way or another.
Match rating - ***3/4
19) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Delirious - IWA Mid South: Tearing The House Down - 6/3/05
I've never been a fan of Delirious so I was pretty uninterested in this match however I did attempt to give it my full attention. Note that I said, "attempted". By five minutes, I was already bored. They tried to incorporate some comedy into the match as Delirious stole Claudio's tie, but it wasn't enough to keep me invested. The action was decent although it didn't feel like it gelled together too well. The best part of this match was Claudio and Delirious jawing back & forth and a redneck sounding fan in the crowd yelling "What the fuck are they saying?!" I'm making this match sound pretty bad although it wasn't a trainwreck, I just didn't get much out of it. Dull match.
Match rating - **1/2
20) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Billy Gunn - IWA Mid South: Whatever It Takes - 6/4/05
This was the main event of the particular show that it was on. Aside from the name value in the match, it didn't really live up to being a main event in my opinion. I didn't expect much out of thankfully though. I mean, Billy Gunn was cool during his time, but wrestling is the focal point on the Indies and the wrestling was never his selling point. None the less, this was a decent match, not as good as one might expect though.
Match rating - **1/2
21) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Tracy Smothers - IWA Mid South: Something To Prove - 6/11/05
Here we find Claudio facing another long-time veteran. Based on Tracy's comments about Claudio earlier on this set on commentary during his match with Jimmy Jacobs, I was interested to see how the two would work together. This match was actually better than I thought it would be although they weren't able to capitalize on the momentum they would build. There were some good moments here, but it dragged at several points which kept this one from reaching a higher rating. CM Punk's commentary and Tracy messing with Jade Chung kept this one entertaining during the dull moments though.
Match rating - **3/4
22) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brandon Thomascelli - CZW: Violent By Design - 6/11/05
This is the second match between these two on this set. The first took place in IWA Mid South and while there were some good exchanges, the two weren't given enough to create the match that I felt they were capable of. Well, this go round, they did. This encounter took place in CZW as part of the ongoing feud between Claudio & Hero. If I remember correctly, the story was that Hero beat Thomascelli however Claudio wanted to prove he could beat him quicker? There were some great exchanges during this match and it flowed very well. Much like a few other matches on this set, the only negative here is that the crowd was lukewarm. These two had an epic dragon suplex, pop up, tiger suplex, pop up exchange near the end that got no reaction. It almost pissed me off because the two had worked their ass of the entire match and that was like climax. This could have nearly reached four stars if the crowd had been hyped up. Or maybe I'm just watching too much PWG haha. But I really enjoyed this one despite the crowd. Great match that ended with a vicious running uppercut from Claudio.
Match rating - ***1/2
23) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Beef Wellington - CZW High Stakes III: Joker's Wild - 7/9/05
Just like the previous match on this set, this took place in CZW as part of the Hero/Claudio war of oneupsmanship that was going on at the time. And much like the previous match on this set, this was a really good bout. The story here was how Claudio would avoid the asspunch (Beef's finishing move) and they played to that theme throughout the match which was great to see. Claudio did alot of work on the right arm in an attempt to not only avoid the ass punch, but also to set up for one of his finishers. The storytelling was really on point here and the action was better than expected as well. I had never seen Beef compete and was pleasantly surprised here. Really fun match that told a good story in the process.
Match rating - ***1/4
24) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Jayson Reign - IWA Mid South: A Matter Of Pride - 9/9/05
This was similar to some of the earlier IWA matches on this set in that it didn't get alot of time - maybe 10 minutes at the most. However, this bout was different because than those because these two really made the most of the time they were given. After Jayson did a short amount of work on the leg of Claudio, things picked up and never slowed down again. Claudio sold the leg very well throughout the match as well. Some may say I'm overrating this, but I really enjoyed it for what it was. Action packed match.
Match rating - ***
Disc 3 recap: This disc featured the best bout on the set thus far (vs Quackenbush), but also featured one or two of the worst (vs. Delirious & vs. Billy Gunn). There's more good here than bad though. In short, the CZW bouts on Disc 3 are all worth checking out. From the awesome match with Quack to the suprisingly good bout with Thomascelli, it's all solid stuff. The IWA stuff here isn't very good aside from the final bout on the set with Jayson Reign which was a fun watch.
Disc 4:
25) Claudio Castagnoli & Chris Hero vs. Necro Butcher & Toby Klein - CZW: Big Mutha F'N Deal - 9/10/05
Before they were known as the Kings of Wrestling, Claudio & Hero were a goofy tag team in CZW that were full of themselves. This match showcased that and also displayed a side of both men that isn't often seen as they are mainly known for their wrestling nowadays. Claudio & Hero both played the perfect heels here as they were extremely reluctant to get things started. So much so that they even got on my nerves at one point. There was a pretty long heel heat segment here with Claudio & Hero cutting every corner they could. Necro & Klein got their share of offense in during the match though. I think the best way to describe this would be as pure entertainment. It got dull at times during some of the prolonged heel heat segments, but as a whole it was a fun watch. The match ends with a "holy shit" moment as Claudio powerbombs Necro off the ring apron to the floor. This wasn't the best match but it was the start of Hero & Claudio's CZW Tag Title reign so it was a nice addition to the set for significance alone.
Match rating - **3/4
26) Claudio Castagnoli vs. "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson - IWA Mid South: 2005 Ted Petty Invitational Night One - 9/23/05
I was intrigued by this match from the start simply because of the classics Claudio & Bryan have had in recent years. However, when I found out that this was the FIRST EVER encounter between the two, I was glued to my screen. Seeing the first ever meeting between two talents that have went on to have amazing matches on the grand stage really intrigue me. Thankfully, this lived up to all the expectations I had for it. It wasn't the level of their more recent classic encounters (at ROH: Northern Navigation 2008 & on WWE Raw in July 2013), but it was still a great bout. Technical wrestling was put on display here and while the match was held at a rather slow pace, it was still intense. The only complaint I have is early on, Bryan completely no sold an ankle lock by Claudio on two separate occasions. It was during somewhat of a comedy spot however it took me out of the match for a moment. That's a minor gripe though, these guys got serious soon enough and created a memorable encounter. An uppercut battle in the center of the ring followed by a submission exchange were the most notable moments of the bout and ended up being the deciding factor as Bryan countered out of the brake's special and locked Claudio in a crossface chicken wing forcing him to tap. Fantastic technical match.
Match rating - ***3/4
27) Claudio Castagnoli & Chris Hero vs. Excalibur & Beef Wellington - CZW: Point of No Return - 10/8/05
Being a mark for Excalibur and considering how good the Beef/Claudio match earlier on this set was, I was looking forward to this match. Excalibur cuts a promo beforehand that was controversial to say the least. The Kings of Wrestling finally make their way to the ring and this CZW World Tag Team Title Match is underway. This match was a great continuation from the last CZW bout on the set where Claudio & Hero won the tag titles. They were involved in the same storyline here as they were still the sly, goofy tag team that always somehow manages to win. There was a good combination of action and comedy here which made for an entertaining match. It wasn't anything too special although it was enjoyable and there were some close nearfalls near the end that took this one up a notch. Claudio & Hero sneak away another victory in a solid match to retain the tag team titles.
Match rating - ***
28) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Arik Cannon - IWA Mid South: Morris Mayhem 2 - 10/13/05
This is the second meeting between Claudio and Cannon on this set. The first was a triple threat also involving Danny Daniels. The three way was fun so hopefully this singles encounter will be even better. The major story going on here was that of a feud between Claudio's partner Chris Hero and Arik Cannon. That's what the commentators discussed the majority of the match and soon Hero came down to ringside to watch the match for himself. The match was decent and featured some solid exchanges although it's nothing worth going out of your way to see. Hero didn't interfere until the end where draped the arm of Cannon over the top rope. It was the arm that Claudio had been working over the entire match which was perfect booking. That leads to Claudio getting the victory. As I said before, this isn't anything going out of your way to see however they did do some great storytelling here between Hero & Cannon. Good booking.
Match rating - **3/4
29) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Ruckus - CZW Night Of Infamy IV - 11/12/05
This was arguably the biggest match in Claudio's career at the time as he challenged for the CZW World Title. While it's fun watching Claudio slug it out with guys of his same stature, I love seeing him face off with highflyers because it always makes for an awesome match. That was the case here as Ruckus was the highflyer will Castagnoli was the vicious grappler. Things clicked with these two right from the beginning and the result was a super fun match that held my attention from beginning to end. Some highlights include Claudio carrying Ruckus up the ramp in suplex position and Ruckus hitting a running shooting star press on Claudio on the ramp. Very good title match even though Double C wasn't victorious.
Match rating - ***1/2
30) Claudio Castagnoli & Chris Hero vs. Eddie Kingston & Sabian - CZW: Cage Of Death 7 - 12/10/05
The CZW feud between the Kings of Wrestling and BLK OUT rages on in this tag team title match up. This was a pretty good bout with Hero & Claudio continuing to play their roles to perfection. The main highlight of this match was Sabian hitting a huge double stomp to the chest off the platform hanging above the ring. There were also some close near falls at the end that had me on the edge of my seat. Solid match.
Match rating - ***
Disc 5:
31) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kevin Steen - 2006 Ted Petty Invitational Night One - 9/29/06
As a big fan of Steen, I was pumped for this one. Both of these guys hit hard so I expected it to be an epic match. Unfortunately, they didn't get enough time to produce the four star bout I'm sure they'll capable however this was still an enjoyable encounter. They packed alot of action into a match that I would guess went just under 10 minutes. Short and sweet.
Match rating - **3/4
32) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Mike Quackenbush - 2006 Ted Petty Invitational Night Two - 9/30/06
What a fucking match this was! This is the second bout between Claudio & Quack on this set and it's somehow even better than their CZW encounter. As I mentioned before, these two trained together so I'm guessing that's why they have such amazing chemistry. There were a ton of mindblowing exchanges and near falls here, just fantastic stuff. It beats out their previous match as the best match on this DVD thus far. Awesome match!
Match rating - ****
33) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Arik Cannon - 2006 Ted Petty Invitational Night Two - 9/30/06
For whatever reason, I really just couldn't get into this one. These two have faced off two times previously on this set and both were decent bouts although nothing spectacular. I'd venture to say this was the worst of their series. Maybe it's because I had watched Claudio & Quack tear it up right before this, I don't know. Aside from a decent striking exchange near the end, this one is pretty dull.
Match rating - **1/2
34) Claudio Castagnoli & Chris Hero vs. B-Boy & Arik Cannon - 12/16/06
In late 2006, Claudio signed a contract with WWE and this was looked at as his final match for IWA Mid South. As you probably know now, it didn't work out and this ended up not being Claudio's last match but at the time that's what it was billed as. It was clear that they wanted to send Claudio away with a bang because this match featured one of the most insane exchanges I've ever seen as each man kept hitting move after move on each other until they all fell to the mat and didn't get back up. It started off pretty slow, but when they turned it up, THEY TURNED IT UP! Great tag match.
Match rating - ***1/2
35) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Mike Quackenbush - 3/2/07
The fact that there's 3 Claudio/Quack matches on this set is awesome. Both of their previous matches on here reached at or near four stars so I was hoping they could atleast live up to that. It's hard to recreate a classic like the match they had the Ted Petty Invitational in 2006 so I didn't get my hopes up to high and I'm glad I didn't because this was probably the weakest of the three matches between the two on this set. That's not to say that this bout was bad because it was a very good match, it just didn't reach the level of their past two encounters.
Match rating - ***1/4
36) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Nigel McGuinness - 2007 Ted Petty Invitational Night One - 9/28/07
Claudio faced off with Nigel in the first round of his first ever Ted Petty Invitational appearance in 2004 so it's only fitting that he faces off with him in the first round three years later. Their encounter in 2004 featured some nice technical wrestling however it wasn't anything to write home about. With that being said, I was interested to see what they could do this go round. Needless to say, they outdid their previous match by a long shot. Technical exchanges and vicious uppercuts were featured prominently in this back & forth bout. Great match that was much better than their first encounter.
Match rating - ***1/2
37) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Davey Richards - 2007 Ted Petty Invitational Night Two - 9/29/07
I had never seen Davey & Claudio face off before so this was a dream match for me and it certainly lived up to expectations. These guys weren't alotted a huge amount of time to create a classic, but they made full use of the time they had. From the opening bell, they went after each other in a stiff bout that saw both men break out manuevers that I had never seen before. This one went close to ten minutes which isn't a ton of time, but it was an awesome ten minutes.
Match rating - ***1/4
38) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brent Albright - 2007 Ted Petty Invitational Night Two - 9/29/07
When Albright held Claudio in a head lock for the first five minutes or so of the match, I expected this to be a pretty lackluster match. Turns out that I couldn't be anymore wrong because this ended up being Claudio's best match from the 2007 Ted Petty Invitational Tournament. Once Claudio found a way out of Albright's vicious headlocks, this bout turned into an awesome encounter as these two threw everything they had at each other. Great match!
Match rating - ***3/4
Disc 6:
39) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Michael Elgin - IWA Mid South: Fan Appreciation Night - 5/2/08
I was really interested in this one when I saw it on paper because I hadn't seen any pre-2012 Elgin. It was undoubtedly a different Elgin back then as he wasn't as in shape although he was still the hardhitting powerhouse that he is today. With that being said, this was a pretty stiff match with both guys working hard to put together a solid encounter. Some highlights here include Claudio swinging Elgin and Elgin using the ropes to springboard on several occasions. Nothing special here, but it was a decent match and cool to see these two lock up considering it's not a match that could take place today since Claudio is in WWE and Elgin is on the Indies.
Match rating - **3/4
40) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Too Cold Scorpio - IWA Mid South: A Night of Champions - 5/3/08
In a way this was a dream match. However then again I wasn't sure because Scorpio was in his prime a decade ago. With that being said, I was interested to see how he'd do here. Apparently he wrestled the night before, flew to New York for an autograph signing, then flew back to IWA for this match. Once the commentators pointed that out, my hopes for this match being good diminished and I'm glad they did because this wasn't very good. Your basic match pretty much, nothing out of the ordinary. Pretty short as well. Disappointing for a dream match.
Match rating - **
41) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Hero - IWA Mid-South: A Night of Champions - 5/3/08
I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but the match with Scorpio, this match, and the next match all took place in the same night in a tournament to crown a new IWA Heavyweight Champion. After that dull match with Scorpio, I expected these two to steal the show. My expectations weren't met however. This match was pretty disappointg because although it had some solid wrestling, it didn't really tell a story and it ended quite abruptly. Meh.
Match rating - **1/2
42) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chuck Taylor - IWA Mid-South: A Night of Champions - 5/3/08
I had mixed feelings going into this one. I'm a fan of Chuck however this is a complete mismatch and clash of styles. On top of that, Claudio's previous two matches on this night were the definition of lackluster. This WAS the final round match though so I figured there was a chance these guys would try to pull something good together and that's exactly what they did. It started off slow or maybe I just couldn't get into it because how uninterested I had become after the previous two matches, but they turned things up for the second half of the match and it made for a pretty solid encounter.
Match rating - ***
43) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Jimmy Jacobs - IWA Mid South: 2008 Ted Petty Invitational Tournament Night One - 9/26/08
I was actually really looking forward to this one based off how much I enjoyed their match from 2005 that was featured earlier in this set. As the match got going, I learned on commentary that this was their first meeting since which made it even more intriguing. Claudio & Jimmy both attented a Dave Taylor training seminar together so it's no surprise that worked well together here just like they did in 2005. There were some exchanges that were similar to their previous match although it was a fresh match for the most part. Good match.
Match rating - ***1/4
44) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Dave Taylor - IWA Mid South: 2008 Ted Petty Invitational Tournament Night Two - 9/27/08
Uppercuts, uppercuts, and more uppercuts - that's what I expected the story of this match to be. While they did have some great uppercut exchanges, it wasn't the main feature of the bout. There was some nice mat work with Claudio showing he could hang with one of the men who helped train him. It didn't last long enough to be looked upon as a match worth going out of your way to see, but it was fun for what it was. Decent match.
Match rating - **3/4
45) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Sara Del Rey - IWA Mid South: 2008 Ted Petty Invitational Tournament Night Two - 9/27/08
I had heard that Claudio had some good matches with Del Rey so I was excited to see one of them for myself. This wasn't on the level of a Claudio/Quack or Claudio/Generico match, but it was definitely on the level of some of the great matches on this set. I've only seen Del Rey compete a few times so she had the chance to impress me here and she did just that by hanging with Claudio move for move and even gaining the upperhand at times. This was a really good match with several close nearfalls that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Match rating - ***1/2
46) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Sami Callihan vs. Drake Younger - IWA Mid South: 2008 Ted Petty Invitational Tournament Night Two - 9/27/08
Three of my favorite Indy wrestlers in one match? I was hooked from the time I read this match on the listing on the back of the DVD. What's cool is how many styles are incorporated in this one bout. You've got the european/classic style wrestler in Claudio while Callihan and Younger are mainly known as deathmatch guys. That made for an intriguing bout in itself. This match was held under elimination rules and the first fall was filled with tons of action including Claudio swinging Callihan outside the ring through the chairs in the audience. Things spilled back in the ring where Callihan & Younger had a high impact exchange that led to Sami being eliminated. This left Claudio & Drake and this is where the real storytelling began as the knee that Drake had been struggling with all match became the focal point of the bout. Great three-way match as expected.
Match rating - ***1/2
47) Claudio Castagnoli vs. El Generico - PWG: Kurt Russell Reunion 2
I don't think there's a better way to close out this DVD than with this particular match. For one, it's a phenomenal bout. And two, these guys recently had a classic series of matches in WWE so it was great looking back at one of their pre-WWE meetings. To my knowledge, these two faced off twice in PWG and I've seen one of those encounters which was at the 2011 Battle of Los Angeles tournament. It was a great match however, I think this is the better of their matches in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Words won't do justice to the magic that Claudio & Generico create in the ring so I'll just say this - awesome match, arguably the best on this DVD.
Match rating - ****1/4
Overall thoughts: Wow, what a ride this set was. It took me a few weeks to sift through and I must say that I really enjoyed it. Do I recommend this set? That's a tough question. If you're a fan of Claudio/Cesaro, I think you'll enjoy going back and watching part of his Indepent wrestling career. However, this isn't for fans that are new to Indepedent Wrestling. So, say you're only familiar with Cesaro in WWE, I wouldn't recommend picking this up because chances are you'll get burnt out by watching so much wrestling in one period of time. If you're new to the Indies, I'd recommend checking out some of his stuff in PWG before picking this up so you can ease into the style of wrestling before overloading yourself with 47 matches.
Now, for the more experienced watchers of Independent Wrestling. If you're a fan of Claudio, you'll enjoy this set. Although if you're looking for a "Best of" compilation filled with four star matches, this isn't it. There are only two matches on this set that reach/exceed four stars. That's not to damper on this set though because there are alot of matches here that are in ***-***3/4 range which mean they're worth checking out. I can't complain about this not featuring a bunch of four star matches because it's not billed as a "Best of" set. It's simply a huge collection of Claudio Castagnoli matches. If they wanted to bill it as a best of, they probably could have trimmed it down to 4 discs if my calculations are correct because there are 28 matches on here that rank in at *** or higher. So I guess it boils down to two discs of filler and four discs of solid wrestling. With that being said, it's really up to you when it comes to whether or not you want to pick up this set.
I, for one, enjoyed looking back on ten years worth of the Swiss Superman's professional wrestling career and reviewing this collection of matches. It definitely made me a more educated fan as I got to see him grow as a wrestler over the years and compete against a wide variety of competitors. If you're a diehard Claudio Castagnoli fan, this set would be a great addition to your collection as two lesser known parts of his Independent Wrestling Career are showcased.
Thanks for reading and be sure to follow me on Twitter @EthanPWT and this blog on Twitter @ThePWTruth!
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