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Morgan Hopes For Good Luck After 7-Year Chase For IZW Title

Posted: May 25th 2017 By: C. M. Burnham

In the realms of indie wrestling, 7 years is almost an eternity.

But it was 7 years ago that Kevin Morgan won his first IZW Title. Much has changed for him since then. He has become a locker room leader. He has endured an association with Johnny Z as a member of Impact, Inc. He survived a brutal feud with Aaron Neil. And now, he has ascended to the mountaintop at IZW once again.

Morgan believed that he had regained the IZW Title from Z back on March 25th, 2017. But in one of the more bizarre circumstances seen in an IZW ring, Morgan was forced to surrender the title back to Z after video footage showed that both men’s shoulders were on the mat as Morgan executed the pin for the 3-count. Nothing could have been more frustrating for Morgan as he had spent months find a way to corner Z and gain the IZW Title shot.

As often is the case, Z decided to rejoice in the FACT that he once again had slithered away with the IZW Title and took an opportunity to exact some humiliation on Morgan, whipping him with a belt along with the other members of the Future Hall of Famers. But this proved to backfire as IZW Co-Commissioner Mark Wilson decided that if Z wanted to play with belts, he would give Z more than he could handle. As a result, Wilson made the main event for the Sudden Impact PPV a Lumberjack Strap Match. That way, the numbers advantage that Z always seems to enjoy as part of the Future Hall of Famers would be negated and Z would also find it impossible to run and escape from his impending destiny.

When it came time for the match, the emotions were already overwhelming as it had certainly been a terrible night for the Future Hall of Famers. Jermaine Johnson had lost a Dog-Collar Chain Match to Montego Seeka. Erica had lost the IZW Women’s Title to Robyn Reid and Nemesis had lost the IZW Tag Team Titles to the newly formed team of the Beach Bod Gods, Ray the Bae & Angel Camacho. That left Johnny Z as the only person to hold any gold for the group. Thus his desire as well as the depths that he would sink to were certainly increased. The presence of the other members of the Future Hall of Famers may have provided some reassurance for Z, but that did not dissuade Morgan. When it came time for his entrance, he stoically made his way down the ring, slowly proceeding around and acknowledging the fans before entering the ring and fixing a death stare on the entrance way. It was no secret that he was awaiting the arrival of Johnny Z and as soon as Z made his way through the entrance, Morgan never broke his gaze. He showed no emotion and made no sudden movement, but he it was clear to everyone that he had a mission to fulfill and he would not let a fluke deny him this time.

The match proceeded much as expected. It was brutal. It was straight-ahead. Johnny Z was able to take refuge on the side of the ring with his fellow Future Hall of Famers, but Kevin Morgan found no such safe place. That all changed when Z was dumped to the opposite side of the ring and the whippings began for the champion. With that many volatile personalities at ringside, it came as no surprise that the lumberjacks would eventually turn their attention from the in-ring competitors and direct that attention to each other. Even the special enforcers, Mark Wilson and Shawn McHale, got involved, eventually getting into the ring where Wilson decked McHale to the delight of the crowd. That action brought Jermaine Johnson in, who laid out Wilson. So now, with both special enforcers out and referee Nathaniel Maverick preoccupied with breaking up the mob violence happening around ringside, Johnson and Z prepared to carry out some double-team action in order to help Z be victorious.

The look of fear on their faces was evident all around the world when the Midnite Rider came storming down the ramp, swinging his bullrope wildly. This sent Johnson scrambling for safer quarters and the Rider was in quick pursuit. With only the two combatants left in the ring, Z turned around and was met with a thunderous spear from Kevin Morgan. Three seconds later, Morgan had ended the fifth IZW Title reign of the “Natural Born Leader”. This time, there was no controversy. There was no wiggle-room for Z to work with. Kevin Morgan stood proudly in the middle of the ring as the new IZW Champion and a new era was born.

7 years of hard work, of focus, of determination. Kevin Morgan fought for 7 years to recapture what he had once beaten John O’Malley for. Now, with it firmly in his possession, Morgan is sure to remain just as focused when defending it as he was when he was chasing it. Perhaps a 7 year title reign is not out of the question.