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My visit to IZW and The Impact Arena

Posted: Apr 29th 2011 By: mikeiles

I don't do a lot of the original writing here at Oklafan. I leave that up to Burnham. I am the guy that does all the "copy/paste" work on the site. I put together The Scoop every week for example. On Saturday, April 23rd I attended the Impact Zone Wrestling event in Lawton at The Impact Arena. I am no stranger to IZW, I was the commissioner there from 2007 to 2009 starting when the fed was based in Oklahoma City and then when they moved back home to Lawton. It had been 2+ years since I was "fired" from the fed and to be honest, 2+ years since I set foot in The Impact Arena and the city of Lawton. I have been invited several times to come down there to see how the company has evolved and I have also been offered a job with them again on more than one occasion. So me and my buddy Chris Stern made the trek. Chris had never seen IZW live but had watch some of their TV shows on You Tube.

We left Tulsa about 2:30 and headed on down the Turner Turnpike. The original plan was to have lunch with Bad Brad Michaels in Oklahoma City, but he was very busy so he gave us a raincheck. We arrived at The Impact Arena right at 6pm. The doors had just opened so we walked in. I was recognized by some of the staff and I slipped into the locker room area. I said my hellos and everyone made me feel welcome. I have only met Double D and Erica once before and even they acted like I was an old friend when they said hello. I slipped into the office to say hello to the technical crew and the bookers. It was great seeing Chris Matthews who I hadn't seen in probably 3 years. He is now assisting IZW as a backstage agent. Also there visiting was Gary Tool. It's always good to see Coach. He and I had a great time at a Compound Pro Wrestling show recently sitting in the crowd.

I went back out to my seat and Chris and I looked around at the setup of the arena. I was recognized by 2 fans and Paul, who used to ring the bell at IZW shows back in OKC. I have been gone 2 years and was still remembered by the fans. Pretty cool.

All the matches were solid. The main event of Impact, Inc. (Johnny Z, Randy Price, & IZW Champion Jermaine Johnson) vs. Aerial Assault (Ky-ote Joe & Eric Rose) & Double D was a great match and the fans took to it. The segment with Jordan Jacobs, poorly impersonating Montego Seeka, was entertaining. The show top to bottom was solid. The fans chanted for their favorites whether they were bad guys or good guys. It was my first time seeing the new gear that Kenny Campbell wears and his match with Michael Barry was top notch. Seeing how Campbell and Barry are two of my closest friends in wrestling, I was torn as to who to root for, but I rooted for Kenny as he was the good guy. Plus, I wanted to make sure the fans in The Impact Arena chanted "DINGLEBERRY" at Michael Barry. I started the chant and they chimed in. Hopefully it will stick in weeks to come.

Here are some other thoughts:

-The big screen above the rampway is a nice touch and the sound from the video is not distorted. They have speakers on both side of the arena and you can hear what is going on.

-I do like how they are using the steel cage as part of the decor so to speak

-Mark Wilson is one of the best referees I have ever worked with and may be the best in Oklahoma right now. But he comes to the ring with a scowl on his face looking like he isn't having fun. I still say "The Butterscotch Stallion" needs to lighten up a bit.

-I have seen a lot of these wrestlers compete in other feds around the state. Some of them do a good job, but at IZW they seem to step it up a notch or two. Maybe it is the fact they are on TV. Maybe IZW expects more. I don't know for sure.

-I liked the fact that everyone wore gear. No jeans, no clothes from Hot Topic or any other store at the mall. Also, all the established tag teams (Awesome X, Nemesis, & Aerial Assault) had matching gear. It reminded me of the time when the tag team division in wrestling had actual tag teams (Rock-N-Roll Express, Midnight Express, Fantastics, Freebirds, Rockers, Sheepherders, etc.).

-I liked Randy Price wearing a shirt and tie to the ring as part of his "rich kid" gimmick, then he removes that and wrestles in tights.

-I also liked Damon Windsor's tights with the "DW" on it that was made to look like the Warner Brothers logo. His faction of The Future Hall of Famers is pretty solid and their T-shirts are awesome. Sorry about the chant of "coat tails" Mr. Windsor.

-This was also my first time to see Jermaine Johnson as a bad guy. He has made the transition well. I remember his very first match and I remember his plancha over the top rope that didn't go so well and he went down face first like a lawn dart. That was a long time ago and he is a better wrestler now. He is doing a great job, and it really is "all about him".

-Bringing in Chris Matthews to help with development of the wrestlers is a great idea. Matthews spent 18 months at Ohio Valley Wrestling in Kentucky back when OVW was a developmental fed for WWE. He helped with camera work and post production.

I want to thank Johnny Z and all the staff and wrestlers at IZW for making feel at home. You had a great show and I hope to be back there for another soon.

IZW is doing all the right things to make their product the best in the state. If you have the time on a Saturday, head on down to Lawton to check out a show. You won't regret it.