IWA is closing its doors

[oldschool]

IWA is closing its doors ??

Posted TODAY !!
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We regret to inform all of our wonderful fans that after 13 years of doing business, IWA Mid-South will cease operations after the Kings of the Crimson Mask show on Friday night August 28th.

We simply do not have the money in order to continue doing business. It breaks our hearts that this day has finally come but we just can't hang on any longer.

If you have placed any ticket orders for TPI or the Double Death/Anniversary show, please print out a copy of your paypal receipt and mail it to the PO Box in Morris.

IWA Mid-South
PO Box 647
Morris, IL 60450

We do not have internet access anymore so please do not send emails as we do not know when we would be able to view them. The fastest way to get refunds would be to send the copy of the receipts from paypal to the PO Box so we can have them in hand to know who is owed what.

If you purchased TPI tickets and have the tickets in your possession, please send a picture of the tickets since we do not have records of who actually received their tickets.

Kings of the Crimson Mask in Bellevue will be our final show. Necro Butcher will not be on the show as we can not afford to bring him in for the event anymore.

The new main event for the final show will be Ian Rotten vs. Mad Man Pondo.

IWA is going to go out like they came in in a rematch from the first ever main event.

I would like to thank everyone that has worked for IWA in the past, all the fans that have supported the product and all the people that have helped out along the way with security, selling merchandise, concessions, etc.

It has been a tremendous ride these last 13 years and it is heartbreaking to see it all come to an end like this.

I would type up more but it is too painful at this time.

Thank you.

Ian, Patti, Mickie, Jim, John Calvin

[oldschool]

IWA Mid-South will cease operations after this Friday's event in Bellevue, IL. Word had started to make rounds early Wednesday afternoon, and at 1:42PM eastern time, IWA Mid-South confirmed it on their message board.

The Ted Petty Invitational tournament planned for September has been canceled. Several talents I spoke to had not yet been contacted by IWA about the event cancellation, nor had they been informed that the company was closing.

The reason for the closure should be of no surprise, as they simply could no longer afford to run shows. Finances had gotten so bad that they could no longer even pay their Internet bill, which was their main tool of advertising and promotion. Deals made with individuals and companies were not as helpful as had been hoped, with some business agreements hitting snags that resulted in the company not getting the money when promised. DVD sales with their main distrubutor, Smart Mark Video, were also down, likely due to diminishing interest. Interest in the company's product was at an all time low, though the Ted Petty Invitational events had gotten some positive feedback. Its likely though that the TPI lineup would have changed signficantly even if they'd not canceled it.

John Williams, known professionally as Ian Rotten, formed the Independent Wrestling Association (the Mid-South would be added later) in 1996 following his departure from Extreme Championship Wrestling. Originally run as a weekly hardcore wrestling show with a Southern flavor, the company would eventually head north, into the Midwest, after the Kentucky State Athletic Commission clamped down on hardcore wrestling. The IWA would then transform into one of the most diverse independent wrestling groups in the country, highlighting everything from hardcore to technical wrestling.

The IWA played a significant part in the careers of C.M. Punk, Colt Cabana, Chris Hero, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black, and many more wrestlers that went on to World Wrestling Entertainment, Total Nonstop Action, and Ring of Honor. With its closure there is one less high profile independent group out there for guys to get their name out there.

[bigfreaky]

On the one hand I feel bad for the young wrestlers that need a forum to hone their craft in front of more then 40 people. On the other IWA-MS ripped off a lot of wrestlers and consistently didn't deliver what they advertised. So I'm not surprised.