The Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South King of the Deathmatch is an annual professional wrestling tournament running since 1997 in which a number of wrestlers compete in various deathmatches, in (for the most part) a single-elimination tournament which is similar to World Wrestling Entertainment's King of the Ring tournament. These tournaments include the typical weapons used in hardcore wrestling such as barbed wire, nails, thumbtacks, fire, and light tubes, and are known for their large amount of blood loss.
Notable entrants in the King of the Deathmatch tournaments have included Ian Rotten, Axl Rotten, Necro Butcher, Mad Man Pondo, Chris Hero, Balls Mahoney, Nick Mondo, and Mickie Knuckles. Many of the cards have also included non-tournament matches featuring top indy wrestlers such as Nigel McGuinness, Colt Cabana, CM Punk, Tracy Smothers, Homicide, Jerry Lynn, Jimmy Jacobs, Alex Shelley, Sonjay Dutt, B. J. Whitmer, Matt Sydal, Delirious, Arik Cannon, Ray Gordy, Low Ki, Daizee Haze and MsChif.
In 2006, IWA Mid-South introduced the concept of The Royal Weekend of Death, featuring the King of the Deathmatch tournament, as well as two new tournaments, the Queen of the Deathmatch and the Double Death Tag Team Tournaments. The 2006 & 2007 tournaments for Queen and Double Death happened in November on back to back nights, while the 2008 Queen of the Deathmatches took place on the afternoon of night 2 of King of the Deathmatches, with Double Death taking part on October 17 and 18. Notable participants of the Queen of the Deathmatch tournament include Mickie Knuckles, Lufisto, Annie Social, and Mike Levy.
IWA Mid-South King of the Deathmatch Tournament
King of the Deathmatch 1997 October 21, 1997 saw the first annual IWA Mid-South King of the Deathmatch Tournament, held at the National Guard Armory in New Albany, Indiana.
Competitors
Ian Rotten Cash Flo Rollin' Hard Bull Pain Balls Mahoney War Machine #1 War Machine #2 Axl Rotten Mad Man Pondo Tower of Doom Doug Gilbert Ox Harley
Round one Ian Rotten def. Cash Flo - Thumbtack Bat & Barbed Wire Boards Match Rollin' Hard def. Bull Pain - Thumbtack Bat & Barbed Wire Boards Match Balls Mahoney def. War Machine #1 - Barbed Wire Board & Barbed Wire Bat Match Axl Rotten def. War Machine #2 - Four Corners of Pain Match Mad Man Pondo def. Tower of Doom - Four Corners of Pain Match Doug Gilbert def. Ox Harley - Barbed Wire Boards & Barbed Wire Bat Match
Semi-finals Ian Rotten def. Rollin' Hard - Barbed Wire & Glass Spidernet Double Hell Match Axl Rotten def. Balls Mahoney - FORFEIT Doug Gilbert def. Mad Man Pondo - Barbed Wire & Glass Spidernet Double Hell Match
Final Ian Rotten def. Axl Rotten† - No Rope Barbed Wire, Electrified Light Tubes, Lights Out Death Match †Doug Gilbert refused to fight in the final
King of the Deathmatch 2000 After a 3-year break, the tournament returned in 2000, this time running over two nights (October 20 and 21) at the House of Hardcore in Charlestown, Indiana. Non-tournament matches included Puppet def. T.O. in a Midget Thumbtack Match, and Brain Damage def. Toby Klein
Competitors
2 Tuff Tony Suicide Kid Todd Morton Alister Fear Axl Rotten Uncle Honkey Ian Rotten Mark Wolf Corporal Robinson Delilah Starr Rollin' Hard Cash Flo Richard X Manslaughter
Round one 2 Tuff Tony def. Suicide Kid - Thumbtack Bat Thumbtack Death Match Alister Fear def. Todd Morton - Thumbtack Bat Thumbtack Death Match Manslaughter def. Richard X - Fans Bring the Weapons Match Axl Rotten def. Uncle Honkey - Barbed Wire Bat and Barbed Wire Boards Match Mark Wolf def. Ian Rotten - Barbed Wire Bat and Barbed Wire Boards Match Corporal Robinson def. Delilah Starr - 4 Corners of Pain Match Rollin' Hard def. Cash Flo - 4 Corners of Pain Match
Quarter-finals Rollin' Hard def. Mark Wolf - Cactus Death Match Manslaughter def. Axl Rotten - Barbed Wire Match Corporal Robinson def. Cash Flo - Lumberjack Lighttubes Match Alister Fear def. 2 Tuff Tony - Fans Bring the Weapons Match
Semi-finals Rollin' Hard def. Alister Fear - No Rope Barbed Wire & Caribbean Spider Web Death Match Corporal Robinson def. Manslaughter - No Rope Barbed Wire & Caribbean Spider Web Death Match
Finals Rollin' Hard def. Corporal Robinson - Flaming Casket Death Match
King of the Deathmatch 2001 King of the Deathmatch 2001 was held over 2 nights (June 1 & 2) at the House of Hardcore in Charlestown, Indiana.
Competitors
Suicide Kid Richard X Uncle Honkey Mark Wolf Rollin Hard Deranged Tower of Doom Trent Baker Chris Hero Corporal Robinson Bull Pain Hido Axl Rotten Shank Dorsey Mean Mitch Page Paul E. Smooth 2 Tuff Tony Toby Klein Necro Butcher American Kickboxer Peter B. Beautiful Ian Rotten Cash Flo Sick Nick Mondo
Round one Suicide Kid def. Richard X - Barbed Wire Bat Match Mark Wolf def. Uncle Honkey - Barbed Wire Boards Rollin Hard def. Deranged - Barbed Wire Boards Trent Baker def. Tower of Doom - Thumbtack Match Corporal Robinson def. Chris Hero - Thumbtack Match Hido def. Bull Pain† - Barbed Wire Bat Match Axl Rotten def. Shank Dorsey - Barbed Wire Salt Death Match Mean Mitch Page def. Paul E. Smooth - Barbed Wire Salt Match 2 Tuff Tony def. Mr. Insanity - 4 Corners of Pain Match Necro Butcher def. American Kickboxer - 4 Corners of Pain Match Ian Rotten def. Peter B. Beautiful - Fans Bring the Weapons Match Sick Nick Mondo def. Cash Flo - Fans Bring the Weapons Match †Hido injured his arm in this match and was unable to compete in the next round. Corporal Robinson received a bye as a result.
Quarter-finals Suicide Kid def. Mark Wolf - Barbed Wire Tables Match Rollin' Hard def. Trent Baker - Staple Gun Match "Mean" Mitch Page def. Axl Rotten - Tapei Death Match Necro Butcher def. 2 Tuff Tony - Staple Gun Match Ian Rotten def. Sick Nick Mondo - Light Tube Tables & Fans Bring The Weapons Match
Semi-finals Rollin' Hard def. Suicide Kid - Barbed Wire Taipei Salt Death Match "Mean" Mitch Page def. Corporal Robinson - Balcony Death Match Ian Rotten def. Necro Butcher - Flaming Tables Death Match
Finals Ian Rotten def. Rollin Hard and "Mean" Mitch Page - House Of Pain Three Way Dance (200 light tubes covering the ropes and 3 log cabins of glass outside the ring)
King of the Deathmatch 2002 King of the Deathmatch 2002 was held over 2 nights (July 12 & 13) at the IWA Arena in Clarksville, Indiana. Non-tournament matches included Chris Hero def. Colt Cabana (Night One) and Chris Hero def. Colt Cabana and Tracy Smothers (Night Two)
Competitors
Chuck E. Smooth Mad Man Pondo Adam Gooch Nate Webb Ian Rotten Hugh Rogue Corporal Robinson Alister Fear Mitch Page Dave Donovan Necro Butcher Mark Wolf Dysfunction Rollin' Hard 2 Tuff Tony Cash Flo
Round one Nate Webb def. Chuck E. Smooth - Staple Gun Match Mad Man Pondo def. Adam Gooch - Barbed Wire Bat Match Ian Rotten def. Hugh Rogue - Fans Bring The Weapons Death Match Corporal Robinson def. Alister Fear - Lighttubes Lumberjack Match Mitch Page def. Dave Donovan - Fans Bring The Weapons Match Necro Butcher def. Mark Wolf - Barbed Wire Boards Match Dysfunction def. Rollin' Hard - Texas Barbed Wire Salt Match 2 Tuff Tony def. Cash Flo - Thumbtack Bat & Barbed Wire Boards Match
Quarter-finals Dysfunction def. Corporal Robinson - Taipei Death Match 2 Tuff Tony def. Ian Rotten - Electrified Lighttubes Match Necro Butcher def. Mitch Page - Fans Bring The Weapons Death Match Nate Webb def. Mad Man Pondo - Barbed Wire Tables & Lighttubes Tables Death Match
Semi-finals Nate Webb def. Dysfunction - Barbed Wire Canvas Match Necro Butcher def. 2 Tuff Tony - Log Cabins of Glass Match
Finals Necro Butcher def. Nate Webb - No Ropes Barbed Wire, Electrified Lightbulbs, Fluorescent Lightbulb, House of Pain Caribbean Spiderweb, Barbed Wire Board & Pool of Lobsters Match
King of the Deathmatch 2003 King of the Deathmatch 2003 was held over 2 nights (August 1 & 2) at the IWA Arena in Clarksville, Indiana. Non-tournament matches included: Night One - Jerry Lynn def. Jimmy Jacobs, Mickie Knuckles' debut match (and victory) against Hailey Hatred, Chris Hero def. Homicide (IWA-MS World title match) Night Two - Sonjay Dutt & Adam Flash def. Alex Shelley & Jimmy Jacobs and Nate Webb & M-Dogg 20, Bull Pain vs Jim Fannin (no contest), Nigel McGuinness def. Colt Cabana, Homicide def. B. J. Whitmer, Danny Daniels def. Chris Hero (Texas Death Match for the IWA-MS World title), The Messiah def. Corporal Robinson (CZW World Heavyweight Title)
Competitors
Mad Man Pondo Nate Webb Mitch Page Rollin' Hard Balls Mahoney Horace the Psychopath J. C. Bailey 2 Tuff Tony Axl Rotten Corporal Robinson Nick Gage Dysfunction Necro Butcher Toby Klein Ian Rotten The Messiah
Round one Mad Man Pondo def. Nate Webb - High Impact Tables Match Mitch Page def. Rollin Hard - Taipei Death Match Balls Mahoney def. Horace the Psychopath - Barbed Wire Boards & Barbed Wire Bat Match J.C. Bailey def. 2 Tuff Tony - Electrified Light Tubes & Barbed Wire Tables Match Axl Rotten def. Corporal Robinson - Fans Bring the Weapons Match Nick Gage def. Dysfunction - 4 Corners of Pain Match Necro Butcher def. Toby Klein - Fans Bring the Weapons Match Ian Rotten def. The Messiah - East Coast Thumbtacks Death Match
Quarter-finals Mad Man Pondo def. Axl Rotten - Light Tube Tables Match J.C. Bailey def. Necro Butcher - Light Tube Coffin Match Nick Gage def. Mitch Page - Barbed Wire Canvas & Light Tube Ropes Match Ian Rotten def. Balls Mahoney - Fans Bring the Weapons Match
Semi-finals J.C. Bailey def. Ian Rotten - Fans Bring the Weapons Match Mad Man Pondo def. Nick Gage - Bed of Nails & Caribbean Spider Web Match
Finals Mad Man Pondo def. J.C. Bailey - Barbed Wire Ropes, House of Horrors Steel Cage Match
King of the Deathmatch 2004 King of the Deathmatch 2004 was held over 2 nights (June 25 & 26) at the Oolitic Community Center in Oolitic, Indiana. Non-tournament matches included: Night One - Danny Daniels & B. J. Whitmer def. Matt Sydal & Delirious, CM Punk def. Ray Gordy, Chris Hero def. Arik Cannon Night Two - MsChif def. Mickie Knuckles and Daizee Haze, Delirious def. Matt Sydal (IWA-MS Light Heavyweight title match), Chris Hero & Homicide def. Ray Gordy & B. J. Whitmer
Competitors
Low Life Louie Homicide Ryan Boz Smokey C Trik Davis Tank Deranged Manslaughter Ian Rotten Nate Webb Corporal Robinson Dysfunction Mad Man Pondo JC Bailey Toby Klein Necro Butcher
Round one Low Life Louie def. Homicide - Barbed Wire Boards Match Ryan Boz def. Smokey C - Barbed Wire Boards Match Manslaughter def. Trik Davis - Thumbtack Death Match Tank def. Deranged - Four Corners of Pain Match Ian Rotten def. Nate Webb - Fans Bring the Weapons Death Match Corporal Robinson def. Dysfunction - 2 out of 3 Log Cabins of Glass Match Mad Man Pondo def. J.C. Bailey - Fans Bring the Weapons Death Match Toby Klein def. Necro Butcher - Fans Bring the Weapons Death Match
Quarter-finals Low Life Louie def. Ryan Boz - Unlucky 13 Staple Gun Match Corporal Robinson def. Ian Rotten - Barbed Wire Ropes Lighttubes & Pool Of Rubbing Alcohol Tank def. Deranger - Barbed Wire Ropes & Fans Bring the Weapons Death Match Toby Klein def. J.C. Bailey† - Electrified Light Tubes Match †Deranged replaced Manslaughter and J.C Bailey replaced Mad Man Pondo
Semi-finals Corporal Robinson def. Low Life Louie - Fans Bring the Weapons Match Toby Klein def. Tank - Fans Bring the Weapons Match
Finals Corporal Robinson def. Toby Klein - House of Pain Glass Death Match
King of the Deathmatch 2005 King of the Deathmatch 2005 was held over 2 nights (November 18 & 19) at the Capital Sports Arena in Plainfield, Indiana. Non-tournament matches included: Night One - Jimmy Jacobs def. C.J. Otis (IWA-MS World title), Hailey Hatred def. Mickle Knuckles (IWA-MS Women's title), Matt Sydal & Delirious def. The Iron Saints