Travis Banks’ rivalry with Vinny Dunn can be broken down into three sections: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The good, in the eyes of most New Zealand fans, came when Banks returned from the United States of America and stopped Dunn from assaulting James Shaw at Right to Reclaim in October of last year.
Banks immediately staked his claim to the IPW Championship around Dunn’s waist – a title Banks never lost, but was stripped of during IPW’s revival – and even defeated Dunn’s Team Charisma cohort Tykade to officially be named number one contender to the title, putting him on a collision course with Dunn in a Fans Bring the Weapons bout at Nightmare Before Xmas.
That was where things turned bad.
Dunn entered the match wearing an Investment T-shirt, indicating something was up before the bell had sounded. Despite the lengths both men would go to to beat the other, Dunn had a back-up plan all along.
The two pelted each other with a variety of weapons, from Christmas trees to tables and ladders, which ultimately left Banks bleeding but closing in on the IPW Championship.
Then it got ugly.
The Agents of Change and Curt Chaos rushed the ring to put a beating on Banks in the no disqualification environment, severely hurting his chances of a win. It appeared IPW Women’s Champion Evie had come to Banks’ rescue, but a Yakuza kick showed her true colours as part of The Investment and handed Dunn the victory.
Advance to January, New Year’s Takeover, and Banks was again screwed out of the title when the Agents of Change caused his triple threat against Dunn and James Shaw to be ruled a no contest.
Tonight, Banks receives one more shot at the IPW title and an opportunity to become a two-time champion when he meets Dunn one-on-one, with The Investment prohibited from getting involved.
Will Dunn be able to hold onto his belt with no outside interference, or is Banks just hours away from recapturing the IPW Championship?
With IPW Women’s Champion Evie currently in Japan on a three-month tour, the decision has been made to crown an interim titleholder. Perennial number one contender to the title Britenay faces Olivia Shaw to see who will fill Evie’s shoes.
While the two have worked together in the past – uniting against Steve Wrigley and Emmy Driver – Olivia is expecting Britenay to return to her roots for tonight’s title match.
“You may be all happy and cheery now but the thing is, I know you,” Olivia told Britenay when speaking to the IPW Informer.
“I know what a monster you can be, and I’m going to be just as monstrous as you. I have the drive and I am willing to do whatever it takes, Britenay, whatever it takes.”
IPW The Good, The Bad & The Ugly takes place today, February 1, at the Lynfield Recreation Centre in Auckland. Click here for a map. Doors open at 6.30pm with the first match scheduled for 7pm. Tickets are available on the door ($15 for adults, $8 for children). The card, subject to change, is listed below.
IPW The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Card:
- IPW Championship:
Vinny Dunn (c) vs. Travis Banks - Last Man Standing:
Curt Chaos vs. James Shaw - Kingi vs. Liam Fury
- IPW Tag Team Championship:
The Agents of Change (c) vs. Liam Fury & Mason Daniels - Interim IPW Women’s Championship:
Britenay vs. Olivia Shaw
