I hadn't been to any live wrestling since watching a TNA show at the SkyDome in Cov back in 2008, so when I saw a banner advertising this show a mere 5 minute walk from my house and the day before my birthday (but sadly after a heavy day of drinking), it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up. For a mere £8,and surrounded by a loud crowd of kids who really didn't care about my hangover, I got to witness this show...
El Ligero vs Martin Kirby
Ligero is announced as being Mexican, but looks suspiciously Caucasian to me. Kirby comes to the ring looking like a poor man’s Zack Ryder, but is very entertaining in his own right. He uses all the cheap heat in the book to get the crowd reacting for the opener, stalling and demanding cheers from the fans. Ligero gets himself over in a different way: simply by being a very good wrestler. He hits a loud of flashy spots that not only look crisp, but get the crowd going too. He even uses the spinning headscissors move that Jimmy Jacobs used to do, clapping with every rotation, which was pretty cool. Kirby isn’t as flashy, but everything he does looks good, and they do have one cool spot I’d not seen before: Kirby stands on the second rope, gargles water and spits it over Ligero, but when he tries it again, Ligero gets up and punches him, causing Kirby to spray the water everywhere. This left Kirby prone for an insane looking tornado DDT for the Ligero win.
Jemma “Inferno” Palmer vs Darcy Steel
Hey kids, it’s Inferno from TV’s Gladiators! It’s odd, as she’s not great at doing the things I thought she’d be good as (her power offence looks a bit ropey, especially some very wooden looking clotheslines) but she bumps really well and worked in some surprisingly good chain-wrestling at the start. At this point, my hangover started to feel worse so I don’t recall too much about the match, though it might be that the match made me feel worse. It wasn’t particularly good, Steel wins with her feet on the ropes
Mad Man Manson vs Nate Colt
Manson is working a lunatic gimmick, as a lovable face. He’s sort of like the missing like between Sheamus and Dave Gorman. This is a comedy match and it’s actually pretty funny as far as comedy wrestling goes. So we get spots where the referee slams Nate Colt, where Manson and Colt give each other nipple-twisters, where Colt misses elbow drops repeatedly when Manson pretends to get in the ring. Colt doesn’t get much to work with, but is pretty good at being the stooge for Manson’s comedy bits (though I did like Colt threatening to “smack the blonde off you” to a shocked mother at ringside). Manson gets the win with a sunset flip after pulling Colt’s trunks down.
T-Bone vs Blake Warning
Warning is accompanied by Darcy Steel from earlier to mark him out as a heel. T-Bone is heavily tattooed and, after some initial misgivings, the kids seem really into him, presumably through some mild form of childhood rebellion. This is a decent power-vs-power match, T-Bone is pretty explosive on the attack, but Warning is slightly bigger (though deceptively athletic) and has the advantage of Steel outside the ring to attack T-Bone behind the referees back. The use of Steel here is pretty good, as the kids really reacted every time they saw Steel closing in on T-Bone, like a prettier version of the shark in Jaws. This is leading up to the inevitable return of Jemma Palmer and, when the ref finally found himself distracted by Steel’s antics, Palmer ran in and slapped Warning in the face, who turned around into a T-Bone Death Valley Driver for the win and a piece of revenge for earlier. Good, sensible booking
Max Angelus vs Stixx
This was the main event and was a falls count anywhere match. Stixx is a big fella, and I can remember him from some of the FWA TV shows on TWC, so he’s been around a bit. Angelus is a bit smaller, but still big enough for me to be impressed with his performance in this match, as he bust out some impressive highspots throughout. He’s also very charismatic and good at engaging the fans, who chanted “Max” throughout the match. I really dug this match, it went 20-plus minutes, but was very well worked and didn’t drag, crucially keeping the young audience interested throughout. They made use of the falls count anywhere stip, including an awesome Yakuza kick by Angelus to a seated Stixx, which sent him flying at least two rows back, plus some nice brawling on the entrance ramp. They also built up to the spots really well: at one point Stixx’s chain is wrapped around the top turnbuckle, and they battled for a few minutes to use it, building the anticipation until eventually Angelus was sent face first into it. They also didn’t make the mistake of cramming too many possible finishes into the match, which meant that the near falls actually meant something. The ending was pretty creative as well: Stixx wrapped the top and middle rope with his chain, but got knocked into the ropes by a recovering Angelus, who hit a chain assisted 619 and a springboard moonsault for the win.
So, all in all, an enjoyable show and well worth the money. They will be back on Sept 11th and, barring any disasters, so will I.
Friday 17 June 2011
Saturday 4 June 2011
The Best Of Kerry Von Erich
Ever since watching the documentary disc on The Triumph & Tragedy of World Class, followed by the Heroes Of World Class film, I've had a soft spot for the Von Erich family. This prompted me to dig out this old USWA commercial tape I once bought from the Coventry branch of Cash Generator. The World Class territory didn't get any air time in the UK, so a tape like this would be pretty rare, making the fact my 18yr old self randomly chose this even more remarkable. Let's see how it goes...
Kerry Von Erich & Steve Simpson vs Iceman King Parsons & Buddy Roberts
This is still taken from the glory days of World Class, and Buddy’s hair looks wild here. We cut to commercial before the bell sounds and we return to Kerry injured on the floor, but he soon gets the hot tag following a discus punch. Both Kerry and Buddy look a little muted here, with both doing some pretty awkward looking bumping. Suffice to say that the exchanges between Parsons and Simpson look far better. The match is pretty short and uneventful, the ending seeing heel miscommunication causing Roberts to bump over the top from a Parsons butt-butt, and Von Erich rolling the Iceman up for three. Not the best start.
Kerry Von Erich vs Al Perez
This is a cage match for the World Class title. Gary Hart is handcuffed inside the ring to one of the corners, as he was apparently due to be handcuffed to Fritz before the whole “heart attack” angle. The commentary mentions Kerry’s cage match will Ric Flair 4 years previously, before Von Erich gets two from a backslide, the move which won him Flair’s NWA title in a later match. Perez doesn’t offer much in the way of offence in this match, but his bumping is stellar and makes Kerry’s offence look far more effective. Perez manages to block the Iron Claw, but leaves himself open to a stomach claw, which weakens him. The main problem with this match is that, for a world title cage match, it’s ultimately a little tame and lacking in passion. Perez fails to convey any personality here, while Kerry seems pretty half-arsed too. The end comes when the ref takes a bump and Perez rams Kerry throat-first into Hart’s handcuffs for the win. Disappointing.
Kerry & Kevin Von Erich vs Buddy Roberts & Terry Gordy
This is billed as a Badstreet match, with all four guys in street clothes. Kevin is even wearing boots, so you know it’s serious. This is also a match which blows away the cobwebs of the last two Kerry matches, as he and Gordy go hell for leather on each other from the get-go, which only ends when Gordy grabs Kerry in a bearhug and plants him with a belly-to-belly suplex. Roberts gets in, only for Kerry to pummel him with some belt shots. Kevin gets tagged in and the whole thing breaks down to a massive brawl. One which is fucking awesome, as the hate is palpable. Kevin takes a huge suplex on the concrete floor, while Kevin gets waffled with some vicious Gordy chairshots. The Von Erichs don’t just take offence, they dish it out too- one thing that’s so good is how Kevin, the smallest man in the match, will happily leap to punch out either of his opponents. In one brilliant scene, he rolls away from Gordy to allow him to swiftly pull his boot off and use it as a weapon on the bigger man. Gordy is a beast, hitting a brutal looking piledriver on Kevin, before planting him with a big back suplex. Kerry comes in with piledrivers of his own on both opponents, prompting this glorious line on commentary: “All’s fair in love and war and pro-wrestling”. Beautiful. At some point, Chris Adams and Iceman get involved, leading to the ref throwing the match out and an even bigger brawl taking place in the ring. This is all fucking magnificent.
Kerry Von Erich vs Tarras Bulba
Though not a classic, I like this match a lot as an example of how good a story Kerry could tell when he wanted to. Bulba is a much bigger man than Kerry, so Von Erich goes to the mat, taking out Bulba’s legs and getting away when Bulba tries to grab him. When Bulba does catch hold of him, Kerry is more than up for the fight and the subsequent brawl is pretty meaty. Kerry gets the Iron Claw, but Bulba breaks it easily. The commentators comment on KVE’s taped hand and how this will affect the claw. Kerry applies it again, Bulba again breaks free easily. Von Erich starts selling the hand injury, and the match now becomes about Kerry trying to win without his most powerful weapon. KVE gets control of the match with a series of clotheslines and the discus punch, and goes for a third claw on Bulba. Bulba applies the Mongolian Claw and it becomes a battle of whose claw is strongest, a battle Kerry wins. The Punisher runs in for the DQ and assaults Kerry post-match, focusing on the injured hand. Fun little match, with a good story to carry the action.
Kerry Von Erich, Kevin Von Erich & Steve Simpson vs Iceman King Parsons, Buddy Roberts & the Angel of Death
This is for the heel team’s 6-man titles, with the faces joined by Chris Adams at ringside. We start with a melee, and the faces gain control as we hit an early break. When we return, things have changed. Parson’s knocks Kerry to the floor, who very briefly plays face-in-peril until making a tag to a fired-up Kevin. Like with the streetfight, Kevin is awesome here, brimming with energy and babyface fight. The faces take control, with the two non-legal men being quick to leap in the ring if the heels try and cheat their way to an advantage, which is a nice touch. Simpson’s offence is pretty dull, all headlocks and sleepers, so it comes as a relief when he has to play face-in-peril. Terry Taylor attacks Adams at ringside, distracting the ref and allowing the Angel of Death to come in on the offensive while Simpson is pinning Roberts, dropping an elbow and letting Buddy roll up Simpson for three. Pretty dull, with only Kevin’s offence keeping it interesting. A best of Kevin video would go down a lot better than this one, I suspect.
Kerry Von Erich & Chris Adams vs Tarras Bulba & Sheik Braddock
The crowd is very much pro-faces, to the annoyance of Braddock, who reacts badly to the Adams-friendly crowd. The faces are much quicker, and use their superior speed to send the heels out of the ring. This seems to be a few months after the previous match, as KVE has no problems with his claw hand, applying it to Bulba early doors. Bulba gets the Mongolian Claw and we get a repeat of the claw battle from the previous match, with the Iron Claw winning yet again, but Bulba gets to the ropes. Adams is soon face-in-peril, which may be for the best as his selling is pretty top-notch considering how basic the heel offence is. The hot tag to Kerry leads to all four brawling in and around the ring (including Adams choking Braddock with the safety rope). Braddock applies an interminably long chinlock to Adams, but a hot tag brings in a fired-up Kerry who rolls up Braddock for three. Abrupt ending and loooong chinlock aside, this was pretty fun and a decent way to end the tape.
Kerry Von Erich & Steve Simpson vs Iceman King Parsons & Buddy Roberts
This is still taken from the glory days of World Class, and Buddy’s hair looks wild here. We cut to commercial before the bell sounds and we return to Kerry injured on the floor, but he soon gets the hot tag following a discus punch. Both Kerry and Buddy look a little muted here, with both doing some pretty awkward looking bumping. Suffice to say that the exchanges between Parsons and Simpson look far better. The match is pretty short and uneventful, the ending seeing heel miscommunication causing Roberts to bump over the top from a Parsons butt-butt, and Von Erich rolling the Iceman up for three. Not the best start.
Kerry Von Erich vs Al Perez
This is a cage match for the World Class title. Gary Hart is handcuffed inside the ring to one of the corners, as he was apparently due to be handcuffed to Fritz before the whole “heart attack” angle. The commentary mentions Kerry’s cage match will Ric Flair 4 years previously, before Von Erich gets two from a backslide, the move which won him Flair’s NWA title in a later match. Perez doesn’t offer much in the way of offence in this match, but his bumping is stellar and makes Kerry’s offence look far more effective. Perez manages to block the Iron Claw, but leaves himself open to a stomach claw, which weakens him. The main problem with this match is that, for a world title cage match, it’s ultimately a little tame and lacking in passion. Perez fails to convey any personality here, while Kerry seems pretty half-arsed too. The end comes when the ref takes a bump and Perez rams Kerry throat-first into Hart’s handcuffs for the win. Disappointing.
Kerry & Kevin Von Erich vs Buddy Roberts & Terry Gordy
This is billed as a Badstreet match, with all four guys in street clothes. Kevin is even wearing boots, so you know it’s serious. This is also a match which blows away the cobwebs of the last two Kerry matches, as he and Gordy go hell for leather on each other from the get-go, which only ends when Gordy grabs Kerry in a bearhug and plants him with a belly-to-belly suplex. Roberts gets in, only for Kerry to pummel him with some belt shots. Kevin gets tagged in and the whole thing breaks down to a massive brawl. One which is fucking awesome, as the hate is palpable. Kevin takes a huge suplex on the concrete floor, while Kevin gets waffled with some vicious Gordy chairshots. The Von Erichs don’t just take offence, they dish it out too- one thing that’s so good is how Kevin, the smallest man in the match, will happily leap to punch out either of his opponents. In one brilliant scene, he rolls away from Gordy to allow him to swiftly pull his boot off and use it as a weapon on the bigger man. Gordy is a beast, hitting a brutal looking piledriver on Kevin, before planting him with a big back suplex. Kerry comes in with piledrivers of his own on both opponents, prompting this glorious line on commentary: “All’s fair in love and war and pro-wrestling”. Beautiful. At some point, Chris Adams and Iceman get involved, leading to the ref throwing the match out and an even bigger brawl taking place in the ring. This is all fucking magnificent.
Kerry Von Erich vs Tarras Bulba
Though not a classic, I like this match a lot as an example of how good a story Kerry could tell when he wanted to. Bulba is a much bigger man than Kerry, so Von Erich goes to the mat, taking out Bulba’s legs and getting away when Bulba tries to grab him. When Bulba does catch hold of him, Kerry is more than up for the fight and the subsequent brawl is pretty meaty. Kerry gets the Iron Claw, but Bulba breaks it easily. The commentators comment on KVE’s taped hand and how this will affect the claw. Kerry applies it again, Bulba again breaks free easily. Von Erich starts selling the hand injury, and the match now becomes about Kerry trying to win without his most powerful weapon. KVE gets control of the match with a series of clotheslines and the discus punch, and goes for a third claw on Bulba. Bulba applies the Mongolian Claw and it becomes a battle of whose claw is strongest, a battle Kerry wins. The Punisher runs in for the DQ and assaults Kerry post-match, focusing on the injured hand. Fun little match, with a good story to carry the action.
Kerry Von Erich, Kevin Von Erich & Steve Simpson vs Iceman King Parsons, Buddy Roberts & the Angel of Death
This is for the heel team’s 6-man titles, with the faces joined by Chris Adams at ringside. We start with a melee, and the faces gain control as we hit an early break. When we return, things have changed. Parson’s knocks Kerry to the floor, who very briefly plays face-in-peril until making a tag to a fired-up Kevin. Like with the streetfight, Kevin is awesome here, brimming with energy and babyface fight. The faces take control, with the two non-legal men being quick to leap in the ring if the heels try and cheat their way to an advantage, which is a nice touch. Simpson’s offence is pretty dull, all headlocks and sleepers, so it comes as a relief when he has to play face-in-peril. Terry Taylor attacks Adams at ringside, distracting the ref and allowing the Angel of Death to come in on the offensive while Simpson is pinning Roberts, dropping an elbow and letting Buddy roll up Simpson for three. Pretty dull, with only Kevin’s offence keeping it interesting. A best of Kevin video would go down a lot better than this one, I suspect.
Kerry Von Erich & Chris Adams vs Tarras Bulba & Sheik Braddock
The crowd is very much pro-faces, to the annoyance of Braddock, who reacts badly to the Adams-friendly crowd. The faces are much quicker, and use their superior speed to send the heels out of the ring. This seems to be a few months after the previous match, as KVE has no problems with his claw hand, applying it to Bulba early doors. Bulba gets the Mongolian Claw and we get a repeat of the claw battle from the previous match, with the Iron Claw winning yet again, but Bulba gets to the ropes. Adams is soon face-in-peril, which may be for the best as his selling is pretty top-notch considering how basic the heel offence is. The hot tag to Kerry leads to all four brawling in and around the ring (including Adams choking Braddock with the safety rope). Braddock applies an interminably long chinlock to Adams, but a hot tag brings in a fired-up Kerry who rolls up Braddock for three. Abrupt ending and loooong chinlock aside, this was pretty fun and a decent way to end the tape.
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