Since starting this blog three-and-a-half years ago, there have been a few things in wrestling I've developed a big love for. Along with current BritWres and puro, I've discovered a love of the Von Erich family, which led to me buying this DVD for $3 from the ever-reliable IVP videos.
Fritz Von Erich vs Giant Baba
Ladies and gentlemen, it's 1966, it's 2/3 falls and it's in glorious black and white. Fritz attacks early, including a vicious punt to Baba's upper chest, and the bell hasn't even sounded. Fritz batters Baba, and goes for the claw early, but Baba moves and starts working over Fritz with some good looking blows of his own. A big chop gives Baba the first fall early, but Fritz grabs him in the claw from the mat as he tries to climb off. As this is between falls, Fritz feels no need to release the hold, leaving a barely standing Baba prone at the start of the next fall. Fritz goes for the claw right away, but Baba fights with all his might to keep it off. I love the way Fritz will interject with a boot to take Baba's focus off the claw before attempting to reapply it. Baba gets rammed into the ringpost, and is left bleeding and beaten on the floor as Fritz goes back on the attack. The result of this is that the crowd goes mad everytime Fritz misses a blow or Baba gets on offence. Baba comes back to life and starts stalking Fritz around the ring, but Von Erich cheap shots and regains control. Back inside, Fritz gets the claw in the centre of the ring to win the second fall.
We cut to the third fall to see Fritz throwing someone outside the ring, but Baba takes over on him and throws him over the top rope, causing Fritz to retreat into the crowd. God, I love this match so far. Fritz is awesome at cowering off when Baba is on offence. They brawl on the floor, and Baba gives a chair to the claw hand to neutralise that threat. Von Erich retruns the favour by leathering Baba in the head with the chair, at which point the referee gives the fall to Baba by DQ. That doesn't seem to make sense, seeing as how Baba used the chair first, but that appears to be the decision. Great match.
Fritz Von Erich vs Jumbo Tsuruta
Fast forward 9 years to 1975, and Fritz still hates Baba. We know this as he gets into a brawl with him at ringside, and spends most of the prematch yelling at him. Indeed, this actually works against him right away. You know that terrible spot you get almost weekly on Raw, where a wrestler will allow himself to be distracted by a rival, leading to him being rolled-up for the loss? We essentially get that end to the first fall, only better as rather than roll Fritz up, Jumbo just decides to beat him up for two minutes and pin him, which gives the fall to Jumbo's power rather than the element of surprise.
This, of course, riles up Fritz before the second fall, and he focuses his attack....on Baba at ringside again. Eventually, he decides to focus on his opponent. Fritz is wise enough to know he can get a great reaction by just threatening the claw, so goes for it early and often, eventually locking in a stomach claw before Jumbo makes the ropes. Fritz repeatedly wears Jumbo down with the claw in the ropes, which means that, when he gets it mid-ring, Jumbo is unable to escape it, and this evens up the falls.
Jumbo is now split open from this assault, so Fritz zones in on the cut like a shark. Jumbo is weakened with bloodloss, so starts getting escorted back to the locker-room, but he ain't going out like that, breaking free and going back into the ring. Of course, he's still no match for a fit Fritz, and he ends up getting battered again before a load of trainees and Baba himself come to his rescue. Not a great match, but great wrestling that really sets up the Fritz/Baba match nicely...
Fritz Von Erich vs Giant Baba
...and here is is from one week later. They've even brought in two refs, one Japanese and one American for this, which appears to be last man standing. Typically, Fritz assaults Baba before the bell. They trade blows outside the ring, before a bloodied Fritz claws Baba and pulls him into the ring. I love the image of Fritz, blood pouring down his face, clutching Baba by the face. A few solid chops by Baba eventually frees him. Baba stomps the claw hand and then rams it into the ringpost, and suddenly Fritz has to beg off from the assault of Baba. Fritz just about survives being counted to the mat, and applies a stomach claw to Baba. The count stops on 9 when Fritz is just about sat up, which really feels like it should be a loss to me. Fritz re-claws him, but Baba slips to ringside to escape it. Baba survives being rammed into a table, and a missed Fritz blow allows him to go back on the offensive, chopping away at Von Erich. Fritz gets chopped from the apron to the floor, and these ten counts are getting closer and closer. Fritz gets sent to the floor one last time and that's it, as he fails to beat the count. Being a gracious loser, he sneaks in one final stomach claw before leaving. Really fun match, they built up the tension mastefully with the falls.
Genichiro Tenryu & Jumbo Tsuruta vs David & Kevin Von Erich
We now switch to the younger Von Erich's. The siblings are much nicer than their dad, going for pre-match handshakes and HOLY FUCK Kevin is wearing boots. I'm thrown. The Von Erichs are a bit more firey than their opponents here, who seem more stoic on offense. David clubs Jumbo behind the refs back to establish a bit of heelishness. Kevin goes for the claw, which Tenryu manages to hold off, but this leaves him open for a stomach claw, which he breaks with some stiff chops. it breaks down into a brawl with all four fighting on the outside, but luckily a brawl is something all four are good at. I like the way that, after kicking out of a Tenryu pinfall, David takes advantage of an open torso to apply a claw on the already weakened stomach. The Von Erichs continue to go for the claw, punishing both Tsuruta and Tenryu with ones to the head and the stomach. Of the two Von Erichs, it is the smaller Kevin who is on the defensive more than David, and there are a few moments where David has to save him. This leads to the finish, where Kevin accidentally dropkicks David out of the ring, and Tsuruta takes advantage, dropkicking Kevin to pick up the win. Decent back-and-forth contest, and I liked the subtle "Kevin needs David to help him survive" storyline.
Fritz Von Erich vs Jumbo Tsuruta
This is another 2/3 falls match. Jumbo is 4 year more experienced than the last time these two met, though he still gets worked over in the opening stages here, with Fritz grounding him and trying for the claw. Jumbo does get a moment to shine, nailing a dropkick, but Fritz avoids a second a locks in the claw to the head for a quick pinfall. The second fall starts with Tsuruta still feeling the effects of the claw, so Fritz goes right for the kill again. Jumbo takes a huge bump as Fritz hurls him over the top rope by the head. One thing you notice is how good Fritz is at basing whole matches around one move, cranking up the tension for the application of the claw. He even applies it to one of Jumbo's seconds when forced by the ropes to release Tsuruta. The ensuing chaos leads to Fritz being DQ'd to gift the fall to Jumbo. However, Tsuruta is down and bleeding in the ring, giving Fritz control in the opening to the fall. He drags Jumbo off the ropes and into the centre to nail one final claw, but hits the mat instead. This break allows Jumbo to hit a dropkick and a big splash to win the third fall and the match. Really fun encounter, with Fritz being his own worst enemy to gift the win to Jumbo.
Kerry Von Erich vs Genichiro Tenryu
This is for the NWA Missouri title held by Kerry. Tenryu controls to start, grinding Kerry down on the mat. Tenryu shows his smarts by going to the ropes when Kerry gets his first bit of offence with a dropkick, then grounding him again with a headscissors. As Kerry is working face here, rather than heel like Fritz, he uses the claw as a "sudden hit" move, nailing Tenryu with it from a leapfrog for a big reaction and Tenryu scrabbling to the ropes. Tenryu really starts dominating, hitting a crossbody for two before levelling Kerry with an enzuigiri. He then starts to work over the wrist of KVE, ramming it into the ringpost twice, before repeatedly stamping it in the ring to remove the claw from Von Erich's arsenal. This doesn't stop Kerry locking it on several times though, which is a bit annoying psychology wise. He clamps it on Tenryu outside the ring, before diving back in to beat the count and win. This was gearing up to be great before Von Erich stopped selling the wrist injury, and we got a sudden shitty ending. Big disappointment.
Sunday 8 December 2013
Monday 2 December 2013
Triple X Wrestling: The Nov 24th Show
Regular readers, in the unlikely event there is such a thing, will be aware by now of my love of Coventry's Triple X Wrestling, who put on a constantly entertaining show every time. Having been to every show this year, you could imagine my horror as the M69 leading from Nottingham to Cov was shut as I headed to the imaginatively titled "November 24th Show". Diverted through random parts of Warwickshire, I was genuinely concerned that I was going to miss this show, but thankfully I got there just in the nick of time. Which is lucky, as I think this was the best top-to-bottom show they put on this year. Ending old stories, continuing and starting new ones, the pieces are in place to make January's upcoming "Clusterfuck III" show an absolute belter.
Pete Dunne vs Chris Brookes
Brookes' new intro video proclaims him to be be "a bit of a cunt", which earned him a few choice chants during the match. Real nice back-and-forth match here, with everything looking crisp in execution. Brookes had impressed smaller roles in previous matches, but it was nice to see him get a longer chance to show what he could do. His Dragon suplex on Dunne was really good. Dunne is always good value, and the "On your head, son" enzuigiri never gets old. Dunne picks up the win with a swank pumphandle into a DDT.
We got a bit of an angle here, as cult hero (and my girlfriends favourite wrestler) Local Jobber #2 came to the ring, only for Flash Morgan Webster to come out and destroy him, asking again for a match with Mark Andrews. This was eventually agreed to, so hopefully this will happen at the next show. It's been building nicely for month, and it should be a great match when it happens.
The Hunter Brothers vs The Henchmen
Though not advertised as such, this was a battle of Coventry vs Birmingham, so the Henchmen were the clear hometown favourites. The Hunters are great at stooging for their opponents, raising a laugh when a blindside attack failed and claiming "it was the ref". The Henchmen dominated early, but a cheapshot to the leg of Jim Diehard gave the Hunters control. This was a classically worked tag match, with a lengthy heat section on Diehard coupled with the Hunters cutting off a hot tag attempt by attacking Benton Destruction. I loved Benton's combined shock and horror at his tag partner hitting a shining wizard ("Have you been watching those skinny boy tapes?"), before Diehard managed to motor through both Hunters to make the tag. The Henchmen had nearly completed the Five Moves of Doom for the win, before Diehard got nailed with a chair before he could hit the senton to get the DQ win. Destruction also got levelled with a pair of chairshots after, so I assume this leads to a rematch at the next show.
Tyler Bate vs Joe Coffey
Bate has been more and more impressive on the past few shows, but this felt like a real breakthrough match for him. Coffey was a guy I'd not seen before, but he came with a good reputation, and he was a really good opponent for Bate here. Coffey was a really unlikable heel here, and that also helped rally the crowd behind Tyler. I liked the mat exchanges throughout the match, especially as both guys actively worked the holds they were applying, with little touches to make them look more painful. I loved Coffey pulling out his chewing gum and rubbing it in Bate's face during a hold, which only made him seem more of a dick. Though smaller, Bate still got to use a few of his impressive strength spots, with the deadlift German suplex getting two. In the end, however, Coffey picked up the win with a giant swing, which he chained to a Boston crab. Tyler tried to power out, but when that failed, tapped right away. Really great match, debuting Coffey with a good win, but Bate also came out better than when he went in.
Adam Shame & Grado vs The Wrestling Dead
After leaving the last show with "Zombie Slayer" Terry Seddon, Michelle Thorne is now out managing the zombie team. Something to do with them always being stiff... Anyway, this was as absurd and ridiculous as you'd expect. Grado is always entertaining, especially his puzzlement at the idea of having to wrestle some zombies and Shame seems to fit well with him. I love Chris Stone's out-of-control commitment to the character, as he acts more zombie than wrestler, with Steffan Hard carrying the wrestling side of things. Grado gets distracted by Thorne flashing her wares at him to give the zombies the advantage and it doesn't help when his partner also gets enticed by Thorne when Grado reaches for the hot tag. Eventually, Shame does get tagged in, and a combination big boot\faceplant combo give them the pin on Hard. Really fun.
Eddie Dennis, Damian Dunne, Devilman & Omer Ibrahim vs Big Grizzly, Wild Boar, Scott Grimm & Gabriel Grey
This is an elimination tag match, with Gabriel Grey promising to disband the Damned Nation if they lose. This was pretty chaotic, but never less than entertaining, and managed to include some great storyline strands as well. Omer finally got his revenge on Grey after a year of abuse, nailing a huge spear to eliminate him, before Grimm nails a Black Hole Slam on Omer right away to even the score. Everyone here got a chance to shine, with even Grimm looking good dominating the champion Devilman. Dennis shows some impressive strength to suplex Grimm over for a pin, while a fun sequence of offence ends with Boar nailing a package piledriver on Dunne to even up the sides again. In the end, the Damned Nation is forced to split, as Devilman and Dennis take out Grizzly and Boar and hit simultaneous pins to be the two survivors (and I'd be remiss not to mention Dennis showing sick strength again by hitting a crucifix bomb on the enormous Grizzly). After the match, Dennis went from Good Wales! to Bad Wales! by nailing Devilman with the title belt, almost certainly setting up a match between the two in the future.
Pete Dunne vs Chris Brookes
Brookes' new intro video proclaims him to be be "a bit of a cunt", which earned him a few choice chants during the match. Real nice back-and-forth match here, with everything looking crisp in execution. Brookes had impressed smaller roles in previous matches, but it was nice to see him get a longer chance to show what he could do. His Dragon suplex on Dunne was really good. Dunne is always good value, and the "On your head, son" enzuigiri never gets old. Dunne picks up the win with a swank pumphandle into a DDT.
We got a bit of an angle here, as cult hero (and my girlfriends favourite wrestler) Local Jobber #2 came to the ring, only for Flash Morgan Webster to come out and destroy him, asking again for a match with Mark Andrews. This was eventually agreed to, so hopefully this will happen at the next show. It's been building nicely for month, and it should be a great match when it happens.
The Hunter Brothers vs The Henchmen
Though not advertised as such, this was a battle of Coventry vs Birmingham, so the Henchmen were the clear hometown favourites. The Hunters are great at stooging for their opponents, raising a laugh when a blindside attack failed and claiming "it was the ref". The Henchmen dominated early, but a cheapshot to the leg of Jim Diehard gave the Hunters control. This was a classically worked tag match, with a lengthy heat section on Diehard coupled with the Hunters cutting off a hot tag attempt by attacking Benton Destruction. I loved Benton's combined shock and horror at his tag partner hitting a shining wizard ("Have you been watching those skinny boy tapes?"), before Diehard managed to motor through both Hunters to make the tag. The Henchmen had nearly completed the Five Moves of Doom for the win, before Diehard got nailed with a chair before he could hit the senton to get the DQ win. Destruction also got levelled with a pair of chairshots after, so I assume this leads to a rematch at the next show.
Tyler Bate vs Joe Coffey
Bate has been more and more impressive on the past few shows, but this felt like a real breakthrough match for him. Coffey was a guy I'd not seen before, but he came with a good reputation, and he was a really good opponent for Bate here. Coffey was a really unlikable heel here, and that also helped rally the crowd behind Tyler. I liked the mat exchanges throughout the match, especially as both guys actively worked the holds they were applying, with little touches to make them look more painful. I loved Coffey pulling out his chewing gum and rubbing it in Bate's face during a hold, which only made him seem more of a dick. Though smaller, Bate still got to use a few of his impressive strength spots, with the deadlift German suplex getting two. In the end, however, Coffey picked up the win with a giant swing, which he chained to a Boston crab. Tyler tried to power out, but when that failed, tapped right away. Really great match, debuting Coffey with a good win, but Bate also came out better than when he went in.
Adam Shame & Grado vs The Wrestling Dead
After leaving the last show with "Zombie Slayer" Terry Seddon, Michelle Thorne is now out managing the zombie team. Something to do with them always being stiff... Anyway, this was as absurd and ridiculous as you'd expect. Grado is always entertaining, especially his puzzlement at the idea of having to wrestle some zombies and Shame seems to fit well with him. I love Chris Stone's out-of-control commitment to the character, as he acts more zombie than wrestler, with Steffan Hard carrying the wrestling side of things. Grado gets distracted by Thorne flashing her wares at him to give the zombies the advantage and it doesn't help when his partner also gets enticed by Thorne when Grado reaches for the hot tag. Eventually, Shame does get tagged in, and a combination big boot\faceplant combo give them the pin on Hard. Really fun.
Eddie Dennis, Damian Dunne, Devilman & Omer Ibrahim vs Big Grizzly, Wild Boar, Scott Grimm & Gabriel Grey
This is an elimination tag match, with Gabriel Grey promising to disband the Damned Nation if they lose. This was pretty chaotic, but never less than entertaining, and managed to include some great storyline strands as well. Omer finally got his revenge on Grey after a year of abuse, nailing a huge spear to eliminate him, before Grimm nails a Black Hole Slam on Omer right away to even the score. Everyone here got a chance to shine, with even Grimm looking good dominating the champion Devilman. Dennis shows some impressive strength to suplex Grimm over for a pin, while a fun sequence of offence ends with Boar nailing a package piledriver on Dunne to even up the sides again. In the end, the Damned Nation is forced to split, as Devilman and Dennis take out Grizzly and Boar and hit simultaneous pins to be the two survivors (and I'd be remiss not to mention Dennis showing sick strength again by hitting a crucifix bomb on the enormous Grizzly). After the match, Dennis went from Good Wales! to Bad Wales! by nailing Devilman with the title belt, almost certainly setting up a match between the two in the future.
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