Filsinger Games - Legends of Wrestling 2014

So yeah, here's an interesting little show. Basically, me and technology have never been the best of mates. I'm a bit of an old luddite at heart. But, I decided that it might save me time and money to start downloading shows rather than buying them. I got this from Smart Mark Video, and I basically chose it because it was the cheapest show I could find, and wanted to make sure I actually was able to download easily. As it turns out, I had no problem, so here is a very odd show. My research shows that Filsinger Games are a company who made a Legends of Wrestling card game, and seemingly put on this show to promote it. However, a look at the line-up will show that only Brutus Beefcake (and at a stretch Stevie Richards) fit the term "legend" - well, a little research revealed that Marty Jannetty was also due to appear, but no-showed in classic Marty fashion. Still, the rest of the show looks like an interesting enough curiosity...

Alex Reynolds, John Silver & Papadon vs Bill Collier, Brandon Thurston & Jimi The Flying Hippie

Pretty decent six man opener here. The heel team of Reynolds, Silver and Papadon all seemed pretty decent, especially considering the opening stages saw all three having to stooge about for Jimi. The Flying Hippie is a gimmick I’m almost pre-designed to hate, and he was pretty annoying. He seemed fine in the ring, bar a rolling senton to a bent-over Papadon that looked utterly painless. Papadon was probably my favourite guy in this, thought he sold well (including some wonderful stooging on a airplane spin), did some nice offensive touches like rebounding off the bottom two ropes to hit a low clothesline and did some fun shit-talking while on offense, which saw him eat a punch to the face. Thurston looked pretty green, bar a nice tilt-a-whirl into an armbar, so I was surprised to learn he was a 10-yr veteran at this point. The heels work heat on Thurston until Collier tags in, and he’s basically the world’s best Colin Cassady. Moves like a big guy, uses his weight and size to crash into people, and showed nice strength in holding all three heels up for a fallaway slam/Samoan drop combo. Everything breaks down with a string of finishers and Collier simply punches Reynolds in the face to knock him out for the win.

Stevie Richards vs Chuck Taylor

This was for Taylor’s 24/7 Kentucky Hardcore title. Stevie looks in fantastic shape here, looking really cut. Before the match starts, a fat Doink waddles out and rolls up Taylor to win the title. Stevie quickly gives him the Steviekick, and becomes the defending champion going into the match. This sets the tone for a really disjointed comedy match. There’s a load of terrible Taylor schtick at the start of this, which is really annoying, and it’s utterly infuriating how he can’t sell a move without pulling a stupid face or yelling at a fan. I like the way the commentators put over Richards’ hardcore experience to explain his dominance early, and he takes maybe the best bump on the show as he’s hurled through a chair into a bin. Stevie takes control again with some lovely punches, before the match totally drops off a cliff.

Basically, commentator Robert Evans enters the ring with a mic, explaining he’d made a deal with another promotion, and had a court order to stop the show. Because the middle of the match is the perfect time for that. Stevie rips up the paper, teams with Taylor to beat up Evans, then the match resumes. Just bafflingly bad booking to properly take me out of the match.

Anyway, the restart goes maybe two minutes. We get a ref bump, both guys hitting low blows, some guy in a mask hitting a DDT on Stevie, then Taylor retaining. Just a hotchpotch mess of a match, though Stevie looked really good. I don’t blame this shit on him.

Brutus Beefcake & John McChesney vs Bennett Cole & Rocky Reynolds

Right, let’s be honest to start: no, this isn’t a great match. Even in his prime, Beefcake wasn’t great and this is him aged 57, so it’s unlikely he’s going to be great here. But, to be fair, he also wasn’t terrible– he worked over the arm of Reynolds nicely, worked a double-team or two with McChesney, could still get his leg to face height to hit a big boot and, most importantly, looked happy to be there, and you can’t expect much more from him than that. Most of the match was Reynolds working McChesney, and that was pretty good. Reynolds was like a mix of Fritz von Erich and Crash Holly, small with a gravelly voice and a real fun presence in the ring. I thought he looked pretty good, loved little things like him selling his injured arm after hitting an ax-handle. Cole was a big fat guy, and his stuff looked pretty wimpy. At one point McChesney hits a top rope rana, which sees him land on the floor before Cole manages to take a bump, and that’s on Cole. I thought the Reynolds/McChesney segments were good, and Brutus tried, so I enjoyed this for what it was. The end saw Brutus lock the sleeper on Reynolds, drawing two associates of Reynolds’ manager into the ring for the DQ. The faces knock these two men out, and cut of their hair, which gives the show a crowd pleasing finish.