Arrogance vs Hook Bomberry & Topgun Talwar
Not a great opener. The Arrogance team of Scott Lost and Chris Bosh seem pretty good, whilst Talwar is pretty much a comedy act (shown by his ludicrous sell of a leg bite). That said, some of the Talwar/Bomberry double teaming looks pretty good. Wisely, the heels soon take over on Bomberry after Bosh knees him in the back running the ropes. I say wisely, because given a solid spell on offence, Arrogance look great. Bosh especially impresses, with both some novel moves (liked the clothesline into the backbreaker) and some dickishness (opening up his ring cloves to rub the roughest part into the head of Bomberry).Bomberry gets the hot-tag following a decent enzuigiri, and Talwar does come in with a fun move where he knocks Bosh down in his own corner, then slingshots Lost from outside the ring onto his own partner. Bosh takes a huge spill to the floor, before Talwar and Bomberry hit stereo dives to the floor. The match drags a little more, before Arrogance hit a Hart Attack into a backbreaker on Bomberry, before Lost locks in a sharpshooter for the win.
Puma vs the Human Tornado vs Davey Richards
This is an elimination 3-way. Have to say, Puma looks pretty badass here in plain black flared tights. He also acts like a surly dickhead during the match, which meshes nicely with Tornado’s shtick. So one hand you get Puma hanging Tornado in a tree of woe, charging the corner and stopping to punch Tornado in the balls, on the other hand you get Tornado pimpslapping Richards and hitting him in the corner with offence coming from dance moves. In fact, it’s the presence of Richards that brings the match down: for while he does nothing wrong, he gets in the way of seeing what could be a fun Puma/Tornado match. Tornado comes close to taking himself out of the match at one point, missing Richards on a tope and landing in a heap of chairs. Puma and Richards battle each other exclusively to buy Tornado some time following that. Tornado recovers pretty quickly, but gets caught in a Richards powerbomb for 2. A Richards Shooting Star also only gets two. Puma and Richards then work a series of pinfalls and reversals, which ends with Puma getting a bridge for the three. Puma is left with the still-groggy Tornado, and Richards comes back to steal Puma’s mask, allowing Tornado to hit a Tornado DDT for two. However, Puma blocks a corner charge and nails a 450 splash for the win. They really put Puma over strong here, and he looked the best out of the three guys.
Alex Shelley vs Joey Ryan
Ryan is introduced as the “Technical Wizard”, so naturally Shelley totally schools him on the mat from the get-go. Shelley is working face, and throws in some wonderfully wankerish moves, grabbing Ryan in a wristlock to clap his hand, then manipulating Ryan’s fingers so he’s flipping himself the bird. After a few minutes of humiliation, Ryan finally gets an advantage by kicking the ropes into Shelley’s groin on a rope break, but this merely fires Shelley up more, wrapping Ryan up like a pretzel. I love the dynamic of Shelley being so arrogant on the mat as a face, doing some push-ups while having Ryan trapped in a headscissors. The fans are really into laughing at Ryan, to the extent that even a small child at ringside gives him shit (earning the child a chant). Ryan finally gets on offence by avoiding a Shelley charge into the ringpost, giving Ryan an opening to work over Shelley’s shoulder, hitting a nasty hammerlock slam on the floor before bringing him back in for a Divorce Court. Ryan dominates for a good spell and Shelley’s selling is terrific, constantly shaking his hand to get feeling back and frantically trying to keep Ryan away from his injury. Shelley finally makes his comeback and gets two from a Flatliner. Shelley goes back to the mat with a few pinfall attempts, but gets caught up when trying La Majistral as Ryan grabs the ropes and holds on for a controversial win. Great match, really well structured and it kept both men looking strong.
Aerial Express vs Los Luchas
Man, the opening section here is so fluid, all reversals and counters. Scorpio Sky (of the Aerial Express) is especially impressive, countering out of a wristlock beautifully. Sky hits Phoenix Star with a swank looking backbreaker out of the corner. Star is equally as impressive, levelling Quicksilver with a nice spinning German suplex. Los Luchas display some excellent team work. One double team move is fantastic: Zokre gets Quicksilver in a surfboard, Phoenix Star hoists Silver on his shoulders out of the surfboard and then drops him face first on Zokre’s knees. I also loved Zokre elevating Quicksilver in the air to be caught by a huge Phoenix Star spear. Really, this match shows why tag team wrestling is such fun. Though not booked to be spectacular, the fact that these are two actual tag teams who know how to work effectively with their partners, means that they were able to work a totally enjoyable ten-minute match. In the end, the Aerial Express reign supreme, isolating Star by sending Zokre outside, and hitting a choice missile dropkick into a piledriver on Star for the win.
AJ Styles vs James Gibson
This is for AJ’s PWG title, but AJ, as reigning NWA champion, offers to put both belts on the line, which pretty much telegraphs the result. AJ is the bigger of the two men, and uses his size advantage to bully Gibson a bit, and is able to use his relative power to back suplex Gibson out of a headlock. AJ starts working over the arm of Gibson, and quite nastily wrenches Gibson’s arm into the mat. He also hits a lovely Northern Lights suplex onto a hammerlock. However, AJ gets a bit flashy, which costs him, getting rammed chest first on the apron following a failed baseball slide, then getting caught on an attempted tilt-a-whirl which Gibson turns into a gutbuster. The dynamic now switches, with AJ being forced to fight from underneath, whilst Gibson wears him down with headlocks and headscissors. AJ manages to come back into it following a Pele and, whilst Gibson manages to block a Styles Clash by grabbing the ropes, AJ instead decides to give him a brainbuster on the apron. A Spiral Tap attempt is missed, and Gibson plants Styles with a huge German suplex for two. We then go into a swanky ending sequence, as AJ reverses a Trailer Hitch attempt into a rana, then from that into a bridging pin, then from that into the Clash for the win. Really enjoyable match.
Christopher Daniels vs El Generico
This is for the TNA X Division title, which once again telegraphs our winner. Daniels slaps away an attempted handshake and gives the ref some shit in the opening minutes to establish his heel credentials. Daniels dominates Generico on the mat to start, including locking in a full Nelson (which Daniels yells is a Masterlock). Generico gets in a bit of offence, including a nice standing moonsault, but Daniels is quick to regain control, taking out Generico’s legs on an attempted springboard armdrag, which sends him crotch-first to the ropes. Daniels continues to show his superiority, as they really mark out Generico as the underdog here with Daniels again wearing him out on the mat. However, as Daniels carries him to the top rope, Generico gets a break, slipping free and nailing him with a 2nd-rope powerbomb for two. Generico sends Daniels out and hits a spectacular twisting tope. Back in, Generico hits a good looking tornado DDT and levels Daniels with a Yakuza kick in the corner. Daniels is deadweight, but turns out to be playing possum, meaning a second attempt misses, giving Daniels the chance to hit the BME for the win. Pretty fun, told a good story, but lacking that certain something to make it really good.
Super Dragon & Disco Machine vs Excalibur & Kevin Steen
Dragon, Disco and Excalibur are all former members of SBS, before Excalibur turned heel due to what he perceived as the ego of Super Dragon. This is a war from the get-go, with both teams on the attack. Excalibur and Dragon especially exchange some harsh blows. Disco Machine becomes face-in-peril pretty early on, after Steen catches him in the corner, and the Steen/Excalibur team really start going to work on him. Disco tries to come back with a cannonball from the ring apron, but Excalibur moves, letting Disco splat on the floor with a sickening thud. A Super Dragon suicide dive on Excalibur is stopped by a Steen boot, and the heels position Dragon on the apron to allow Steen to use him as a launching pad to moonsault onto the still-prone Disco. Back inside, it’s like a wrestling Passion of the Christ, with the heels giving Disco an absolute kicking. A monster Excalibur German suplex gets two. Disco finally gets a burst of offence, hitting Steen with a sick tornado DDT from inside the ring all the way to the ring apron! He makes the hot tag to Dragon, who wails away on Excalibur, hitting a huge powerbomb into an STF. However, Dragon tags Disco back in to allow him to hit a toprope stomp on Excalibur whilst he’s prone on Disco’s knees. The problem is that Disco is still weary from his beating and is soon beaten down again, massacred by a Steen powerbomb. Excalibur and Steen hit a diving headbutt and frogsplash respectively for two. Disco blocks an Excalibur Tiger Driver and nails a chokeslam, but elects not to make the tag and is soon beaten down yet again by Steen, who levels him with a sick Fisherman’s Buster. Disco again elects not to go for the tag after downing Excalibur with a DDT, so Dragon comes in, slaps him and drags him to their corner for a tag. Dragon is a house of fire, hitting a kerbstomp on Excalibur, a roaring elbow to Steen before nailing Excalibur with the Psycho Driver, only for Disco to turn heel by kicking him in the head. Disco nails him with a chokebreaker, before feeding him to Steen for two package piledrivers for the win. Awesome battle, with a sensible heel turn as Disco tries and fails to get the job done, but gets annoyed with Dragon for doubting him. A whole heap of brutal fun.
Sunday, 31 July 2011
Sunday, 17 July 2011
TNA Destination X 2011
Kazarian vs Samoa Joe
The crowd here are VERY pro-Joe, with a smattering of boos everytime Kaz gets some offence in. Joe dominates the vast majority of the match after Kaz makes the poor decision to attack him at the bell. Joe beats him up inside the ring and out, including casually moving out of the way when Kaz tries a dive from the apron. Kazarian does a good job of fighting from underneath, landing occasional blows to show he’s still alive, but it’s not until he nails Joe with a high springboard dropkick that he gets some real offence in. Kaz loses a strike exchange with Joe, so wisely decides to use his speed to stay ahead, nailing Joe with a few springboard moves. Joe regain control though, and nails his still-impressive suicide dive. Joe locks in the Kokina Clutch, but Kaz makes the ropes. A second attempt, delayed by Joe arguing with the ref, is reversed by Kaz and leads to a victory roll for the Kazarian win. Decent opener, with Joe getting to look like a killer, but Kaz getting the win by surviving.
Douglas Williams vs Mark Haskins
Haskins is the mystery opponent for Williams, an opponent none of the crowd have heard off. Still, this shouldn’t give them the right to be total dicks, which unfortunately, they are. For despite putting in a good performance, they shit all over Haskins. The opening sequence is particularly fun, with Williams slightly dominating on the mat, but still falling prey to a couple of pinfall attempts. Williams is larger and more experienced, so it makes sense he controls much of the match, but Haskins does some really nice stuff. I especially like the way that, when Williams hits him with a forearm to break a hold, Haskins replies with a straight headbutt. Haskins also takes a nasty looking bump on the ring apron. Haskins does slip a couple of times (which the crowd shit on him for), firstly in the middle of an otherwise smooth sequence of offence whilst trying a springboard clothesline, and secondly when trying for a Shooting Star Press, though this plays into the finish: having wasted a few seconds by slipping, he misses the SSP and Williams rolls him up for 3. A pretty good match, a terrible crowd.
Generation Me vs Eric Young & Shark Boy
Pretty much pure filler, though it does provide a timely reminder of just how good Eric Young is. He works a terrific sequence with Max Buck, before GenMe take over on Sharky. GenMe’s double-team offence is pretty fun, but this is just short fun and, after another excellent display by EY, Max falls prey to a Chummer and a wheelbarrow cutter for the win.
Robbie E vs Alex Shelley vs Amazing Red vs Shannon Moore
I’m going to be honest from the start here: Robbie E has swiftly become one of my favourite guys to watch in TNA. For an average-decent worker saddled with a goofy lower-midcard gimmick, he’s really making the most of it to become really fun to watch. He’s a really good seller, as well as using the goofy D-Von Dudley “seizure” sell when he takes harder bumps, which he does plenty of here. I also appreciated a bit early on where Shelley smugly pushes Red, who is tied up in the corner, only for Red to spit back at him, showing a bit of hate in what could otherwise be simply a spotfest. Moore is a bit dull, but wins me over by stealing the Finlay “apron grab” spot to stop some Robbie E offence. This isn’t quite as non-stop as previous Ultimate X matches, but is still pretty fun. Robbie earns some bonus points with me by stopping midway across the cables for a quick fistpump. He gets knocked down from the cables, prompting another seizure-sell, and Red and Moore both climb up looking to grab the X. Moore actually climbs to the top of the X rigging and kicks down to knock Red off the cable, but this has given Shelley ample time to make his own way to the centre and he drags Moore down to claim victory for himself. Not the best Ultimate X, but as the PPV wasn’t sold around this match (which they often are), it’s not as important. This felt more like a fun, midcard match than a show-stealer, but is still worth a watch.
Rob Van Dam vs Jerry Lynn
The first few minutes of the match consists of very little offence, more a series of reversals and counters to put over how well these two know each other. This ends in a total stalemate, which allows Lynn to show just a little frustration. RVD opens the ropes to let him back in following a trip to the outside, but Lynn attacks him on a handshake to become the defacto heel for the match. This makes sense to me, giving the match a bit of intensity rather than it being an exhibition. Also, as RVD has to wrestle here every week, making Lynn the heel is the right thing to do. Lynn hits a nice cannonball from the apron, which is pretty nuts for a man in his 40’s with a bad back. RVD regains control and looks for the 5*, but Lynn recovers quickly and sends him off the top to the barricades. Lynn’s continued frustration leads to him grabbing a chair and a nice spot where Van Dam ducks the chair shot, but Lynn uses his familiarity with him to avoid the legsweep and drop a leg on RVD’s head, sending him face first to the chair. Lynn tries another chairshot, but this time RVD hits the Van Daminator and the 5* for the win. It’ll come as no surprise to learn that 10 years of injuries and knocks have slowed the pace of this match-up down, but this was still plenty good and Lynn looked especially good considering how worn down he is.
Austin Aries vs Zema Ion vs Low-Ki vs Jack Evans
I always struggle to write up matches like this, so don’t expect too much play-by-play. This is a terrifically fast match up where stuff is going on at all times, but crucially is all arranged in a way that make perfect sense. The added bonus is that the spots are all really crisp. No-one really gets an advantage to start, until Aries manages to hit flying nail-rakes on all three guys. Because the winner gets a TNA contract, we get a lot of quick pinfall attempts getting broken up, the best example being a rolling bridge from Low Ki on Aries, which gets broken by Evans leaping from off-screen onto the exposed Low Ki. There is also a terrific moment where Low Ki is outside and the other three all want to hit a dive on him. Evans gets cut off by Ion, who in turn gets cut off by Aries. Aries then tries a dive himself, by which time Low Ki has recovered and greets him with a big kick to the head. Aries is subtly positioned as the heel through his arrogance and posturing. After 10 minutes of action, we get to the ending sequence which includes Ion hitting a 450 splash on Low Ki, Evans getting knees to the back while attempting a 630 on Ki, before Aries hits Low Ki with a brainbuster for the win. I like the fact that they didn’t use the least known guy (Ion) as the guy to drop the fall, instead putting him on a level with the other three. Very fun match.
Brian Kendrick vs Abyss
Kendrick bounces like a pinball off Abyss on a crossbody attempt right at the start, putting across pretty clearly the size difference. Abyss soon dominates and actually gets to look like a monster for a change, while Kendrick keeps trying to fight back, which nicely shows his fighting spirit. The whole Sun Tzu bit is slightly silly, but it does provide a realistic opening for Kendrick to make his comeback, dropkicking Abyss and busting him open. Kendrick shows some real fire on his comeback, including a nice suicide dive, but Abyss smoothly reverses a Sliced Bread attempt into Shock Treatment. A slightly telegraphed ref bump leads to Kendrick hitting Sliced Bread before the inevitable chicanery. Bischoff comes down, only to get knocked out by Kendrick, before Gunner, Scott Steiner and Bully Ray come down to beat up Kendrick. The X Division guys come to make the save, and Kendrick reverses a chokeslam into a victory roll to win the X Division title. I actually enjoyed this and feel the interference didn’t hurt Kendrick here: he clearly had Abyss beaten before the ref bump and he’s the one who got beaten up by Immortal while the X Division guys never touched Abyss.
AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels
Following the RVD/Lynn match, we get another face/face respect match. Jeremy Borash makes a nice point on commentary, highlighting how both guys have children named after the other one. Like RVD/Lynn, both guys know each other very well and a nice sequence where both manage to evade a dive attempt by the other highlights this. Also, neither guy hits any high impact offence in the opening parts of the match, instead trying to outwrestle the other. As you’d expect, there are some very smooth sequences, including AJ rolling out of the ring to escape a hold, only to be met straight away with a Daniels suicide dive. Daniels gets a little more aggressive than AJ when he gains the advantage, hitting three back suplexes in a row. AJ takes this a a cue to start hitting a bit more vigourously, nailing a pescado to Daniels’ back, where Borash highlights how AJ will know about the broken bone in Daniels’ back. It’s in ways like this that the match slowly evolves from exhibition to full-on match and, while it may not reach the classic status TNA hoped for, it’s still a great main event. The end sees a BME attempt meeting AJ’s knees, leading to a Styles Clash for two. Daniels then gets knees up on a springboard 450 attempt, but Angels Wings only gets two for him. Styles manages to knock Daniels from the top rope and hit a spiral tap for the win (a move, Borash points out, won him his first X Division title. Seriously, get JB back every month). A fitting way to end what has been, surprisingly, a really good PPV.
The crowd here are VERY pro-Joe, with a smattering of boos everytime Kaz gets some offence in. Joe dominates the vast majority of the match after Kaz makes the poor decision to attack him at the bell. Joe beats him up inside the ring and out, including casually moving out of the way when Kaz tries a dive from the apron. Kazarian does a good job of fighting from underneath, landing occasional blows to show he’s still alive, but it’s not until he nails Joe with a high springboard dropkick that he gets some real offence in. Kaz loses a strike exchange with Joe, so wisely decides to use his speed to stay ahead, nailing Joe with a few springboard moves. Joe regain control though, and nails his still-impressive suicide dive. Joe locks in the Kokina Clutch, but Kaz makes the ropes. A second attempt, delayed by Joe arguing with the ref, is reversed by Kaz and leads to a victory roll for the Kazarian win. Decent opener, with Joe getting to look like a killer, but Kaz getting the win by surviving.
Douglas Williams vs Mark Haskins
Haskins is the mystery opponent for Williams, an opponent none of the crowd have heard off. Still, this shouldn’t give them the right to be total dicks, which unfortunately, they are. For despite putting in a good performance, they shit all over Haskins. The opening sequence is particularly fun, with Williams slightly dominating on the mat, but still falling prey to a couple of pinfall attempts. Williams is larger and more experienced, so it makes sense he controls much of the match, but Haskins does some really nice stuff. I especially like the way that, when Williams hits him with a forearm to break a hold, Haskins replies with a straight headbutt. Haskins also takes a nasty looking bump on the ring apron. Haskins does slip a couple of times (which the crowd shit on him for), firstly in the middle of an otherwise smooth sequence of offence whilst trying a springboard clothesline, and secondly when trying for a Shooting Star Press, though this plays into the finish: having wasted a few seconds by slipping, he misses the SSP and Williams rolls him up for 3. A pretty good match, a terrible crowd.
Generation Me vs Eric Young & Shark Boy
Pretty much pure filler, though it does provide a timely reminder of just how good Eric Young is. He works a terrific sequence with Max Buck, before GenMe take over on Sharky. GenMe’s double-team offence is pretty fun, but this is just short fun and, after another excellent display by EY, Max falls prey to a Chummer and a wheelbarrow cutter for the win.
Robbie E vs Alex Shelley vs Amazing Red vs Shannon Moore
I’m going to be honest from the start here: Robbie E has swiftly become one of my favourite guys to watch in TNA. For an average-decent worker saddled with a goofy lower-midcard gimmick, he’s really making the most of it to become really fun to watch. He’s a really good seller, as well as using the goofy D-Von Dudley “seizure” sell when he takes harder bumps, which he does plenty of here. I also appreciated a bit early on where Shelley smugly pushes Red, who is tied up in the corner, only for Red to spit back at him, showing a bit of hate in what could otherwise be simply a spotfest. Moore is a bit dull, but wins me over by stealing the Finlay “apron grab” spot to stop some Robbie E offence. This isn’t quite as non-stop as previous Ultimate X matches, but is still pretty fun. Robbie earns some bonus points with me by stopping midway across the cables for a quick fistpump. He gets knocked down from the cables, prompting another seizure-sell, and Red and Moore both climb up looking to grab the X. Moore actually climbs to the top of the X rigging and kicks down to knock Red off the cable, but this has given Shelley ample time to make his own way to the centre and he drags Moore down to claim victory for himself. Not the best Ultimate X, but as the PPV wasn’t sold around this match (which they often are), it’s not as important. This felt more like a fun, midcard match than a show-stealer, but is still worth a watch.
Rob Van Dam vs Jerry Lynn
The first few minutes of the match consists of very little offence, more a series of reversals and counters to put over how well these two know each other. This ends in a total stalemate, which allows Lynn to show just a little frustration. RVD opens the ropes to let him back in following a trip to the outside, but Lynn attacks him on a handshake to become the defacto heel for the match. This makes sense to me, giving the match a bit of intensity rather than it being an exhibition. Also, as RVD has to wrestle here every week, making Lynn the heel is the right thing to do. Lynn hits a nice cannonball from the apron, which is pretty nuts for a man in his 40’s with a bad back. RVD regains control and looks for the 5*, but Lynn recovers quickly and sends him off the top to the barricades. Lynn’s continued frustration leads to him grabbing a chair and a nice spot where Van Dam ducks the chair shot, but Lynn uses his familiarity with him to avoid the legsweep and drop a leg on RVD’s head, sending him face first to the chair. Lynn tries another chairshot, but this time RVD hits the Van Daminator and the 5* for the win. It’ll come as no surprise to learn that 10 years of injuries and knocks have slowed the pace of this match-up down, but this was still plenty good and Lynn looked especially good considering how worn down he is.
Austin Aries vs Zema Ion vs Low-Ki vs Jack Evans
I always struggle to write up matches like this, so don’t expect too much play-by-play. This is a terrifically fast match up where stuff is going on at all times, but crucially is all arranged in a way that make perfect sense. The added bonus is that the spots are all really crisp. No-one really gets an advantage to start, until Aries manages to hit flying nail-rakes on all three guys. Because the winner gets a TNA contract, we get a lot of quick pinfall attempts getting broken up, the best example being a rolling bridge from Low Ki on Aries, which gets broken by Evans leaping from off-screen onto the exposed Low Ki. There is also a terrific moment where Low Ki is outside and the other three all want to hit a dive on him. Evans gets cut off by Ion, who in turn gets cut off by Aries. Aries then tries a dive himself, by which time Low Ki has recovered and greets him with a big kick to the head. Aries is subtly positioned as the heel through his arrogance and posturing. After 10 minutes of action, we get to the ending sequence which includes Ion hitting a 450 splash on Low Ki, Evans getting knees to the back while attempting a 630 on Ki, before Aries hits Low Ki with a brainbuster for the win. I like the fact that they didn’t use the least known guy (Ion) as the guy to drop the fall, instead putting him on a level with the other three. Very fun match.
Brian Kendrick vs Abyss
Kendrick bounces like a pinball off Abyss on a crossbody attempt right at the start, putting across pretty clearly the size difference. Abyss soon dominates and actually gets to look like a monster for a change, while Kendrick keeps trying to fight back, which nicely shows his fighting spirit. The whole Sun Tzu bit is slightly silly, but it does provide a realistic opening for Kendrick to make his comeback, dropkicking Abyss and busting him open. Kendrick shows some real fire on his comeback, including a nice suicide dive, but Abyss smoothly reverses a Sliced Bread attempt into Shock Treatment. A slightly telegraphed ref bump leads to Kendrick hitting Sliced Bread before the inevitable chicanery. Bischoff comes down, only to get knocked out by Kendrick, before Gunner, Scott Steiner and Bully Ray come down to beat up Kendrick. The X Division guys come to make the save, and Kendrick reverses a chokeslam into a victory roll to win the X Division title. I actually enjoyed this and feel the interference didn’t hurt Kendrick here: he clearly had Abyss beaten before the ref bump and he’s the one who got beaten up by Immortal while the X Division guys never touched Abyss.
AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels
Following the RVD/Lynn match, we get another face/face respect match. Jeremy Borash makes a nice point on commentary, highlighting how both guys have children named after the other one. Like RVD/Lynn, both guys know each other very well and a nice sequence where both manage to evade a dive attempt by the other highlights this. Also, neither guy hits any high impact offence in the opening parts of the match, instead trying to outwrestle the other. As you’d expect, there are some very smooth sequences, including AJ rolling out of the ring to escape a hold, only to be met straight away with a Daniels suicide dive. Daniels gets a little more aggressive than AJ when he gains the advantage, hitting three back suplexes in a row. AJ takes this a a cue to start hitting a bit more vigourously, nailing a pescado to Daniels’ back, where Borash highlights how AJ will know about the broken bone in Daniels’ back. It’s in ways like this that the match slowly evolves from exhibition to full-on match and, while it may not reach the classic status TNA hoped for, it’s still a great main event. The end sees a BME attempt meeting AJ’s knees, leading to a Styles Clash for two. Daniels then gets knees up on a springboard 450 attempt, but Angels Wings only gets two for him. Styles manages to knock Daniels from the top rope and hit a spiral tap for the win (a move, Borash points out, won him his first X Division title. Seriously, get JB back every month). A fitting way to end what has been, surprisingly, a really good PPV.
Friday, 15 July 2011
WCW Halloween Havoc 1991: The Chamber Of Horrors
This is the UK VHS release of the event, so a few matches a cut out. We know this because a backstage segment includes Bobby Eaton talking about just having won his match, a match we never get to see. That said, we do still have a few solid matches on the tape. To ringside, with JR and Tony Schiavone...
Sting, El Gigante & the Steiner Brothers vs Big Van Vader, Cactus Jack, Abdullah the Butcher & the Diamond Studd
Yes, this is the infamous Chamber of Horrors, but I went into this with high hopes: with the exception of Gigante, everyone involved should be able to make a huge weapon-filled brawl in a giant cage into an awesome spectacle. The opening few minutes, with guys brawling in and out of the cage confirmed my suspicions. This is going to be great! However, within minutes they’re hampered massively by the rules, which state that you need to strap one of your opponents into a huge electric chair and electrocute them to win. This wouldn’t be a problem if the chair (which gets lowered down halfway in) didn’t take up most of the ring. Straight away Cactus has to pretty much no-sell a top-rope Steiners DDT to avoid getting crushed by the descending chair. From then on, the match turns pretty dreadful, as no-one has any room to do anything except wander round hitting people. It’s utter nonsense as guys start climbing up the cage for no reason (you can’t escape the cage to win), masked men appear from inside caskets only to get handcuffed to the cage, while the action gets documented on the “Refer-eye” camera on Nick Patrick’s head (which is shaky and unwatchable). The ending is especially horrible. Rick Steiner has spent about 5 minutes hanging around near the chair, probably just hoping to be put in it to end the match early, when Abdullah knocks him into the chair. Cactus goes to the switch to end the match, then has to hang around like a moron while Rick belly-to-bellys Abdullah into the chair and takes his time fastening Abby in before Jack finally flicks the switch to accidentally fry the Butcher. Just appalling.
Johnny B Badd vs Jimmy Garvin
Badd is supposed to be the face here, but the fans are pretty solidly behind Garvin (led by an injured Michael Hayes as cheerleader). Badd takes a huge bump over the top rope as the more experienced Garvin takes over, which is the story JR and Tony put over on commentary. Badd starts to heel it up with some nasty looking punches to Garvin’s midsection, before choking Garvin with Teddy Long’s white towel. A botched looking sunset flip off the top earns two for Badd, before a missed corner charge sends him over the top for his second huge bump of the match. The fans are chanting pretty strongly for Garvin’s DDT, which he hits to a big pop (and another beautiful Badd bump). However, Long distracts the ref long enough for Badd to recover and hit Garvin with the Kiss That Don’t Miss for the win (with Long pushing Garvin’s foot of the rope for good measure). Perfectly decent match.
Dustin Rhodes vs Steve Austin
This is for the TV title. Both guys are relatively young here, which does become apparent in places. They kick off with Dustin getting a nice looking leglock reversal which leads to a decent chain wrestling period to open. The story behind the match seems to be how evenly matched the two are. Dustin maybe holds onto the headlock a little too long, which kinda telegraphs the finish. Dustin misses a crossbody and just bounces out of the ring. Rhodes is bleeding, and Austin zeroes in on this straight away, punching Rhodes around the cut and cranking a headlock to take advantage of the bloodloss. As time starts to run out, Dustin regains control and starts to take a few more risks. A lariat gets two, before Rhodes rams Austin into the ringpost, busting Austin open. Time ticks further towards the time limit and Dustin gets more frantic. Bionic Elbow gets two and Dustin tries a top rope lariat, but this doesn’t leave enough time for the pinfall. Neither guy was as good as they would later get, but, headlock spot aside, this didn’t drag and created some real drama in the closing moments. That said, the ending was entirely predictable, but works well as a mean to continue the feud.
Tom Zenk vs the WCW Halloween Phantom
Not one of the Zenk classics. Phantom attacks from the bell, nailing Zenk with a vicious clothesline and a nasty looking gutbuster. Zenk tries a dropkick, but Phantom brushes it off and nails a hangman neckbreaker (called a Rude Awakening by a rather coy Schiavone on commentary) for the win. This would lead to a big angle later.
The Patriots vs the Enforcers
This is for the tag-team titles. For a match which you know will be a carryjob, Firebreaker Chip keeps up with Larry Z pretty well in the first minute or so. Arn tries his luck, and rolls out of the ring protesting that Chip is too oily. This prompts a discussion between JR and Schiavone about whether or not the ref should make Chip towel down. I really like the fact that they freely explain that the Patriots are underdogs due to their inexperience, while the Enforcers start to take over on Todd Champion. This is especially proven when Larry runs from Champion, who follows him around the ring and misses a quick tag to Arn who attacks him from behind. The veterans continue to use their wits to slow down the larger man, getting another blind tag to stop a Champion comeback. The Patriots looks ok, but really the Enforcers are wrestling around them. Chip again looks decent when he gets the hot tag, but he bumps into Larry and turns into an Arn spinebuster for the three count.
I don’t generally cover angles on the blog, but this next one is too good to miss. Eric Bischoff interviews Paul E Dangerously, who is fuming that WCW sacked him from commentary for being to controversial. However, Paul E still has his managers’ license, so he is going to send his new protégé after the franchise of WCW, Sting, in an attempt to bring WCW down. The WCW Halloween Phantom comes down to the ring and is unmasked as Rick Rude, making his WCW debut, who announces he is going to help destroy WCW. One Hell of an angle, an angry Paul E is always gold.
Lex Luger vs Ron Simmons
This is 2/3 falls for the WCW title and, to be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed this. Both have ringside help, Simmons is joined by Dusty Rhodes whilst Luger has Harley Race. The first fall is pretty swift, with Simmons dominating, catching Luger with a powerslam and a typically sweet spinebuster to take the first fall. Luger sells the shit out of it too, not even getting back to his feet by the end of the 60 second rest period. The second fall continues with Ron on offence, whilst JR and Tony put over how Lex hasn’t managed to get started yet. Ron continues with high impact offence on Luger’s back, however, Simmons gets a little overenthusiastic, and Luger is able to sucker him in, sending him hard to the outside. Luger starts working over Simmons in a nicely evil way, with bootscrapes to the eyes and vicious elbows. Ron starts to fire back, but Lex charges at him while Simmons is near the ropes. Luger goes over the top, but Race holds Simmons from outside the ring to stop him going over as well, meaning Lex wins the fall by DQ. The commentary is really choice in this match too, as both JR and Tony do a great job of explaining how Race has helped his man here, but throughout they put over how well Simmons is doing, pointing out his gameplan and really doing a great job of enhancing the match. Simmons is still fresher than Lex and starts the third fall like a house of fire, getting a near two count from a diving shoulderblock. They go outside and Simmons stupidly tries a shoulderblock on Lex as he stands near the ringpost. Of course, Ron goes straight into the post, leaving him easy pickings for Lex, who rolls him in and hits the Attitude Adjustment piledriver for the win. Really fun match, Lex’s selling here was awesome and really put Simmons over as a real threat. The booking helped too, letting the audience know Simmons is a real contender (winning the first fall), but he got caught out by one simple mistake. Not a match I was looking forward to, but one which has pleasantly surprised me.
Sting, El Gigante & the Steiner Brothers vs Big Van Vader, Cactus Jack, Abdullah the Butcher & the Diamond Studd
Yes, this is the infamous Chamber of Horrors, but I went into this with high hopes: with the exception of Gigante, everyone involved should be able to make a huge weapon-filled brawl in a giant cage into an awesome spectacle. The opening few minutes, with guys brawling in and out of the cage confirmed my suspicions. This is going to be great! However, within minutes they’re hampered massively by the rules, which state that you need to strap one of your opponents into a huge electric chair and electrocute them to win. This wouldn’t be a problem if the chair (which gets lowered down halfway in) didn’t take up most of the ring. Straight away Cactus has to pretty much no-sell a top-rope Steiners DDT to avoid getting crushed by the descending chair. From then on, the match turns pretty dreadful, as no-one has any room to do anything except wander round hitting people. It’s utter nonsense as guys start climbing up the cage for no reason (you can’t escape the cage to win), masked men appear from inside caskets only to get handcuffed to the cage, while the action gets documented on the “Refer-eye” camera on Nick Patrick’s head (which is shaky and unwatchable). The ending is especially horrible. Rick Steiner has spent about 5 minutes hanging around near the chair, probably just hoping to be put in it to end the match early, when Abdullah knocks him into the chair. Cactus goes to the switch to end the match, then has to hang around like a moron while Rick belly-to-bellys Abdullah into the chair and takes his time fastening Abby in before Jack finally flicks the switch to accidentally fry the Butcher. Just appalling.
Johnny B Badd vs Jimmy Garvin
Badd is supposed to be the face here, but the fans are pretty solidly behind Garvin (led by an injured Michael Hayes as cheerleader). Badd takes a huge bump over the top rope as the more experienced Garvin takes over, which is the story JR and Tony put over on commentary. Badd starts to heel it up with some nasty looking punches to Garvin’s midsection, before choking Garvin with Teddy Long’s white towel. A botched looking sunset flip off the top earns two for Badd, before a missed corner charge sends him over the top for his second huge bump of the match. The fans are chanting pretty strongly for Garvin’s DDT, which he hits to a big pop (and another beautiful Badd bump). However, Long distracts the ref long enough for Badd to recover and hit Garvin with the Kiss That Don’t Miss for the win (with Long pushing Garvin’s foot of the rope for good measure). Perfectly decent match.
Dustin Rhodes vs Steve Austin
This is for the TV title. Both guys are relatively young here, which does become apparent in places. They kick off with Dustin getting a nice looking leglock reversal which leads to a decent chain wrestling period to open. The story behind the match seems to be how evenly matched the two are. Dustin maybe holds onto the headlock a little too long, which kinda telegraphs the finish. Dustin misses a crossbody and just bounces out of the ring. Rhodes is bleeding, and Austin zeroes in on this straight away, punching Rhodes around the cut and cranking a headlock to take advantage of the bloodloss. As time starts to run out, Dustin regains control and starts to take a few more risks. A lariat gets two, before Rhodes rams Austin into the ringpost, busting Austin open. Time ticks further towards the time limit and Dustin gets more frantic. Bionic Elbow gets two and Dustin tries a top rope lariat, but this doesn’t leave enough time for the pinfall. Neither guy was as good as they would later get, but, headlock spot aside, this didn’t drag and created some real drama in the closing moments. That said, the ending was entirely predictable, but works well as a mean to continue the feud.
Tom Zenk vs the WCW Halloween Phantom
Not one of the Zenk classics. Phantom attacks from the bell, nailing Zenk with a vicious clothesline and a nasty looking gutbuster. Zenk tries a dropkick, but Phantom brushes it off and nails a hangman neckbreaker (called a Rude Awakening by a rather coy Schiavone on commentary) for the win. This would lead to a big angle later.
The Patriots vs the Enforcers
This is for the tag-team titles. For a match which you know will be a carryjob, Firebreaker Chip keeps up with Larry Z pretty well in the first minute or so. Arn tries his luck, and rolls out of the ring protesting that Chip is too oily. This prompts a discussion between JR and Schiavone about whether or not the ref should make Chip towel down. I really like the fact that they freely explain that the Patriots are underdogs due to their inexperience, while the Enforcers start to take over on Todd Champion. This is especially proven when Larry runs from Champion, who follows him around the ring and misses a quick tag to Arn who attacks him from behind. The veterans continue to use their wits to slow down the larger man, getting another blind tag to stop a Champion comeback. The Patriots looks ok, but really the Enforcers are wrestling around them. Chip again looks decent when he gets the hot tag, but he bumps into Larry and turns into an Arn spinebuster for the three count.
I don’t generally cover angles on the blog, but this next one is too good to miss. Eric Bischoff interviews Paul E Dangerously, who is fuming that WCW sacked him from commentary for being to controversial. However, Paul E still has his managers’ license, so he is going to send his new protégé after the franchise of WCW, Sting, in an attempt to bring WCW down. The WCW Halloween Phantom comes down to the ring and is unmasked as Rick Rude, making his WCW debut, who announces he is going to help destroy WCW. One Hell of an angle, an angry Paul E is always gold.
Lex Luger vs Ron Simmons
This is 2/3 falls for the WCW title and, to be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed this. Both have ringside help, Simmons is joined by Dusty Rhodes whilst Luger has Harley Race. The first fall is pretty swift, with Simmons dominating, catching Luger with a powerslam and a typically sweet spinebuster to take the first fall. Luger sells the shit out of it too, not even getting back to his feet by the end of the 60 second rest period. The second fall continues with Ron on offence, whilst JR and Tony put over how Lex hasn’t managed to get started yet. Ron continues with high impact offence on Luger’s back, however, Simmons gets a little overenthusiastic, and Luger is able to sucker him in, sending him hard to the outside. Luger starts working over Simmons in a nicely evil way, with bootscrapes to the eyes and vicious elbows. Ron starts to fire back, but Lex charges at him while Simmons is near the ropes. Luger goes over the top, but Race holds Simmons from outside the ring to stop him going over as well, meaning Lex wins the fall by DQ. The commentary is really choice in this match too, as both JR and Tony do a great job of explaining how Race has helped his man here, but throughout they put over how well Simmons is doing, pointing out his gameplan and really doing a great job of enhancing the match. Simmons is still fresher than Lex and starts the third fall like a house of fire, getting a near two count from a diving shoulderblock. They go outside and Simmons stupidly tries a shoulderblock on Lex as he stands near the ringpost. Of course, Ron goes straight into the post, leaving him easy pickings for Lex, who rolls him in and hits the Attitude Adjustment piledriver for the win. Really fun match, Lex’s selling here was awesome and really put Simmons over as a real threat. The booking helped too, letting the audience know Simmons is a real contender (winning the first fall), but he got caught out by one simple mistake. Not a match I was looking forward to, but one which has pleasantly surprised me.
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