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.
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Best of Ayako Hamada Vol 1
I've been a little hesitant to review this disc, which I bought from IVP Videos for the princely sum of $3, due to my relative ignorance of all things Joshi. My fear was that I would come across as ignorant or, worse still, patronizing. The fact is I wanted to expand my horizons wrestling-wise, and decided the easiest way to get into it was to check out some of the best matches by someone whose work I'm already familiar with. So if this is a naive review then I apologise. Just wait until I start on Lucha...
Ayako Hamada vs Mika Akino
The first thing that's notable, and I apologise for possibly stating the obvious, is just how fluid everything is. Both Hamada and Akino make everything look effortless, while at the same time really looking like they're in a fight, with Akino getting some nasty bootscrapes in the corner from the get-go. Hamada's matwork is terrific, tying up her smaller opponent with various leglocks and, while she switches swiftly from hold to hold, each one concentrates on her opponents legs. Akino seems equally adept on the mat, and ends one sequence with a nicely applied crossface. The story of the match seems to be that Hamada is the dominant figure, largely due to her size and strength advantage, but that Akino is pluckier and keeps catching Hamada unawares. Akino gets to hit an insane tope con hilo on Hamada at one point, but Hamada shows that she is also able to fly by hitting a sweet Asai moonsault to the floor shortly after. Hamada continues to press her advantage, nearly getting the win following a top rope cutter, but charges into three backdrop suplexes and only survives by putting her foot on the rope. However, we get no upset win, with Hamada picking up the win following three spinkicks to the head of Akino. Great, easy to follow match.
Ayako Hamada vs Azumi Hyuga
Different structure this match round, with Hyuga being the veteran and Hamada the relatively inexperienced champion. They're quite even on the mat, with Hamada ramming some fierce knees into Hyuga's back during a deathlock, but when both are standing up, Hyuga manages to remain one step ahead of Hamada and reverses most attempts at offence. She even avoids Hamada's Asai moonsault to the floor, sending Hamada to a crash landing. Hamada gets in some token offence, hitting a nice sunset flip powerbomb for two, before getting caught again with a knee to the midsection. Hamada does get to hit a spiral powerbomb for two, but Hyuga has the best of the offence, hitting a swank German suplex from the top rope followed by a missile dropkick for two. She then hits 8 or 9 rolling German suplexes for another two. Hamada has this awesome way of selling the offence like she's out on her feet, hitting strikes but falling down during them due to the punishment taken. They exchange some offence in a brief flurry, before Hamada is able to nail a top rope Hamada Cutter for the win. Slightly surprised that was the finish, as the same move only got two on a more beaten-down Akino, but it was an effective change of pace.
Ayako Hamada & Miko Akino vs Mima Shimoda & Etsuko Mita
This is for the ARSION tag titles and I'm going to be honest straight away: I didn't really enjoy this. Far too much seems to happen without actually having any effect. Case in point: at the start of the match Hamada's left shoulder is bandaged, and Shimoda and Mita focus their attack on it straight away, twisting it round the ropes and the ringpost. However, Hamada soon tags out and the shoulder is never focused on again. Another prime example comes midway through the match when Mita and Hamada are brawling outside: Mita drags Hamada far from the ring and piledrives her through a table. Theoretically, this should take her out for a while and leave the smaller Akino alone in the ring with the two tag champions, but within a minute Hamada is back in the ring. Weapons shots and potential finishers are kicked out of pretty easily, with a Doomsday Device chairshot followed by a top rope legdrop to the back of Akino's neck only getting two. Likewise a Death Valley Driver preceded with a boot to the head only gets two. You just feel that better structure would really help the match as things are fine moveswise- Akino still goes for crazy tope con hilos, Hamada is still really crisp and fluid (a nice double team sees her swing Akino into place for a swinging DDT) and the team of Shimoda and Mita gel well together, but the match doesn't really work. A Tiger Suplex on Akino gets the win.
Ayako Hamada vs Michiko Ohmukai
No messing about here, Ohmukai attacks Hamada straight from the get-go, but gets sent out of the ring. Hamada tries an Asai moonsault, but gets met by a chairshot on the way down. Hamada is still awesome on the mat, tying Ohmukai up and driving knees into her back. Hamada blades early following a series of kicks to the head, and Ohmukai drags her to the ropes for the ringside photographers in rather a dick move. Hamada blitzes her opponent with a series of headbutts, leaving both of them out on her feet and Ohmukai also bust open. The blading comes into play for the rest of the match, as both try and and just make the other unable to continue. Both are out of their feet, both are coated in blood and then both battle to make the other pass out with a succession of holds. At one point, Ohmukai has Hamada tied up in a triangle choke and it feels like the referee could stop the match at any second. Hamada gets free and builds up enough adrenaline to hit a spiral powerbomb for two. A spin kick to the head gets the win for Hamada in a real war. Despite my misgiving when it comes to female wrestlers blading, I have to admit it really was important to the match and was pivotal in getting the story across. By the end, you really felt that both had given the match their all. Great match.
Ayako Hamada vs Mika Akino
The first thing that's notable, and I apologise for possibly stating the obvious, is just how fluid everything is. Both Hamada and Akino make everything look effortless, while at the same time really looking like they're in a fight, with Akino getting some nasty bootscrapes in the corner from the get-go. Hamada's matwork is terrific, tying up her smaller opponent with various leglocks and, while she switches swiftly from hold to hold, each one concentrates on her opponents legs. Akino seems equally adept on the mat, and ends one sequence with a nicely applied crossface. The story of the match seems to be that Hamada is the dominant figure, largely due to her size and strength advantage, but that Akino is pluckier and keeps catching Hamada unawares. Akino gets to hit an insane tope con hilo on Hamada at one point, but Hamada shows that she is also able to fly by hitting a sweet Asai moonsault to the floor shortly after. Hamada continues to press her advantage, nearly getting the win following a top rope cutter, but charges into three backdrop suplexes and only survives by putting her foot on the rope. However, we get no upset win, with Hamada picking up the win following three spinkicks to the head of Akino. Great, easy to follow match.
Ayako Hamada vs Azumi Hyuga
Different structure this match round, with Hyuga being the veteran and Hamada the relatively inexperienced champion. They're quite even on the mat, with Hamada ramming some fierce knees into Hyuga's back during a deathlock, but when both are standing up, Hyuga manages to remain one step ahead of Hamada and reverses most attempts at offence. She even avoids Hamada's Asai moonsault to the floor, sending Hamada to a crash landing. Hamada gets in some token offence, hitting a nice sunset flip powerbomb for two, before getting caught again with a knee to the midsection. Hamada does get to hit a spiral powerbomb for two, but Hyuga has the best of the offence, hitting a swank German suplex from the top rope followed by a missile dropkick for two. She then hits 8 or 9 rolling German suplexes for another two. Hamada has this awesome way of selling the offence like she's out on her feet, hitting strikes but falling down during them due to the punishment taken. They exchange some offence in a brief flurry, before Hamada is able to nail a top rope Hamada Cutter for the win. Slightly surprised that was the finish, as the same move only got two on a more beaten-down Akino, but it was an effective change of pace.
Ayako Hamada & Miko Akino vs Mima Shimoda & Etsuko Mita
This is for the ARSION tag titles and I'm going to be honest straight away: I didn't really enjoy this. Far too much seems to happen without actually having any effect. Case in point: at the start of the match Hamada's left shoulder is bandaged, and Shimoda and Mita focus their attack on it straight away, twisting it round the ropes and the ringpost. However, Hamada soon tags out and the shoulder is never focused on again. Another prime example comes midway through the match when Mita and Hamada are brawling outside: Mita drags Hamada far from the ring and piledrives her through a table. Theoretically, this should take her out for a while and leave the smaller Akino alone in the ring with the two tag champions, but within a minute Hamada is back in the ring. Weapons shots and potential finishers are kicked out of pretty easily, with a Doomsday Device chairshot followed by a top rope legdrop to the back of Akino's neck only getting two. Likewise a Death Valley Driver preceded with a boot to the head only gets two. You just feel that better structure would really help the match as things are fine moveswise- Akino still goes for crazy tope con hilos, Hamada is still really crisp and fluid (a nice double team sees her swing Akino into place for a swinging DDT) and the team of Shimoda and Mita gel well together, but the match doesn't really work. A Tiger Suplex on Akino gets the win.
Ayako Hamada vs Michiko Ohmukai
No messing about here, Ohmukai attacks Hamada straight from the get-go, but gets sent out of the ring. Hamada tries an Asai moonsault, but gets met by a chairshot on the way down. Hamada is still awesome on the mat, tying Ohmukai up and driving knees into her back. Hamada blades early following a series of kicks to the head, and Ohmukai drags her to the ropes for the ringside photographers in rather a dick move. Hamada blitzes her opponent with a series of headbutts, leaving both of them out on her feet and Ohmukai also bust open. The blading comes into play for the rest of the match, as both try and and just make the other unable to continue. Both are out of their feet, both are coated in blood and then both battle to make the other pass out with a succession of holds. At one point, Ohmukai has Hamada tied up in a triangle choke and it feels like the referee could stop the match at any second. Hamada gets free and builds up enough adrenaline to hit a spiral powerbomb for two. A spin kick to the head gets the win for Hamada in a real war. Despite my misgiving when it comes to female wrestlers blading, I have to admit it really was important to the match and was pivotal in getting the story across. By the end, you really felt that both had given the match their all. Great match.
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Everyday Is Like Tom Zenk: Z-Man & Brian Pillman vs Cactus Jack & Abdullah The Butcher
So, I was watching WWE Vintage Collection, when all of a sudden up comes a Z-Man match. Seeing as how I've got 10 minutes to kill, and we've not had a Zenk update for a while, I thought it'd make sense to give it some attention. It's a simple enough story for a tag match: the faces are quick and full of energy, whilst the heels are brawlers who just want to hurt people. Z-Man fights out of the opposition corner early and takes over on Cactus with some nice high flying offence. He does get caught in an Abby nerve hold, which he then breaks out of before hitting a nice enzuigiri. Pillman is in and full of gusto, which is why I always like face teams who are smaller and more explosive, where the fans' excitement at the hot tag is matched by the fire of the incoming face. It's certainly the case here, with Pillman ripping into Abby, including hitting the Butcher with an impressive slam. Pillman slips on a springboard attempt and immediately starts selling knee, which was either planned or some very quick improvisation from him. Pillman bumps like a pinball for Abby, which makes some average offence look deadly. Z-Man comes back in and hits a nice pair of superkicks on the Butcher, which Abby sells with an ace glazed expression. Zenk locks on a sleeper, but the referee is distracted by Pillman brawling with Jack, which allows Cactus to hit Z-Man with the Butcher's staff for the win. Great formula tag match, it allowed both teams to look good and highlight their strengths.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
HUSTLE 04/01/2004
This was the very first HUSTLE show, an attempt to launch a Sports Entertainment style company in Japan. The line-up of this show, including Dusty Rhodes, Goldberg and Mil Mascaras, sounded so wonderfully random I couldn't resist
Low Ki vs MIKAMI vs Jun Kasai vs King Adamo
Interesting choice of opener, with three junior heavyweights and one large savage. Within 20 seconds of the match starting, MIKAMI hits a dive on Adamo, which is totally missed by the cameras. The match soon settles into a vague structure of generally only having two guys in the ring at any one time, working a nice series of high-flying spots. Despite primarily being involved in comedy elements here, Adamo shows he can go, with a nice Stinger splash in the corner and a general willingness to let the smaller men look good. MIKAMI was the only guy I'd not seen before and he was impressive, hitting a nice looking Swanton from a ladder and taking a huge bump to the floor from the top rope following a Low Ki kick to the head. It ends following a Ki Krusher on Kasai to give Low Ki the win in a fun opener.
Zebra Man vs Ikuto Hidaka
Zebra Man seems to be a spin off from a movie, though I don't know who is under the mask. This is essentially a competitive squash to let the larger Zebra Man look good, with Hidaka getting in flashes of swanky offence and trying to weaken the bigger guy with kicks to the head. Zebra Man looks decent and hit some nice offence, with a wheelbarrow facebuster looking particularly devastating. The end result is never in any doubt, Zebra Man winning following a torture rack into a powerbomb for the three.
Satoshi Kojima & Kaz Hayashi vs El Solar & Dos Caras Jr
Jr is the wrestler now known as Alberto Del Rio, but you, you already know that (I'm so sorry, couldn't resist). Neither team really works heel in this match, which makes it feel a little disjointed, but the in-ring action is still pretty solid. Solar works an early mat exchange with Hayashi, before Caras Jr tags in. Jr lands on his feet on a missed moonsault attempt, but walks right into a sharp looking Hayashi superkick. It feels odd at first to equate Jr to Del Rio, until he hits that familiar step-up enzuigiri on Kojima, and suddenly it falls into place. A series of dives ends with a tope from Kaz. Back in the ring, Solar goes back to the mat with Hayashi, locking in a Mexican surfboard, which he rolls around the ring for added effect, before tying Kaz up in another submission hold. Dos Jr hits a nice press slam into a German suplex for 2 on Hayashi, but Kojima getting tagged in changes the complection of the match, as he can't be pushed around as easily, forcing the Mexican team to wear him down with a series of well-executed double team moves. Hayashi interjects to help his partner, allowing Kojima to hit the Koji Cutter and the lariat on El Solar for the win.
Shinjiro Otani & Mastato Tanaka vs The Predator & Kevin Randleman
With two American's with MMA experience (Randleman being a former UFC champion) in the ring with the hard-hitting Emblem team, it'll comes as no surprise to learn this is a pretty stiff encounter, as neither team is afraid to lay in the moves. The overall effect of this is that it feels like the two teams are trying to just wear the opposition out. Randleman is pretty surprising here: not only has he great presence and in-ring charisma, he also is quite impressive in the ring, albeit lacking a bit of polish. During the match he hits a nice springboard moonsault and a decent rana. Tanaka and Otani are predictably good working together, whilst the real difference maker in the match is the Predator, who dominates proceedings so much that you wonder why the WWE made him into the infinitely less interesting Sylvester Terkay. His size and power mean that Otani and Tanaka can take control when they use their speed, but when the Predator catches them, they're in trouble. This is their downfall: after not tagging out, Tanaka gets levelled by the Predator and a monster top rope kneedrop looks like it caves his face in. One huge musclebuster later and the Predator picks up the win. Good, hard-hitting action.
Giant Silva vs Kohei Sato & Katsuhisa Fujii
Handicap squash match. Not much to report here, Silva isn't very good and Sato is far too good to be wasted in this manner. Silva wins after chokeslams to both men.
Shinya Hashimoto vs Vader
Vader pretends to be about to throw his mask into the crowd, but drops it to the mat instead for some easy heat. Things are pretty even to start, until Vader starts badmouthing Hash before levelling him and nailing a splash for two. Hashimoto has one shoulder heavily taped, which Vader works on to remove his striking threat, though this just means that Hash starts to kick the crap out of him instead. Hashimoto gets a cross-armbreaker before both guys head to the outside. Vader misses a chairshot which allows Hash to hit a DDT on the floor for a (heavily booed) countout win. Too short to be any good, but I quite enjoyed the strike exchanges while they lasted. I suspect, not being a puro expert, that these two will have had many better matches when both (especially Vader) were younger and fitter.
Steve Corino, Tom Howard & Dusty Rhodes vs Mil Mascaras, Dos Caras & Sicodelico Jr
Mascaras has a reputation for working his own style of match and not being overly willing to take bumps. This match will do nothing to damage that reputation, as Corino finds himself working for two during their exchanges, stooging like a madman for the older masked man. In fact Corino is a heat machine throughout, tagging himself in to steal the spotlight when the audience anticipate some Rhodes/Mascaras action and yelling the names of other wrestlers on the show before stealing their signature moves, with both Hashimoto's DDT and Ogawa's STO getting used. On the luchador team, both Caras and Sicodelico equip themselves well, Sicodelico looking especially good with an attempted spinning elbow, while Caras also looks good against Howard (who, in fairness, does everything in his power to make Caras look good). Mascaras, meanwhile, seems content to hit Corino with flying forearms, before hitting Corino with a top rope crossbody for three. It's not unfair to say the best parts of this match were the bits without Mascaras. His partners both looked good and, while Big Dust was used sparingly, Corino and Howard worked hard to give the match some heat. The only real complaint is teasing Dusty vs Mascaras and not delivering, but it was perfectly watchable nonetheless
Mark Coleman vs Toshiaki Kawada
Sadly, this is one of those wrestling/MMA hybrid matches that are mainly worked on the mat, without being terribly interestlng. There are some good bits, including Coleman powering Kawada up from the mat to counter a choke attempt, but this is a whole lot of nothing. It's also very short, Kawada getting an anklelock about 5 minutes in, which prompts the referee to call for the bell, without Coleman winning in an ending that benefits noone.
Bill Goldberg vs Naoya Ogawa
I recall not liking Ogawa in the Zero-One match I reviewed back in September, so my hopes weren't high for this. However, I really quite enjoyed this, largely due to the performance of Goldberg. For a guy who wasn't required to sell much in his WCW days, he made Ogawa look immense here. Ogawa at one point locks in a leglock for several minutes, and what keeps it interesting is the selljob from Goldberg, punching the mat to try and block out the pain and slapping Ogawa to get him to break the hold. It's a shame then that the ending is so disappointing. The ref gets bumped during an Ogawa sleeper, meaning no-one counts following a Goldberg spear. Ogawa hits an STO, then another, which gives me flashbacks to that wretched Tom Howard match where Ogawa hit seven STO's in a row. Thankfully, Giant Silva intervenes, hitting Ogawa, allowing Goldberg to nail another spear and the Jackhammer for the win. Screwiness aside, this was a fine main event.
Low Ki vs MIKAMI vs Jun Kasai vs King Adamo
Interesting choice of opener, with three junior heavyweights and one large savage. Within 20 seconds of the match starting, MIKAMI hits a dive on Adamo, which is totally missed by the cameras. The match soon settles into a vague structure of generally only having two guys in the ring at any one time, working a nice series of high-flying spots. Despite primarily being involved in comedy elements here, Adamo shows he can go, with a nice Stinger splash in the corner and a general willingness to let the smaller men look good. MIKAMI was the only guy I'd not seen before and he was impressive, hitting a nice looking Swanton from a ladder and taking a huge bump to the floor from the top rope following a Low Ki kick to the head. It ends following a Ki Krusher on Kasai to give Low Ki the win in a fun opener.
Zebra Man vs Ikuto Hidaka
Zebra Man seems to be a spin off from a movie, though I don't know who is under the mask. This is essentially a competitive squash to let the larger Zebra Man look good, with Hidaka getting in flashes of swanky offence and trying to weaken the bigger guy with kicks to the head. Zebra Man looks decent and hit some nice offence, with a wheelbarrow facebuster looking particularly devastating. The end result is never in any doubt, Zebra Man winning following a torture rack into a powerbomb for the three.
Satoshi Kojima & Kaz Hayashi vs El Solar & Dos Caras Jr
Jr is the wrestler now known as Alberto Del Rio, but you, you already know that (I'm so sorry, couldn't resist). Neither team really works heel in this match, which makes it feel a little disjointed, but the in-ring action is still pretty solid. Solar works an early mat exchange with Hayashi, before Caras Jr tags in. Jr lands on his feet on a missed moonsault attempt, but walks right into a sharp looking Hayashi superkick. It feels odd at first to equate Jr to Del Rio, until he hits that familiar step-up enzuigiri on Kojima, and suddenly it falls into place. A series of dives ends with a tope from Kaz. Back in the ring, Solar goes back to the mat with Hayashi, locking in a Mexican surfboard, which he rolls around the ring for added effect, before tying Kaz up in another submission hold. Dos Jr hits a nice press slam into a German suplex for 2 on Hayashi, but Kojima getting tagged in changes the complection of the match, as he can't be pushed around as easily, forcing the Mexican team to wear him down with a series of well-executed double team moves. Hayashi interjects to help his partner, allowing Kojima to hit the Koji Cutter and the lariat on El Solar for the win.
Shinjiro Otani & Mastato Tanaka vs The Predator & Kevin Randleman
With two American's with MMA experience (Randleman being a former UFC champion) in the ring with the hard-hitting Emblem team, it'll comes as no surprise to learn this is a pretty stiff encounter, as neither team is afraid to lay in the moves. The overall effect of this is that it feels like the two teams are trying to just wear the opposition out. Randleman is pretty surprising here: not only has he great presence and in-ring charisma, he also is quite impressive in the ring, albeit lacking a bit of polish. During the match he hits a nice springboard moonsault and a decent rana. Tanaka and Otani are predictably good working together, whilst the real difference maker in the match is the Predator, who dominates proceedings so much that you wonder why the WWE made him into the infinitely less interesting Sylvester Terkay. His size and power mean that Otani and Tanaka can take control when they use their speed, but when the Predator catches them, they're in trouble. This is their downfall: after not tagging out, Tanaka gets levelled by the Predator and a monster top rope kneedrop looks like it caves his face in. One huge musclebuster later and the Predator picks up the win. Good, hard-hitting action.
Giant Silva vs Kohei Sato & Katsuhisa Fujii
Handicap squash match. Not much to report here, Silva isn't very good and Sato is far too good to be wasted in this manner. Silva wins after chokeslams to both men.
Shinya Hashimoto vs Vader
Vader pretends to be about to throw his mask into the crowd, but drops it to the mat instead for some easy heat. Things are pretty even to start, until Vader starts badmouthing Hash before levelling him and nailing a splash for two. Hashimoto has one shoulder heavily taped, which Vader works on to remove his striking threat, though this just means that Hash starts to kick the crap out of him instead. Hashimoto gets a cross-armbreaker before both guys head to the outside. Vader misses a chairshot which allows Hash to hit a DDT on the floor for a (heavily booed) countout win. Too short to be any good, but I quite enjoyed the strike exchanges while they lasted. I suspect, not being a puro expert, that these two will have had many better matches when both (especially Vader) were younger and fitter.
Steve Corino, Tom Howard & Dusty Rhodes vs Mil Mascaras, Dos Caras & Sicodelico Jr
Mascaras has a reputation for working his own style of match and not being overly willing to take bumps. This match will do nothing to damage that reputation, as Corino finds himself working for two during their exchanges, stooging like a madman for the older masked man. In fact Corino is a heat machine throughout, tagging himself in to steal the spotlight when the audience anticipate some Rhodes/Mascaras action and yelling the names of other wrestlers on the show before stealing their signature moves, with both Hashimoto's DDT and Ogawa's STO getting used. On the luchador team, both Caras and Sicodelico equip themselves well, Sicodelico looking especially good with an attempted spinning elbow, while Caras also looks good against Howard (who, in fairness, does everything in his power to make Caras look good). Mascaras, meanwhile, seems content to hit Corino with flying forearms, before hitting Corino with a top rope crossbody for three. It's not unfair to say the best parts of this match were the bits without Mascaras. His partners both looked good and, while Big Dust was used sparingly, Corino and Howard worked hard to give the match some heat. The only real complaint is teasing Dusty vs Mascaras and not delivering, but it was perfectly watchable nonetheless
Mark Coleman vs Toshiaki Kawada
Sadly, this is one of those wrestling/MMA hybrid matches that are mainly worked on the mat, without being terribly interestlng. There are some good bits, including Coleman powering Kawada up from the mat to counter a choke attempt, but this is a whole lot of nothing. It's also very short, Kawada getting an anklelock about 5 minutes in, which prompts the referee to call for the bell, without Coleman winning in an ending that benefits noone.
Bill Goldberg vs Naoya Ogawa
I recall not liking Ogawa in the Zero-One match I reviewed back in September, so my hopes weren't high for this. However, I really quite enjoyed this, largely due to the performance of Goldberg. For a guy who wasn't required to sell much in his WCW days, he made Ogawa look immense here. Ogawa at one point locks in a leglock for several minutes, and what keeps it interesting is the selljob from Goldberg, punching the mat to try and block out the pain and slapping Ogawa to get him to break the hold. It's a shame then that the ending is so disappointing. The ref gets bumped during an Ogawa sleeper, meaning no-one counts following a Goldberg spear. Ogawa hits an STO, then another, which gives me flashbacks to that wretched Tom Howard match where Ogawa hit seven STO's in a row. Thankfully, Giant Silva intervenes, hitting Ogawa, allowing Goldberg to nail another spear and the Jackhammer for the win. Screwiness aside, this was a fine main event.
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
CZW Uncivilized 2003
Back in 2003, I was all about CZW. It was the first indy I watched constantly and, despite it's many obvious flaws, I loved it. Many of my favourite indy names were CZW guys and I thought it'd be fun to revisit a show I think I only watched once before.
Jude vs Jon Dahmer
Teacher vs student match here, with Dahmer the head of the CZW academy and Jude but a few matches into his career. As such, it's far from special. Jude has to rely on the more experienced Dahmer to structure the match, and he doesn't do a great job. The match kinda ends up feeling like some moves done at random. That said, there are some positives: Dahmer hits a sick looking German suplex that looks like it kills Jude, and the rookie looks pretty promising here. It's a shame looking at this 8 years later as Jude has some real fire when on offence, and his snap suplex is really good. He hits a pump-handle Emerald Frosion, which gets 2 when it should be a stonewall finisher, before outside interference from fellow rookies Niles Young and Cory Kastle lead to Dahmer hitting the Move of 1000 Maniacs (Gansobomb) for 3.
Before the next match, we get some antics involving Rockin' Rebel and John Zandig to set up the main event: Rebel and Greg Matthews vs Heartbreaker (!?!) and TATANKA! What an odd match.
Adam Flash & Ian Knoxx vs Derek Frazier & Hurricane Kid vs Chris Stylz & Z-Barr
This is an elimination match, though the team of Frazier and Kid are pretty superfluous due to Kid's uber-jobber status. The team of Flash and Knoxx decimate them to start, including a nice doubleteam where Flash elevated Kid up in the air for Knoxx to lariat on the way down. Knoxx really had the look and ability to be pretty big in wrestling before injuries took him out and he looks really good throughout this match. Barr gets tagged in the match and instantly takes Frazier down with a side headlock. And then another one. Then gets on the mic and says he'll hold the headlock as long as he wants. Easy, easy heat. Frazier, who has one of the least imposing looks of any wrestler I've ever seen, actually looks pretty good on offence, nailing a crisp Dragon whip on Barr, and also bumps huge for an overhead belly to belly. The Kid gets tagged in and instantly gets caught with the Barr Driller for 3. Knoxx and Stylz, former tag partners, finally go face-to-face for the first time and it's not really as heat filled as you'd imagine as they circle for position, but their sequence in the ring is really smooth and looks really good.Stylz hits a nice Northern Light suplex for 2. Knoxx regains the advantage with a sweet looking fallaway slam from the second rope before Flash hits a top rope legdrop for the win. This got pretty good after the first elimination and would have been much better as a straight up tag. Stylz would leave CZW shortly after this, which is disappointing as both him and Knoxx looked really good here.
Tai Smiley vs GQ
Tai Smiley is wearing a yellow bodysuit with a smiley face on, and seems to be working a retard gimmick, so don't expect a mat classic. They work through an elementary wrestling exchange before GQ gets on the mic to talk some smack. He then pretends to take off Smiley's nose. The comedy is dying on it's arse, so fortunately GQ is wise enough to go on the attack, hitting Smiley with a vicious belly-to-back suplex and giving him a backbreaker on a steel chair. Annoyingly, every time the crowd are starting to get back into the match, we get some more comedy which pisses them off. A shame, because GQ looks pretty good here in what is, essentially, a squash. He locks in a killer cloverleaf-looking hold and nails a nifty DDT for the win. More wrestling, less bad comedy needed here.
Mike Mayhem Vs Livewyre vs Grim Reefer
I really thought this would suck, but actually I pretty much enjoyed this. Firstly, all the participants brought something to the dance: Reefer was pretty sloppy, but won my heart over early on by hitting two dangerous dives to the floor in the first 2 minutes. Livewyre is far bigger than the other and came to the ring making generic "I'm going to break you" gestures. He's also crucially better known as Mikey from the Spirit Squad and during the match he busted out some cool stuff, including a swank half Nelson suplex and a massive spear that nearly broke Mayhem in half. As for Mayhem, he was less flashy, but actually had a semblance of character which tied the whole thing together and he was arguably less spotty than the others. The oddest thing is seeing a future WWE tag champion, who was the smallest in his stable, get booked like a monster in CZW, but he looked really good here. Reefer wins with a walking Swanton from the middle of the ring to end an enjoyable match.
Stefan Perez vs Nick Berk
This is Perez's CZW debut and he's challenging Berk to a submissions match. Remember this, it's important. Perez takes control in the early going and tries a pinfall. The ref doesn't count, presumably reminding Perez that HE WANTED A SUBMISSION MATCH. Perez then hits the Three Amigos (with Berk actually getting up before him) which ends with a Fisherman Suplex. Still no pins allowed Stefan. Garguilo and House mock him for this, especially as he made the damn challenge. Berk applies actual submission holds to Perez, but Perez keeps making the ropes and hits a nice top rope Blockbuster. He then tries to springboard into the ring, but gets caught and put into the Texas C2K2 for the tapout win for Berk. Perez looked like a moron here and never returned to CZW.
Ric Blade vs B-Boy
Never been a big fan of Ric Blade, but I always dug B-Boy, so it'll be interesting to see who influences the match more. They start out with an exchange of strikes, which is a poor choice as Blade's strikes suck while B-Boy is pretty hard hitting, yet they act as if both guys are inflicting the same damage. We then have to take a break as it looks like Blade pulled a muscle in his leg during the opening stages. It's all made better when Blade flips into the ring, only to get suplexed into the corner by B-Boy. Blade continues to throws kicks at B-Boy so poor that I actually feel bad for B-Boy having to sell them, though it seems B-Boy is content to drop Blade on his head with a neat Dragon suplex. Johnny Kashmere comes out to distract Blade which allows B-Boy to hit a Shining Wizard into a baseball bat onto Blade for the win. Too much shitty Blade offence makes this a pass, though bonus points to B-Boy for selling the knee that crashed into the bat.
Ruckus vs Sonjay Dutt
This is a Junior Heavyweight title match. Chris Cash comes to ringside before the match starts and somehow becomes special referee. The problem with this is you know there will be some kind of screwy finish which could ruin the match. In this case, the problems arise even earlier as Cash refuses to count for either man, at which point you wonder why either man continues fighting. Cash continues in this vein, blocking Ruckus' attempt at the Razzle-Dazzle and pretending to trip into the ropes to knock both men from the top at various points and for some reason neither man assaults him. It's a shame this distracts from what is quite a fun pair of performances from Ruckus and Dutt. As far as early 00's CZW Junior Heavyweights go, both are smooth, unlikely to blow spots and, while maybe over-flippy, they've got a good chemistry which shines through amongst the poor booking. The ending is predictably disappointing- as both men fight on the top rope, Cash nails them both with a ladder to send them both through a ringside table for a double-countout. A shame.
Tatanka & Heartbreaker vs Rockin' Rebel & Greg Matthews
At the time, I was convinced that Greg Matthews had the look and the promise for a big future in wrestling. Shows how much I know. Before the match even starts, Zandig and the Wifebeater beat the tar out of Rebel & Matthews, taking all the heat away from special guest Tatanka. In the ring, they work through a basic, but decent match, as Tatanka dominates both Rebel's Army members before they take control. Nothing fancy, which is sensible due to Matthews' rookie status and Rebel's limitations. Things get less interesting when Heartbreaker eventually gets in, with one of his first moves being an overly fussy (and pointless) springboard kneedrop. He spends most of the match selling, which is probably wise because he manages to hit a shockingly bad spinebuster on Matthews. The end comes when a nameless man runs in the ring, allowing Rebel to hit Heartbreaker with a loaded fist for Matthews to cover him. The in-ring work was fine, especially the Tatanka bits, but the booking was poor. As well as pre-match, Zandig and Wifebeater beat up the Rebel's Army members as soon any time the left the ring, including several shots with weapons, which makes the losers look even worse.
The Backseat Boyz vs The H8 Club
This is for the CZW Tag titles. The story here is that new Backseats manager Dewey Donovan used to manage the H8 Club, so they should have the advantage. It doesn't show in the early stages, as Nick Gage and Nate Hatred decimate the Backseats, who bump like pinballs for the monsters, including a double 360 sell of a Hatred clothesline. A baseball bat shot to Hatred's midsection allows Acid and Kashmere to take over on Gage, which includes a double eyepoke on Gage to cause him to blindly swing for Kashmere, only to get beaten down. Gage gives the smaller wrestlers a lot of offence and bumps well enough that this all looks convincing. The BB's start to work in the Dream Sequence, only for Acid to get folded in two by a clothesline from the returning Hatred, which gives the H8 Club a chance to dominate on the floor. A Donovan distraction allows the Messiah to attack Hatred on the outside and Gage stupidly goes after Donovan, leaving his partner to eat a T-Gimmick from the Backseats, which is enough to win them the title. Really fun power vs speed match and both teams were able to play up their strengths.
The Messiah vs Sick Nick Mondo
Mondo asked for a title match earlier in the night, which Messiah granted. The early stages of the match really don't click- Mondo's strikes look off and he barely catches the Messiah on a plancha. After about 5 minutes, things suddenly click, and they work a nice little sequence of moves and reversals that includes a decent Lionsault from the Messiah. He then hits a double jump splash on Mondo through a ringside table. I always dug the Messiah, even after CZW foolishly turned him heel following his emotional title win after getting his thumb chopped off during an assault at his home. Back inside, they fight over powerbombing the other through a table, which Messiah eventually wins for two. There is one hokey spot where Messiah manages to staple Mondo's hand to his back, but the rest is good stuff, with both guys pulling out all the stops to get the win. The Messiah has control when Big Mac Smack comes to the ring and gives Mondo a bucket of thumbtacks. Mondo downs the Messiah and pours the tacks over him, before hitting a springboard legdrop for two. On the surface a stupid move, but one consistent with the Sick Nick character. An M Bison from the top (a double footed stomp) onto the tacks gets the win for Mondo. A post-match brawl ensues and it's announced that Mondo has won Messiah's Iron Man title, not the World title. A silly end to a good match
Jude vs Jon Dahmer
Teacher vs student match here, with Dahmer the head of the CZW academy and Jude but a few matches into his career. As such, it's far from special. Jude has to rely on the more experienced Dahmer to structure the match, and he doesn't do a great job. The match kinda ends up feeling like some moves done at random. That said, there are some positives: Dahmer hits a sick looking German suplex that looks like it kills Jude, and the rookie looks pretty promising here. It's a shame looking at this 8 years later as Jude has some real fire when on offence, and his snap suplex is really good. He hits a pump-handle Emerald Frosion, which gets 2 when it should be a stonewall finisher, before outside interference from fellow rookies Niles Young and Cory Kastle lead to Dahmer hitting the Move of 1000 Maniacs (Gansobomb) for 3.
Before the next match, we get some antics involving Rockin' Rebel and John Zandig to set up the main event: Rebel and Greg Matthews vs Heartbreaker (!?!) and TATANKA! What an odd match.
Adam Flash & Ian Knoxx vs Derek Frazier & Hurricane Kid vs Chris Stylz & Z-Barr
This is an elimination match, though the team of Frazier and Kid are pretty superfluous due to Kid's uber-jobber status. The team of Flash and Knoxx decimate them to start, including a nice doubleteam where Flash elevated Kid up in the air for Knoxx to lariat on the way down. Knoxx really had the look and ability to be pretty big in wrestling before injuries took him out and he looks really good throughout this match. Barr gets tagged in the match and instantly takes Frazier down with a side headlock. And then another one. Then gets on the mic and says he'll hold the headlock as long as he wants. Easy, easy heat. Frazier, who has one of the least imposing looks of any wrestler I've ever seen, actually looks pretty good on offence, nailing a crisp Dragon whip on Barr, and also bumps huge for an overhead belly to belly. The Kid gets tagged in and instantly gets caught with the Barr Driller for 3. Knoxx and Stylz, former tag partners, finally go face-to-face for the first time and it's not really as heat filled as you'd imagine as they circle for position, but their sequence in the ring is really smooth and looks really good.Stylz hits a nice Northern Light suplex for 2. Knoxx regains the advantage with a sweet looking fallaway slam from the second rope before Flash hits a top rope legdrop for the win. This got pretty good after the first elimination and would have been much better as a straight up tag. Stylz would leave CZW shortly after this, which is disappointing as both him and Knoxx looked really good here.
Tai Smiley vs GQ
Tai Smiley is wearing a yellow bodysuit with a smiley face on, and seems to be working a retard gimmick, so don't expect a mat classic. They work through an elementary wrestling exchange before GQ gets on the mic to talk some smack. He then pretends to take off Smiley's nose. The comedy is dying on it's arse, so fortunately GQ is wise enough to go on the attack, hitting Smiley with a vicious belly-to-back suplex and giving him a backbreaker on a steel chair. Annoyingly, every time the crowd are starting to get back into the match, we get some more comedy which pisses them off. A shame, because GQ looks pretty good here in what is, essentially, a squash. He locks in a killer cloverleaf-looking hold and nails a nifty DDT for the win. More wrestling, less bad comedy needed here.
Mike Mayhem Vs Livewyre vs Grim Reefer
I really thought this would suck, but actually I pretty much enjoyed this. Firstly, all the participants brought something to the dance: Reefer was pretty sloppy, but won my heart over early on by hitting two dangerous dives to the floor in the first 2 minutes. Livewyre is far bigger than the other and came to the ring making generic "I'm going to break you" gestures. He's also crucially better known as Mikey from the Spirit Squad and during the match he busted out some cool stuff, including a swank half Nelson suplex and a massive spear that nearly broke Mayhem in half. As for Mayhem, he was less flashy, but actually had a semblance of character which tied the whole thing together and he was arguably less spotty than the others. The oddest thing is seeing a future WWE tag champion, who was the smallest in his stable, get booked like a monster in CZW, but he looked really good here. Reefer wins with a walking Swanton from the middle of the ring to end an enjoyable match.
Stefan Perez vs Nick Berk
This is Perez's CZW debut and he's challenging Berk to a submissions match. Remember this, it's important. Perez takes control in the early going and tries a pinfall. The ref doesn't count, presumably reminding Perez that HE WANTED A SUBMISSION MATCH. Perez then hits the Three Amigos (with Berk actually getting up before him) which ends with a Fisherman Suplex. Still no pins allowed Stefan. Garguilo and House mock him for this, especially as he made the damn challenge. Berk applies actual submission holds to Perez, but Perez keeps making the ropes and hits a nice top rope Blockbuster. He then tries to springboard into the ring, but gets caught and put into the Texas C2K2 for the tapout win for Berk. Perez looked like a moron here and never returned to CZW.
Ric Blade vs B-Boy
Never been a big fan of Ric Blade, but I always dug B-Boy, so it'll be interesting to see who influences the match more. They start out with an exchange of strikes, which is a poor choice as Blade's strikes suck while B-Boy is pretty hard hitting, yet they act as if both guys are inflicting the same damage. We then have to take a break as it looks like Blade pulled a muscle in his leg during the opening stages. It's all made better when Blade flips into the ring, only to get suplexed into the corner by B-Boy. Blade continues to throws kicks at B-Boy so poor that I actually feel bad for B-Boy having to sell them, though it seems B-Boy is content to drop Blade on his head with a neat Dragon suplex. Johnny Kashmere comes out to distract Blade which allows B-Boy to hit a Shining Wizard into a baseball bat onto Blade for the win. Too much shitty Blade offence makes this a pass, though bonus points to B-Boy for selling the knee that crashed into the bat.
Ruckus vs Sonjay Dutt
This is a Junior Heavyweight title match. Chris Cash comes to ringside before the match starts and somehow becomes special referee. The problem with this is you know there will be some kind of screwy finish which could ruin the match. In this case, the problems arise even earlier as Cash refuses to count for either man, at which point you wonder why either man continues fighting. Cash continues in this vein, blocking Ruckus' attempt at the Razzle-Dazzle and pretending to trip into the ropes to knock both men from the top at various points and for some reason neither man assaults him. It's a shame this distracts from what is quite a fun pair of performances from Ruckus and Dutt. As far as early 00's CZW Junior Heavyweights go, both are smooth, unlikely to blow spots and, while maybe over-flippy, they've got a good chemistry which shines through amongst the poor booking. The ending is predictably disappointing- as both men fight on the top rope, Cash nails them both with a ladder to send them both through a ringside table for a double-countout. A shame.
Tatanka & Heartbreaker vs Rockin' Rebel & Greg Matthews
At the time, I was convinced that Greg Matthews had the look and the promise for a big future in wrestling. Shows how much I know. Before the match even starts, Zandig and the Wifebeater beat the tar out of Rebel & Matthews, taking all the heat away from special guest Tatanka. In the ring, they work through a basic, but decent match, as Tatanka dominates both Rebel's Army members before they take control. Nothing fancy, which is sensible due to Matthews' rookie status and Rebel's limitations. Things get less interesting when Heartbreaker eventually gets in, with one of his first moves being an overly fussy (and pointless) springboard kneedrop. He spends most of the match selling, which is probably wise because he manages to hit a shockingly bad spinebuster on Matthews. The end comes when a nameless man runs in the ring, allowing Rebel to hit Heartbreaker with a loaded fist for Matthews to cover him. The in-ring work was fine, especially the Tatanka bits, but the booking was poor. As well as pre-match, Zandig and Wifebeater beat up the Rebel's Army members as soon any time the left the ring, including several shots with weapons, which makes the losers look even worse.
The Backseat Boyz vs The H8 Club
This is for the CZW Tag titles. The story here is that new Backseats manager Dewey Donovan used to manage the H8 Club, so they should have the advantage. It doesn't show in the early stages, as Nick Gage and Nate Hatred decimate the Backseats, who bump like pinballs for the monsters, including a double 360 sell of a Hatred clothesline. A baseball bat shot to Hatred's midsection allows Acid and Kashmere to take over on Gage, which includes a double eyepoke on Gage to cause him to blindly swing for Kashmere, only to get beaten down. Gage gives the smaller wrestlers a lot of offence and bumps well enough that this all looks convincing. The BB's start to work in the Dream Sequence, only for Acid to get folded in two by a clothesline from the returning Hatred, which gives the H8 Club a chance to dominate on the floor. A Donovan distraction allows the Messiah to attack Hatred on the outside and Gage stupidly goes after Donovan, leaving his partner to eat a T-Gimmick from the Backseats, which is enough to win them the title. Really fun power vs speed match and both teams were able to play up their strengths.
The Messiah vs Sick Nick Mondo
Mondo asked for a title match earlier in the night, which Messiah granted. The early stages of the match really don't click- Mondo's strikes look off and he barely catches the Messiah on a plancha. After about 5 minutes, things suddenly click, and they work a nice little sequence of moves and reversals that includes a decent Lionsault from the Messiah. He then hits a double jump splash on Mondo through a ringside table. I always dug the Messiah, even after CZW foolishly turned him heel following his emotional title win after getting his thumb chopped off during an assault at his home. Back inside, they fight over powerbombing the other through a table, which Messiah eventually wins for two. There is one hokey spot where Messiah manages to staple Mondo's hand to his back, but the rest is good stuff, with both guys pulling out all the stops to get the win. The Messiah has control when Big Mac Smack comes to the ring and gives Mondo a bucket of thumbtacks. Mondo downs the Messiah and pours the tacks over him, before hitting a springboard legdrop for two. On the surface a stupid move, but one consistent with the Sick Nick character. An M Bison from the top (a double footed stomp) onto the tacks gets the win for Mondo. A post-match brawl ensues and it's announced that Mondo has won Messiah's Iron Man title, not the World title. A silly end to a good match
Friday, 1 April 2011
TNA Webmatches (Episodes 10-12)
Here's another batch of TNA's youtube webmatches
Robert Roode vs Eric Young
We kick off with two guys who know each other very well. They work in a nice comedy spot early, where Roode climbs the turnbuckles to get more leverage on a lock up, only for EY to move and Roode to fall on his face. Due to their history, it comes as no surprise that they work well together, with both being pretty snug with their punches. The ending sequence is also very fast-paced and fluid, ending with a fisherman suplex for the Roode win. Decent, if short, match
Hernandez vs Kiyoshi
No Limit and Sheik Abdul Bashir come out with Kiyoshi, while Homicide comes out with Hernandez. Kiyoshi foolishly tries powerspots early on, but gets caught by a crap overhead suplex where Kiyoshi doesn't go over very cleanly. On the whole, though, Hernandez still looks good overpowering Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi dominates more when he uses his speed to keep Hernandez down, but lets the big man get back to his feet and gets overpowered once more. A great plancha by Hernandez leads to the Border Toss for 3 in a watchable bout.
Eric Young vs Danny Bonaduce
I'm barely aware of who Bonaduce is, as he's not really known over here in Blighty. All I know is that he's a man who gets angry on reality TV shows. As if to show off his fearsome rage, he attacks a planted fan by biting his hand. I assume EY was chosen for this match as a result of being a reliable hand in the ring. Bonaduce threatens EY with nunchucks in the ring to a chorus of boos. EY is very much the face here. In the match, Bonaduce doesn't really have too much offence to comment on (bar a Swanton, which looked passable), but he really takes some big bumps for Young, including getting thrown into cage, then suplexed against the mesh. EY hits a huge powerbomb, as Bonaduce continues to take impressive bumps. There is a botch on the winning EY small package but on the whole, it's a perfectly acceptable celebrity match. Bonaduce attacks EY with the nunchucks after the match, but Rhino runs in and nails him with a big Gore during the save.
Robert Roode vs Eric Young
We kick off with two guys who know each other very well. They work in a nice comedy spot early, where Roode climbs the turnbuckles to get more leverage on a lock up, only for EY to move and Roode to fall on his face. Due to their history, it comes as no surprise that they work well together, with both being pretty snug with their punches. The ending sequence is also very fast-paced and fluid, ending with a fisherman suplex for the Roode win. Decent, if short, match
Hernandez vs Kiyoshi
No Limit and Sheik Abdul Bashir come out with Kiyoshi, while Homicide comes out with Hernandez. Kiyoshi foolishly tries powerspots early on, but gets caught by a crap overhead suplex where Kiyoshi doesn't go over very cleanly. On the whole, though, Hernandez still looks good overpowering Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi dominates more when he uses his speed to keep Hernandez down, but lets the big man get back to his feet and gets overpowered once more. A great plancha by Hernandez leads to the Border Toss for 3 in a watchable bout.
Eric Young vs Danny Bonaduce
I'm barely aware of who Bonaduce is, as he's not really known over here in Blighty. All I know is that he's a man who gets angry on reality TV shows. As if to show off his fearsome rage, he attacks a planted fan by biting his hand. I assume EY was chosen for this match as a result of being a reliable hand in the ring. Bonaduce threatens EY with nunchucks in the ring to a chorus of boos. EY is very much the face here. In the match, Bonaduce doesn't really have too much offence to comment on (bar a Swanton, which looked passable), but he really takes some big bumps for Young, including getting thrown into cage, then suplexed against the mesh. EY hits a huge powerbomb, as Bonaduce continues to take impressive bumps. There is a botch on the winning EY small package but on the whole, it's a perfectly acceptable celebrity match. Bonaduce attacks EY with the nunchucks after the match, but Rhino runs in and nails him with a big Gore during the save.
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