A note about AAA: haven't seen a lot in recent years besides a few TripleMania's here and there, but the production is top notch but unforutnately all the angles and stuff look identical to TNA, my god is Russo becoming international? is this the end of days? will gas prices go below $2 this summer? all these questions pondered (not answered) and more in the following review.
1) Black Abyss v. Ozz v. Latin Lover v. Abismo Negro- 3
Sadly i believe this was one of Negro's last matches before his untimely passing, sad to say he didn't do a damn thing here to earn that paycheck. Latin Lover is still in marginally good shape after all these years and kept the match going as far as pace. I was liking his movement in the ring, nice stiff strikes and some cool go behind reversals with Ozz. Too short to really do anything effective as far as storytelling though.
2) Alan Stone v. Elegido v. Joe Lider v. Silver King- 3
Why does this dude Alan Stone have the name of an European born English professor and the gnarled face of an older factory worker slaving away in Guadalahara? I liked Elegido's charisma and air on his flying moves, but he needed some direction....and a new look besides leopard print, are you a house wife in the mid 80's? King and Lider worked the 4 or 5 spots that came out right and i liked King's submission near the end, although probably due to age, we didn't see half of what he used to be capable of.
3) Nicho el Millinario v. ElectroShock v. Super Fly v. Octagon- 2
This match was embarrassing, Octagon at one point was in one of the greatest AAA matches of all time at When Worlds Collide, and more than held his own there, here he's in perpetual slow motion and his bumps look terrible. Electro Shock is one of the more stiff moving wrestlers i've seen in quite some time. Wearing a terrible body suit with Hannibal Lector mask he's well built but has no fluid motion whatsoever and doesn't fit the lucha style at all. Nicho takes one crazy bump in the corner but is generally useless here. I liked Super Fly though, think he has some potential, crazy fearless dive outside was so far the highlight of the show.
4) Dark Escoria v. Super Porky v. Kenzo Suzuki v. La Parka- n/a
For some reason, the disc skipped over the ending of this match, probably better off. Porky was in an Elvis costume and probably very closely resembled the King as he lay dead and bloated on a toilet seat. Porky actually took a hard bump off a clothesline early on and I loved when Kenzo (sporting a much better look) slapped the piss out of him multiple times in the corner before we were on to the next match.
5) Chessman v. Mesias (Cage w/ Weapons)- 4
My last memory of Mesias was from MTV's shortlived wrestling program wearing dark clothes and fake blood pouring out of his mouth, apparently he's a fan favorite (quite effective seemingly) and only kept the white pupil contact lenses. I'm actually enjoying his performance. He takes the dumpy Chessman and builds a match around his tired and weak offense, pulling off several spots that worked, including an Orton-like powerslam. Now the ring is filled with hardcore implements, such as barb wire and light tubes, which get used to varying degrees of success. One moment that I thought really brought some realism out was both men climbing the cage, then fighting atop the small platform to dump the other off the side, mainly Mesias was instigating the struggle, but his reckless pushing and pulling really made the ending chokeslam off the cage through a table feel more dire (even though Chessman just dropped his limp body down like you might discard an old head of lettuce in the waste basket.) Best thing on the show.
6) Teddy Hart/ Jack Evans/ Zorro v. X-pac/ Alex Koslov/ Charly Manson- 3
This actually started out decent, there was a feud brewing between Pac and Zorro where a few exchanges came out but kind of accumulated to nothing. Koslov had his act down: some neat reversals fighting off different kick combos between he and Hart was cool then his Russian dance drove the fans nuts ( just like when Gorbachev and Zangief did at the end of Street Fighter II.) Evans looked the same, i'd heard he's improved vastly down in Mexico but he was using the same offense, just not as much of it, which could be attributed to experience, to not burn yourself out which brings us to Teddy Hart who late in the match (while not legal mind you, not that he even attempted a pin cover) walked around hitting dynamic moves on people such as a powerbomb into a backcracker on Koslov and a 450 splash on Pac before just routinely exiting the ring to join the haphazard brawl outside. Mason was a pale urchin who looked bad in his one sole spot after the match had ended.
7) Aero Star/ Gran/ Fabi Apache v. Billy Boy/ Tigre Cota/ Cinthia Moreno- n/a
This also boiled down to the opening brawl then the disc moved on, and probably for the better from the mess I saw, looked like a strange episode of Drawn Together in the ring.
8) Konnan v. Vampiro- 0
At no point did this insult to every fan watching ever resemble a wrestling match. Both of these guys, physically are beyond their prime, but why subject your fan base to this joke? As soon as the bell rang, Hart and Evans were there going through one contrived spot to the next with Vamp, who seriously looked like he just did a stint in a rehab clinic that had a Joan Jett lookalike contest. Vamp was caught multiple times talking through spots, not selling what had just happened to him, or not cooperating with the spots. Marco Corleone (or Mark Jindrak to the American fans, who are still saying who?) came in and got stiff on the young guys for a few spots then back to the Unprofessional show. Konnan looked just as bad, throwing chairs like a kid having a tantrum not wanting to eat his veggies, falling so gingerly on any bump. A complete abolishment of anything athletic.
9) ElectroShock v. Latin Lover v. Silver King v. La Parka- 3
The main event for the Rey de Reyes championship, not long into this Parka was taken out, big time with a crazy tombstone from the apron off through a table by Silver King. Really crazy spot that was played up big time with a stretcher job and Shock being visibly upset. Wasn't clear but seemed like King was dq'd. Down to 2 men, where the match was really going to sink or swim and it sunk like a dead body. Lover's methodical pace that worked for him earlier was a detriment here because Shock was so mechanical and couldn't sell anything for very long or well. A few neat rollups out of the Lucha play book got me off the couch and to take notice but not much else. I'd never seen so many nearfalls where the count was that slow, they awarded Pepe Casas with a Hall of Fame trophy at the beginning of the show, but his age really took away from the match because you could tell it was physically hurting him to ref the match. There was also yet another huge brawl where nearly everyone from the tournament came back in for a stand off. Everything was worked in a really loose style and it felt totally more like an old Nitro match than anything Lucha related.
Overall this show was very long and slickly produced but for pure wrestling content, you'd be better off popping almost anything else you can find laying around, be it cereal commercials from the 80's or Pauley Shore movies.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
ECW The Doctor is In- Aug. 3rd, 1996
This show had a stacked lineup and the opening segment showed why and how the brand was so successful and that is they knew their audience and played each guy to his strengths. JT Smith cuts an Italian promo, BWO comes out like KISS, Sandman canes the hell out of all of them, Raven comes out with the Fullington family and suckers Sandman into a beating. As far as ring work, between all 7 of those guys, not a lot to crow about, but the crowd was rocking and rolling through each new moment as it come about. Usually I would cringe at any of these elements, but I found myself enjoying the "extreme" soap opera play out. Okay, the matches now:
1) Devon Storm v. Mikey Whipwreck- 4
First off, Storm was decked out in the most hideous neon green indy trunks you've ever seen, even if you lived through the early 90's. He was accompanied by two people I'd never seen in my life: Lady Angelena, who was basically only wearing a see through leotard that covered 4 of her 5 points of entry and Damian Kane, a motorcycle freak who looked like Killer Brooks. Mikey was announced as the European Junior champion, although what citizen of France would look at the pimple faced sawoff wearing a faded Venom t-shirt with pride? This match was fun in a way, Storm was providing offense that was pretty different and made him stand out even more than his 40th bleach job. Mikey was clearly lost in there though, as you could see Storm quietly guiding the match where he wanted it and using most of the time to perform his unique offense. I hated Mikey's hurricanranas which he used several because on every one he landed on his own neck before completing the move. The match got some time too, nearly 15 mins so it was a nice opening contest.
2) Louie Spicoli v. Johnny Smith- 4
Spicoli was being pushed as the next up and comer so they were putting him in against tough journeymen to gain experience; for some reason i will always remember him stumbling down a hotel hall in his underwear, stoned beyond all recognition in a clip from Maxx Payne's self-filmed documentary about life in the WWF in late 90's. Anyways, Smith, I believe, is a relative of Davey Boy but their styles are nothing alike. Smith doesn't work near as fast as Bulldog, but is probably more technically sound without the power. Spicoli impressed me with hitting a few beautiful suplexes, including a folding German that was very Benoit circa '93. Smith thought fast on his feet too, he pulled a couple neat reversals out of nowhere including a powerslam. He also did the suicide Owen Hart dropkick but not near as pretty. In the end, can't score this too high, it was wrestled as an enhancement match but a competitive one.
3) Axl Rotten v. D-Von Dudley- 1
This was garbage, only thing these two physically did to each other was have a chair war which ended in Axl doleing out a couple lame backshots. Axl looked meager in appearance too, before he put on the weight, then every Dudley you could think of came in to hit or be hit with a chair by D-Von as Axl sat in the corner like a scared doe. Only point i can give here is just the immeasurably brutal chair shot Bubba gives D-von directly to the head, good thing they're in TNA where they can still give concussions.
4) Stevie Richards v. The Sandman - 2
Stevie came in, Paul Stanley makeup and all to defend Raven's title belt for him and was really strong at being the nasty aggressive heel, breaking open Sandman's cut over his eye and just working it with rabbit punches and just ripping at his flesh. The match was more of an angle overall though, something the whole card suffered from, as the whole BWO hit their fins on Stevie, only for him to survive in a neat little sequence, but Raven ended up getting the pin when he wasn't even legal? Nasty Stevie Kick that Sandman sold actually quite brilliantly but there just wasn't enough material here to warrant a grade of anything higher.
5) 2 Cold Scorpio v. Chris Jericho- 5
This was probably the best match of the night. I've seen a handful of their matches together in ECW and I've always liked the styles they brought. Both men can fly, but both can also work really stiff and this match was more of the latter. One key thing I didn't like in Jericho's selling was not going down to certain move, like a dropkick early on and later getting dropkicked when on the top turnbuckle, instead of the force of the move knocking you off, which would be normal, Jericho just grabbed the top of the post and leaned forward, mouth agape, acting in pain. Another example of a spot gone wrong was Jericho taking a really hard spill outside then as 2 Cold jumped out at him, Jericho's only counter was a kick to the gut, which looked terrible. Scorpio was on and was leading the match, Jericho was missing cues several times during the match. Both men threw hard clotheslines though and Scorp busted out a true Kawada powerbomb, as Styles even made reference to Scorpio wearing his trunks that are usually reserved for Japanese tours. Really cool finish, one i didn't think i had seen before out of the toking acrobat. Their matches always have a battle of attrition feel; not all of it's pretty but they take a beating by the time it's all said and done.
6) Pitbull #2 v. Shane Douglas- 3
No crowd brawls yet so I guess Franchise fits nicely into that category. Pitbull #2 (can't the guy get a name?) was just not a top level worker as any move he takes to the back he practically ignores. Douglas was stalling at a level not seen since Zybyzsko worked a double shot in PA in '76 then had to go to Marsh's with his wife to buy "female products." In a funny moment, Pitbull drops Douglas on the guardrail groin first, but Douglas screams out in agony before he even makes contact with the steel barricade. Douglas tries to put him over bigger than any star in history by going through a litany of foreign objects and finishes trying to win the match in a completely insulting sequence that the crowd was half and half for. Guy was bleeding worse than Jesus on the cross though.
7) Brian Lee/ Taz v. Tommy Dreamer/ Steve Williams- 3
This was the biggest disappointment of the night, basically to see Dr. Death was the only reason i bought this show, this was a "dream partners" tag match where Dreamer and Lee could pick whoever they wanted to team with them. First off Lee is a tool, really Jardine like brawling with terrible swinging punches and goofy sells, the guy is just awful. Dreamer wasn't even his martyr self until he takes the Tazplex off the stage through a table in a gnarly dangerous bump which looked just ghastly. Taz hits one of the best bridges for a Northern Lights of all time, floating in Hase territory. Doc and Lee's stuff in the ring looks like two grizzly bears trying to play Twister. They kept building up what would happen if Taz fought Doc, which we get exactly 60 seconds of before the match breaks down again into a big schmoze, really disappointing. At least we got a Doctor bomb.
8) The Eliminators v. Bruise Brothers v. Samoan Gangsta Party v. The Gangstas (4 way Elimination)- 2
This was a mess of epic proportions. The Samoans were actually shortlived 3 Minutes team from WWE, one of which was recently departed Umaga, in a bit of logic that completely defines stupid, they showed a clip of them being arrested earlier in the night and taken out in cuffs by police, well they show up for their scheduled match, but they're still wearing the cuffs? Did they escape jail and come back to wrestle? They're eliminated in a fashion Heyman would use for nearly a decade with the Gangstas beating ass to the same rap song with weapons. Bruises were just as sloppy as the rest of the guys in this match and fit in well, Eliminators were kind of built to win this, both were quicker and hitting more people but once it came down to the two fan favorite teams, it boiled down to just plain weapons so we get a title change in a glorified mess I stopped caring about almost as soon as it started. Styles played it up as if this was a huge moment but the ring was a mess of blood and broken musical instruments which would have made as much a sense at a violent Depeche Mode show as it did in a wrestling ring.
9) Rob Van Dam v. Sabu (Stretcher Match)- 5
This match I wanted to like and I think it was good overall but I just can't recommend it in the end. The match had plenty of time, and they built it up much better than either guy would on a normal occasion. They showed off their matwork together seeing as how they trained together at least it looked polished. Van Dam's kicks were every bit as lethal as remembered when workers would complain he would stiff too much, Sabu seemed at home taking them; a note on Sabu's bumping, it has that car crash feel and looks great, but his vocalization of taking pain is not there, not in this time, I think he's gotten better in recent years but if it's not a close up, you don't know what he's doing when on defense. One of my favorite parts of stretcher matches is the bumps on the stretcher because it's such a unusual object to use and is guaranteed to hurt guys when they get slammed on jumped on with it and this match was no exception, my favorite being Sabu's front somersault onto RVD resting on the stretcher that smashed bothmen into the guard rail hard. You also had your usual move set from both men that's getting frankly tired by now, especially with seeing Van Dam doing it in TNA again, doubly watered down from using it in WWE. Sabu's rush to get to the next spot has always irked me, as it did here but there was a lot of passion displayed from both men; the ending wasn't my cup of tea but you be the judge and watch for yourself.
1) Devon Storm v. Mikey Whipwreck- 4
First off, Storm was decked out in the most hideous neon green indy trunks you've ever seen, even if you lived through the early 90's. He was accompanied by two people I'd never seen in my life: Lady Angelena, who was basically only wearing a see through leotard that covered 4 of her 5 points of entry and Damian Kane, a motorcycle freak who looked like Killer Brooks. Mikey was announced as the European Junior champion, although what citizen of France would look at the pimple faced sawoff wearing a faded Venom t-shirt with pride? This match was fun in a way, Storm was providing offense that was pretty different and made him stand out even more than his 40th bleach job. Mikey was clearly lost in there though, as you could see Storm quietly guiding the match where he wanted it and using most of the time to perform his unique offense. I hated Mikey's hurricanranas which he used several because on every one he landed on his own neck before completing the move. The match got some time too, nearly 15 mins so it was a nice opening contest.
2) Louie Spicoli v. Johnny Smith- 4
Spicoli was being pushed as the next up and comer so they were putting him in against tough journeymen to gain experience; for some reason i will always remember him stumbling down a hotel hall in his underwear, stoned beyond all recognition in a clip from Maxx Payne's self-filmed documentary about life in the WWF in late 90's. Anyways, Smith, I believe, is a relative of Davey Boy but their styles are nothing alike. Smith doesn't work near as fast as Bulldog, but is probably more technically sound without the power. Spicoli impressed me with hitting a few beautiful suplexes, including a folding German that was very Benoit circa '93. Smith thought fast on his feet too, he pulled a couple neat reversals out of nowhere including a powerslam. He also did the suicide Owen Hart dropkick but not near as pretty. In the end, can't score this too high, it was wrestled as an enhancement match but a competitive one.
3) Axl Rotten v. D-Von Dudley- 1
This was garbage, only thing these two physically did to each other was have a chair war which ended in Axl doleing out a couple lame backshots. Axl looked meager in appearance too, before he put on the weight, then every Dudley you could think of came in to hit or be hit with a chair by D-Von as Axl sat in the corner like a scared doe. Only point i can give here is just the immeasurably brutal chair shot Bubba gives D-von directly to the head, good thing they're in TNA where they can still give concussions.
4) Stevie Richards v. The Sandman - 2
Stevie came in, Paul Stanley makeup and all to defend Raven's title belt for him and was really strong at being the nasty aggressive heel, breaking open Sandman's cut over his eye and just working it with rabbit punches and just ripping at his flesh. The match was more of an angle overall though, something the whole card suffered from, as the whole BWO hit their fins on Stevie, only for him to survive in a neat little sequence, but Raven ended up getting the pin when he wasn't even legal? Nasty Stevie Kick that Sandman sold actually quite brilliantly but there just wasn't enough material here to warrant a grade of anything higher.
5) 2 Cold Scorpio v. Chris Jericho- 5
This was probably the best match of the night. I've seen a handful of their matches together in ECW and I've always liked the styles they brought. Both men can fly, but both can also work really stiff and this match was more of the latter. One key thing I didn't like in Jericho's selling was not going down to certain move, like a dropkick early on and later getting dropkicked when on the top turnbuckle, instead of the force of the move knocking you off, which would be normal, Jericho just grabbed the top of the post and leaned forward, mouth agape, acting in pain. Another example of a spot gone wrong was Jericho taking a really hard spill outside then as 2 Cold jumped out at him, Jericho's only counter was a kick to the gut, which looked terrible. Scorpio was on and was leading the match, Jericho was missing cues several times during the match. Both men threw hard clotheslines though and Scorp busted out a true Kawada powerbomb, as Styles even made reference to Scorpio wearing his trunks that are usually reserved for Japanese tours. Really cool finish, one i didn't think i had seen before out of the toking acrobat. Their matches always have a battle of attrition feel; not all of it's pretty but they take a beating by the time it's all said and done.
6) Pitbull #2 v. Shane Douglas- 3
No crowd brawls yet so I guess Franchise fits nicely into that category. Pitbull #2 (can't the guy get a name?) was just not a top level worker as any move he takes to the back he practically ignores. Douglas was stalling at a level not seen since Zybyzsko worked a double shot in PA in '76 then had to go to Marsh's with his wife to buy "female products." In a funny moment, Pitbull drops Douglas on the guardrail groin first, but Douglas screams out in agony before he even makes contact with the steel barricade. Douglas tries to put him over bigger than any star in history by going through a litany of foreign objects and finishes trying to win the match in a completely insulting sequence that the crowd was half and half for. Guy was bleeding worse than Jesus on the cross though.
7) Brian Lee/ Taz v. Tommy Dreamer/ Steve Williams- 3
This was the biggest disappointment of the night, basically to see Dr. Death was the only reason i bought this show, this was a "dream partners" tag match where Dreamer and Lee could pick whoever they wanted to team with them. First off Lee is a tool, really Jardine like brawling with terrible swinging punches and goofy sells, the guy is just awful. Dreamer wasn't even his martyr self until he takes the Tazplex off the stage through a table in a gnarly dangerous bump which looked just ghastly. Taz hits one of the best bridges for a Northern Lights of all time, floating in Hase territory. Doc and Lee's stuff in the ring looks like two grizzly bears trying to play Twister. They kept building up what would happen if Taz fought Doc, which we get exactly 60 seconds of before the match breaks down again into a big schmoze, really disappointing. At least we got a Doctor bomb.
8) The Eliminators v. Bruise Brothers v. Samoan Gangsta Party v. The Gangstas (4 way Elimination)- 2
This was a mess of epic proportions. The Samoans were actually shortlived 3 Minutes team from WWE, one of which was recently departed Umaga, in a bit of logic that completely defines stupid, they showed a clip of them being arrested earlier in the night and taken out in cuffs by police, well they show up for their scheduled match, but they're still wearing the cuffs? Did they escape jail and come back to wrestle? They're eliminated in a fashion Heyman would use for nearly a decade with the Gangstas beating ass to the same rap song with weapons. Bruises were just as sloppy as the rest of the guys in this match and fit in well, Eliminators were kind of built to win this, both were quicker and hitting more people but once it came down to the two fan favorite teams, it boiled down to just plain weapons so we get a title change in a glorified mess I stopped caring about almost as soon as it started. Styles played it up as if this was a huge moment but the ring was a mess of blood and broken musical instruments which would have made as much a sense at a violent Depeche Mode show as it did in a wrestling ring.
9) Rob Van Dam v. Sabu (Stretcher Match)- 5
This match I wanted to like and I think it was good overall but I just can't recommend it in the end. The match had plenty of time, and they built it up much better than either guy would on a normal occasion. They showed off their matwork together seeing as how they trained together at least it looked polished. Van Dam's kicks were every bit as lethal as remembered when workers would complain he would stiff too much, Sabu seemed at home taking them; a note on Sabu's bumping, it has that car crash feel and looks great, but his vocalization of taking pain is not there, not in this time, I think he's gotten better in recent years but if it's not a close up, you don't know what he's doing when on defense. One of my favorite parts of stretcher matches is the bumps on the stretcher because it's such a unusual object to use and is guaranteed to hurt guys when they get slammed on jumped on with it and this match was no exception, my favorite being Sabu's front somersault onto RVD resting on the stretcher that smashed bothmen into the guard rail hard. You also had your usual move set from both men that's getting frankly tired by now, especially with seeing Van Dam doing it in TNA again, doubly watered down from using it in WWE. Sabu's rush to get to the next spot has always irked me, as it did here but there was a lot of passion displayed from both men; the ending wasn't my cup of tea but you be the judge and watch for yourself.
Monday, May 3, 2010
WWE Superstars 4/15/10
1. Matt Hardy vs. Carlito - 2
2. Christian vs. Chavo Guerrero - 3
3. MVP vs. Ted DiBiase - 2
The story in our first match was Carlito working over Matt's right arm; most of the bout felt mechanical and clunky, Carlito was out of position more than once, etc. How could Carlos Colon birth such an inept performer? Personally, I'd rather watch current Chicky Starr than another uninspired Carlito undercard match. Christian got slingshotted into the bottom rope, writhing in pain out to the floor like he'd just drank a habanero smoothie. Chavo ate a missile dropkick in a Francesco Togo-like fashion. That comparison leads me to contemplate a Chavo run in DDT -- I'm sure a feud with Sanshiro Takagi would set the world ablaze. Which of these two has a worse frog splash? Basic Christian formulaic match sans any emotional involvement. I was excited that the main event appeared to be getting a nice amount of time, then DiBiase cut a uninspired, unconvincing promo that ate it all up. Back in the first-quarter of '08 MVP was carrying Batista in one of better under-appreciated feuds that year, just saw some '07 DiBiase in NOAH so I know he's competent, thus there's no excuse for both guys being on autopilot. I didn't buy MVP's selling of "Dream Street" like he was just ran over by a train. Ted's father is one of my favorites, a charismatic bumper, delivered brilliant oratory, and excelled technically; but, so far I've found the bulk of DiBiase's output patently dull and lifeless.
2. Christian vs. Chavo Guerrero - 3
3. MVP vs. Ted DiBiase - 2
The story in our first match was Carlito working over Matt's right arm; most of the bout felt mechanical and clunky, Carlito was out of position more than once, etc. How could Carlos Colon birth such an inept performer? Personally, I'd rather watch current Chicky Starr than another uninspired Carlito undercard match. Christian got slingshotted into the bottom rope, writhing in pain out to the floor like he'd just drank a habanero smoothie. Chavo ate a missile dropkick in a Francesco Togo-like fashion. That comparison leads me to contemplate a Chavo run in DDT -- I'm sure a feud with Sanshiro Takagi would set the world ablaze. Which of these two has a worse frog splash? Basic Christian formulaic match sans any emotional involvement. I was excited that the main event appeared to be getting a nice amount of time, then DiBiase cut a uninspired, unconvincing promo that ate it all up. Back in the first-quarter of '08 MVP was carrying Batista in one of better under-appreciated feuds that year, just saw some '07 DiBiase in NOAH so I know he's competent, thus there's no excuse for both guys being on autopilot. I didn't buy MVP's selling of "Dream Street" like he was just ran over by a train. Ted's father is one of my favorites, a charismatic bumper, delivered brilliant oratory, and excelled technically; but, so far I've found the bulk of DiBiase's output patently dull and lifeless.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
HWA Cyberclash 3.0 - 4/25/08
1. Vin Gerard vs. Virus – 2
2. Mary Elizabeth Monroe vs. Ashley Lane vs. Naveah – 1
3. Pick Your Poison Battle Royal – 2
4. Jon Moxley vs. Chris Hero – 4
5. The Osirian Portal vs. Scotty Vortekz & Diehard Dustin Lee vs. The GP Code – 4
6. Nigel McGuinness vs. B.J. Whitmer – 4
This particular event was held in the rather large Sports Plus venue just outside of Cincinnati. It’s actually quite a strange sight to see a ring in the middle of an inline skating rink and about 30 or so people sitting around it with ads and small scale rides visible in the background. Glancing at the crowd during some dead spots in the show, I noticed a lot of the usual southwest Ohio folks who come to a lot of these shows, most notably the one lady who insists on dressing like Paul Heyman. Not sure was possessed her to do that and it’s definitely not a look to be proud of.
Right out of the gate we get CHIKARA undercard heel Vin Gerard up against Virus, a guy in a mask and a multi-colored outfit that he only wears because he thinks it looks cool. Gerard was in control the whole match, jawing with the fans while attempting to pull Virus’ mask off. I was really digging his antics, even though I’ve seen him do roughly the same moves in CHIKARA on numerous occasions. Virus came across as an unschooled, generic masked face who can’t work. I don’t think he pulled off three moves in a row successfully, even though he somehow won the bout with a roll-up much to nobody’s delight after getting the crap kicked out of him for eight minutes.
The women’s match was a disaster. Lane, who can be seen weekly in TNA as Madison Rayne, was the ring general in this one. Monroe doesn’t belong in a ring as her offense was weaker than the acting in that shitty Transylmania flick that was out in theatres for about five days last fall. The majority of the bout was fought with Lane and Naveah with Monroe popping in occasionally. The match didn’t work at all and got a mercy point just because Lane helped it have a bit of direction.
The battle royal was a mess of epic porportions. It was fought under Rumble-style rules with a new person coming out every minute. The most notable competitors in the match were Kimera, Drake Younger, Aaron Williams, Jake Crist, Gregory Iron, Dustin Rayz, and Dick Rick, with the rest of it was laden with low level people I’ve never heard of or seen before or since. The big problem was a lot of these guys looked almost the same and every guy came out to some type of thrash metal music. The highlight of the entire thing was the stuff between Kimera and Drake early in the bout where they threw some good punches and did a brawl down the aisle with a chair. The rest of the bout was just the guys throwing weak forearms to each others back which I got tired of really quick.
Next bout was one that I was looking forward to. This was Moxley just as he was starting to come in to his crazy character he is today. Really weird to see Hero sporting the bell bottoms here. Moxley’s vocals were great, just vocalizing everything either on selling or on offense. Really nice to see that. Hero just cruised through this aside from one big bump over the corner to the floor. I wonder what his logic was in doing that crazy bump in front of only a few dozen people? Match started to pick up near the end with a few good near fall spots, including one where Hero kicked out an Mox yelled something along the lines of “I’m going to break your neck” but it was hard to decipher. I thought the match ended too quick once the pace started quickening but overall I thought it was a decent bout. Probably could’ve benefitied from a louder crowd, though, as during the majority of the match, you could hear a mouse fart the crowd was so quiet.
Three way tag was pretty fun. I still don’t understand why HWA can afford a custom heavyweight title belt but then has crappy WCW world title replica belts masquerading as tag team titles. The crowd woke up a bit for this one as a few people tried to get a chant for the Naptown Dragons going. Osirian Portal is always a favorite team of mine to watch, especially since I’ve been getting into CHIKARA and Ophidian is just so damn good in character. Speaking of Ophidian, he was just bumping around for everyone like crazy and was probably the saving grace of the whole match. He made Vu’s tolerable offense acceptable and Lee’s awful offense tolerable. There was the typical indy spot where all the small guys dove onto everybody. Scotty’s moonsault looked acceptable but the thing that bugged me was that when he landed on his feet, he tried to excite the crowd by yelling for them to cheer. Finish was a good lung blower/backwards slam combo from the GP Code. Nothing too out of the ordinary here.
Main was Nigel and Whitmer for the HWA Title. Whitmer was the default heel because he was managed by SW Ohio indy fed troll Brock Guffman, who was sporting a goofy shirt, gym shorts, and crocs. Really dog? You’ve made a career of jumping from fed to fed in Cincinnati and that’s the best shit you can afford? Nigel and B.J. worked a decent 13-minute bout with Nigel doing all his regular spots and B.J. wrestling as if he would rather be anywhere else than in the ring. I thought the nearfall where Nigel hit one of his finishers and B.J. got his foot on the ropes was really good, probably the best nearfall of the match. I hated the end with a ref bump and a goofy Dusty finish where Nigel got the pin but then suddenly the original ref woke up and acted like he saw Nigel hit B.J. with the belt. Really bad way to end a pretty bland show.
2. Mary Elizabeth Monroe vs. Ashley Lane vs. Naveah – 1
3. Pick Your Poison Battle Royal – 2
4. Jon Moxley vs. Chris Hero – 4
5. The Osirian Portal vs. Scotty Vortekz & Diehard Dustin Lee vs. The GP Code – 4
6. Nigel McGuinness vs. B.J. Whitmer – 4
This particular event was held in the rather large Sports Plus venue just outside of Cincinnati. It’s actually quite a strange sight to see a ring in the middle of an inline skating rink and about 30 or so people sitting around it with ads and small scale rides visible in the background. Glancing at the crowd during some dead spots in the show, I noticed a lot of the usual southwest Ohio folks who come to a lot of these shows, most notably the one lady who insists on dressing like Paul Heyman. Not sure was possessed her to do that and it’s definitely not a look to be proud of.
Right out of the gate we get CHIKARA undercard heel Vin Gerard up against Virus, a guy in a mask and a multi-colored outfit that he only wears because he thinks it looks cool. Gerard was in control the whole match, jawing with the fans while attempting to pull Virus’ mask off. I was really digging his antics, even though I’ve seen him do roughly the same moves in CHIKARA on numerous occasions. Virus came across as an unschooled, generic masked face who can’t work. I don’t think he pulled off three moves in a row successfully, even though he somehow won the bout with a roll-up much to nobody’s delight after getting the crap kicked out of him for eight minutes.
The women’s match was a disaster. Lane, who can be seen weekly in TNA as Madison Rayne, was the ring general in this one. Monroe doesn’t belong in a ring as her offense was weaker than the acting in that shitty Transylmania flick that was out in theatres for about five days last fall. The majority of the bout was fought with Lane and Naveah with Monroe popping in occasionally. The match didn’t work at all and got a mercy point just because Lane helped it have a bit of direction.
The battle royal was a mess of epic porportions. It was fought under Rumble-style rules with a new person coming out every minute. The most notable competitors in the match were Kimera, Drake Younger, Aaron Williams, Jake Crist, Gregory Iron, Dustin Rayz, and Dick Rick, with the rest of it was laden with low level people I’ve never heard of or seen before or since. The big problem was a lot of these guys looked almost the same and every guy came out to some type of thrash metal music. The highlight of the entire thing was the stuff between Kimera and Drake early in the bout where they threw some good punches and did a brawl down the aisle with a chair. The rest of the bout was just the guys throwing weak forearms to each others back which I got tired of really quick.
Next bout was one that I was looking forward to. This was Moxley just as he was starting to come in to his crazy character he is today. Really weird to see Hero sporting the bell bottoms here. Moxley’s vocals were great, just vocalizing everything either on selling or on offense. Really nice to see that. Hero just cruised through this aside from one big bump over the corner to the floor. I wonder what his logic was in doing that crazy bump in front of only a few dozen people? Match started to pick up near the end with a few good near fall spots, including one where Hero kicked out an Mox yelled something along the lines of “I’m going to break your neck” but it was hard to decipher. I thought the match ended too quick once the pace started quickening but overall I thought it was a decent bout. Probably could’ve benefitied from a louder crowd, though, as during the majority of the match, you could hear a mouse fart the crowd was so quiet.
Three way tag was pretty fun. I still don’t understand why HWA can afford a custom heavyweight title belt but then has crappy WCW world title replica belts masquerading as tag team titles. The crowd woke up a bit for this one as a few people tried to get a chant for the Naptown Dragons going. Osirian Portal is always a favorite team of mine to watch, especially since I’ve been getting into CHIKARA and Ophidian is just so damn good in character. Speaking of Ophidian, he was just bumping around for everyone like crazy and was probably the saving grace of the whole match. He made Vu’s tolerable offense acceptable and Lee’s awful offense tolerable. There was the typical indy spot where all the small guys dove onto everybody. Scotty’s moonsault looked acceptable but the thing that bugged me was that when he landed on his feet, he tried to excite the crowd by yelling for them to cheer. Finish was a good lung blower/backwards slam combo from the GP Code. Nothing too out of the ordinary here.
Main was Nigel and Whitmer for the HWA Title. Whitmer was the default heel because he was managed by SW Ohio indy fed troll Brock Guffman, who was sporting a goofy shirt, gym shorts, and crocs. Really dog? You’ve made a career of jumping from fed to fed in Cincinnati and that’s the best shit you can afford? Nigel and B.J. worked a decent 13-minute bout with Nigel doing all his regular spots and B.J. wrestling as if he would rather be anywhere else than in the ring. I thought the nearfall where Nigel hit one of his finishers and B.J. got his foot on the ropes was really good, probably the best nearfall of the match. I hated the end with a ref bump and a goofy Dusty finish where Nigel got the pin but then suddenly the original ref woke up and acted like he saw Nigel hit B.J. with the belt. Really bad way to end a pretty bland show.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
NHO Hall of Fame '10 Class: Inductee #5
It's my honor to induct:
Regal is a tremendous talent, one of my favorite guys to watch sell, crisp offense, great acting, etc. He was the 2008 WWE King of the Ring, and has held 4 major titles in WCW and 13 in WWE.
Regal is a tremendous talent, one of my favorite guys to watch sell, crisp offense, great acting, etc. He was the 2008 WWE King of the Ring, and has held 4 major titles in WCW and 13 in WWE.
Every Day May
Welcome to Every Day May here on Never Hand Over! Each and every day throughout the month we'll be posting brand new, exclusive reviews celebrating our forthcoming five year anniversary. Enjoy!
Bruiser Brody Japanese Rampage (1981-1988)
Bruiser Brody is a legendary name in the wrestling business and is credited with innovating and molding the brawler style wrestler that has become synonomous with such luminaries as Mick Foley and Necro Butcher; Brody was the original, but unfortunately I hadn't seen that much of his most noted stuff, his time spent in All Japan. As with the other hardcore guys i've looked at in depth over the last 12 months (Ryuji Ito & Mad Man Pondo) Brody fit right in as a wild, uncontrollable brawler who would rather fight outside the ring than in it that also aren't the most technically sound, but my job as an NHO member is to watch and review with no bias, prejudice or personal proclivities and report my findings as scientifically and honsetly as possible; that being said, it was a rare treat to watch a bulk of Brody matches like this. Besides being the kingpin of brawling, the other most remembered thing about Brody's career , unfortunately, was how it ended; in a tragic murder in a shower in Bayamon, Puerto Rico in the WWC locker room. okay let's get to the matches:
1) vs. Abdullah the Butcher - 2
I'd heard tale of these two legendary feuds all across the globe, but this must have been the beginning of one, Brody hussed and booted Abby out of the ring at every chance, Abby blading w/in 30 seconds per usual, then deterioted into a crowd brawl so not a lot to see here, but some intense, ugly people hitting the crap out of each other in a sea of Japanese people.
2) vs. Giant Baba- 4
This was worked as your big man match, which by the way Brody does a lot of selling as the giant redwood that won't quite go down; here it worked accordingly, but in other matches, he does it as a strange kind of Terry Funk-esque thing that is really bizarre. Him going bug eyed and throwing his hands up in the air like a zombie every time Baba throws a big chop is such strange scenery to be on my tv set. Mechanics were all basic but worked fine here as it was kind of cool seeing Baba still spry enough to bounce off the ropes and not look emaciated. Surprise ending notched it up a point.
3) vs. Dory Funk jr- 5
This was the first match that made me see that Brody could actually work; he got to control the match and pace in this one and it wasn't all about brawling, it made me realize maybe this guy can work a story. Still not a huge fan of his selling, it's haphazard and strange, but Dory was a perfect opponent for him because he could get the crowd into his comebacks upon huge helpings of punishment. Brody's punches were hit and miss but Dory's uppercuts truly are of legend. Brody gets blood, seemingly hardway, but it didn't add much to the drama here. The finish was just poor, and the fans booed it which took something away from this match.
4) vs. Terry Funk- 6
This started out slow, like Carl Fredrickson getting the mail, but both men quickly realized on the mat is not where anyone wanted to see this match. Funk was bumping like a madman for all of Brody's stuff and was really mobile and vocal in his selling which was fun. The outside brawling was both guy's trying to get something off, it felt like two of Charlie Brown's teachers talking at the same time. Loved the use of piledrivers and blood, had a classic streetfight feel to it and the ending was satisfactory. Terry Funk was one of the greatest of all time.
5) w/ Jimmy Snuka v. Dory & Terry Funk- 7
Holy fuck this match was just ripe with legendary fighters, as Brody's team was accompanied at ringside by Mr. Borger, TX himself, Stan Hansen. Wow, so much greatness here to describe. The Funks teamwork was awesome, it was Anderson style but they would work over a guy's ribs or his leg but not all with submissions and rest holds, they used punches and kicks like they do business down at the DoubleCross. Again, Terry was a bumping machine, loved him taking Brody's huge boots and Snuka's headbutts. Jimmy had this presence to him as well, his selling was typical Superfly, gyrating in strange ways like he had brain freeze from eating some Coconut Ice Cream too fast. He took a good amount of punishment too; he and Brody's teamwork wasn't near as well done as the brothers Funk, but consisted of them abusing their opponents in harsh ways. Turning point of the match was Terry getting hit with the Lariat outside and selling it like pure death in the most dramatic thing on this DVD. So, Dory has to go it alone against both huge men, awesome spot where he cranks Snuka with the spinning toe hold about 20 times in a row, desperately trying to get the win before Brody comes in and smashes his cranium with a boot. Great nearfalls on scientific stuff for Dory leading up to a good finish to a great bout.
6) vs. Dory Funk jr- 6
This match differed from the earlier one in they went more toe to toe against each other here, with Dory using technical prowess to keep Brody down as well as mixing in brawling with him. One thing I noticed was after Dory hits a huge vertical suplex, either he let go early or Brody just flopped over with it as if having no knowledge how to take the bump. Struck me as very odd. Also Brody gets blood here, he does in most matches but he never does it the same way, and usually doens't go with the "crimson mask", it's usually on the side of the face or around the eye area. Dory takes flat bumps like a pancake being flopped down on a hot griddle. One really hot spot was the spinning toe hold, Brody finally got out of it, so he goes for his huge King Kong kneedrop and misses and Dory goes for the rollup again but no ref, crowd had a huge boner for this match.
7) vs. Jumbo Tsuruta- 3
The major problem I had with this match was Brody. It was built around Jumbo controlling nearly the whole match, early on with simple stuff like headlocks and takedowns, but built up to leg locks, figure fours, and other holds manipulating the lower joints, but Brody never sold them! As soon as he could get up and get the advantage, he would just do his brawling and power moves with no attention given to his legs being worked over the whole time. Really ruined the legitimacy Jumbo was trying to establish so the match was really poor in that regard.
8) w/ Stan Hansen vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu- 5
This was a pitch perfect fun 12-14 min tag match. Both sides got their control, I love watching Hansen in the ring (although i'm sure it'd be just as fun to watch him work an iPhone or try to break the BBQ rib record at Montgomery Inn). He gives these great setups for failure as a good heel should do, but everything he does looks nasty, especially these huge elbowdrops. Brody was starting to gray, like Nadine Cross from the Stand but still hit all his basic spots that get a pop (dropkick, cross body, running knee drop) as the young Japanese stars took their beatings and dealt with it. Tenryu was in most of the match and they ran their offense like an opening New Japan match, just simple, grinding matwork. It felt good to see the flying back elbow from Tenryu when he could still jump with it and not just fall down, beautiful thing. Jumbo took a nasty bump on top of the barricade outside that the camera pretty much missed to my dismay. Awesome double back suplex spot near the end but I tell you, the betting lines are usually on Brody, i've noticed.
9) w/ Stan Hansen v. Giant Baba & Dory Funk jr- 2
This was just bad wrestling, despite who's in there, I can't hand over. Everyone looked a lot older not just in appearance, as Brody was going gray, Hansen got his gut, Baba's skin was hanging and Dory's bald spot was so pronounced it was refelcting a sun that hasn't even been discovered in this galaxy yet. Really tired effort though, Brody's stuff was looking sloppy and Baba just didn't care. Dory's bumps were like a puddle of kid's play slime oozing over the edge of a table. So many spots came off at half speed and the connection was weak. Brody put the icing on the cake trying a crossbody late in this stinker and Dory turned his back to him and fell on top of Brody. A blackhead on the nose of these four's careers.
10) vs. Jumbo Tsuruta- 4
Our final match on the disc and Brody was aging rapidly before our eyes. He pulled back his trademarked tangled hair to reveal half of it was white and his selling was even more goofy than before; even his big kicks and kneedrop didn't have the oomph they used to and his flying legdrop just couldn't cut the Hulk mustard. Jumbo was still a phenomenal worker at this time but I don't like their stuff together. Brody tries something new and chain wrestles the first portion of this and tries to grind out Jumbo. Jumbo is obliged to kind of slink through the middle part of the match, placating Brody's urge to ride the mat. Cool lead up to Jumbo hitting the side suplex but the finish wasn't justified, although both men were playing desperation to get the win very well in a decent piece of business.
Overall thoughts were Brody def. innovated when it came to the wild style of brawling and giving the fans a real fight for their money, as well as being your character, living and breathing it in most seconds of your performance, most notably that near every match ends with a long out of control brawling fight. His selling was never top notch and I think could only have a great match with a great worker to help him through it but I still enjoyed getting to see a wide range of his stuff from Japan. What makes a guy like Brody legendary is that there will never be another one like him and that is a compliment.
1) vs. Abdullah the Butcher - 2
I'd heard tale of these two legendary feuds all across the globe, but this must have been the beginning of one, Brody hussed and booted Abby out of the ring at every chance, Abby blading w/in 30 seconds per usual, then deterioted into a crowd brawl so not a lot to see here, but some intense, ugly people hitting the crap out of each other in a sea of Japanese people.
2) vs. Giant Baba- 4
This was worked as your big man match, which by the way Brody does a lot of selling as the giant redwood that won't quite go down; here it worked accordingly, but in other matches, he does it as a strange kind of Terry Funk-esque thing that is really bizarre. Him going bug eyed and throwing his hands up in the air like a zombie every time Baba throws a big chop is such strange scenery to be on my tv set. Mechanics were all basic but worked fine here as it was kind of cool seeing Baba still spry enough to bounce off the ropes and not look emaciated. Surprise ending notched it up a point.
3) vs. Dory Funk jr- 5
This was the first match that made me see that Brody could actually work; he got to control the match and pace in this one and it wasn't all about brawling, it made me realize maybe this guy can work a story. Still not a huge fan of his selling, it's haphazard and strange, but Dory was a perfect opponent for him because he could get the crowd into his comebacks upon huge helpings of punishment. Brody's punches were hit and miss but Dory's uppercuts truly are of legend. Brody gets blood, seemingly hardway, but it didn't add much to the drama here. The finish was just poor, and the fans booed it which took something away from this match.
4) vs. Terry Funk- 6
This started out slow, like Carl Fredrickson getting the mail, but both men quickly realized on the mat is not where anyone wanted to see this match. Funk was bumping like a madman for all of Brody's stuff and was really mobile and vocal in his selling which was fun. The outside brawling was both guy's trying to get something off, it felt like two of Charlie Brown's teachers talking at the same time. Loved the use of piledrivers and blood, had a classic streetfight feel to it and the ending was satisfactory. Terry Funk was one of the greatest of all time.
5) w/ Jimmy Snuka v. Dory & Terry Funk- 7
Holy fuck this match was just ripe with legendary fighters, as Brody's team was accompanied at ringside by Mr. Borger, TX himself, Stan Hansen. Wow, so much greatness here to describe. The Funks teamwork was awesome, it was Anderson style but they would work over a guy's ribs or his leg but not all with submissions and rest holds, they used punches and kicks like they do business down at the DoubleCross. Again, Terry was a bumping machine, loved him taking Brody's huge boots and Snuka's headbutts. Jimmy had this presence to him as well, his selling was typical Superfly, gyrating in strange ways like he had brain freeze from eating some Coconut Ice Cream too fast. He took a good amount of punishment too; he and Brody's teamwork wasn't near as well done as the brothers Funk, but consisted of them abusing their opponents in harsh ways. Turning point of the match was Terry getting hit with the Lariat outside and selling it like pure death in the most dramatic thing on this DVD. So, Dory has to go it alone against both huge men, awesome spot where he cranks Snuka with the spinning toe hold about 20 times in a row, desperately trying to get the win before Brody comes in and smashes his cranium with a boot. Great nearfalls on scientific stuff for Dory leading up to a good finish to a great bout.
6) vs. Dory Funk jr- 6
This match differed from the earlier one in they went more toe to toe against each other here, with Dory using technical prowess to keep Brody down as well as mixing in brawling with him. One thing I noticed was after Dory hits a huge vertical suplex, either he let go early or Brody just flopped over with it as if having no knowledge how to take the bump. Struck me as very odd. Also Brody gets blood here, he does in most matches but he never does it the same way, and usually doens't go with the "crimson mask", it's usually on the side of the face or around the eye area. Dory takes flat bumps like a pancake being flopped down on a hot griddle. One really hot spot was the spinning toe hold, Brody finally got out of it, so he goes for his huge King Kong kneedrop and misses and Dory goes for the rollup again but no ref, crowd had a huge boner for this match.
7) vs. Jumbo Tsuruta- 3
The major problem I had with this match was Brody. It was built around Jumbo controlling nearly the whole match, early on with simple stuff like headlocks and takedowns, but built up to leg locks, figure fours, and other holds manipulating the lower joints, but Brody never sold them! As soon as he could get up and get the advantage, he would just do his brawling and power moves with no attention given to his legs being worked over the whole time. Really ruined the legitimacy Jumbo was trying to establish so the match was really poor in that regard.
8) w/ Stan Hansen vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu- 5
This was a pitch perfect fun 12-14 min tag match. Both sides got their control, I love watching Hansen in the ring (although i'm sure it'd be just as fun to watch him work an iPhone or try to break the BBQ rib record at Montgomery Inn). He gives these great setups for failure as a good heel should do, but everything he does looks nasty, especially these huge elbowdrops. Brody was starting to gray, like Nadine Cross from the Stand but still hit all his basic spots that get a pop (dropkick, cross body, running knee drop) as the young Japanese stars took their beatings and dealt with it. Tenryu was in most of the match and they ran their offense like an opening New Japan match, just simple, grinding matwork. It felt good to see the flying back elbow from Tenryu when he could still jump with it and not just fall down, beautiful thing. Jumbo took a nasty bump on top of the barricade outside that the camera pretty much missed to my dismay. Awesome double back suplex spot near the end but I tell you, the betting lines are usually on Brody, i've noticed.
9) w/ Stan Hansen v. Giant Baba & Dory Funk jr- 2
This was just bad wrestling, despite who's in there, I can't hand over. Everyone looked a lot older not just in appearance, as Brody was going gray, Hansen got his gut, Baba's skin was hanging and Dory's bald spot was so pronounced it was refelcting a sun that hasn't even been discovered in this galaxy yet. Really tired effort though, Brody's stuff was looking sloppy and Baba just didn't care. Dory's bumps were like a puddle of kid's play slime oozing over the edge of a table. So many spots came off at half speed and the connection was weak. Brody put the icing on the cake trying a crossbody late in this stinker and Dory turned his back to him and fell on top of Brody. A blackhead on the nose of these four's careers.
10) vs. Jumbo Tsuruta- 4
Our final match on the disc and Brody was aging rapidly before our eyes. He pulled back his trademarked tangled hair to reveal half of it was white and his selling was even more goofy than before; even his big kicks and kneedrop didn't have the oomph they used to and his flying legdrop just couldn't cut the Hulk mustard. Jumbo was still a phenomenal worker at this time but I don't like their stuff together. Brody tries something new and chain wrestles the first portion of this and tries to grind out Jumbo. Jumbo is obliged to kind of slink through the middle part of the match, placating Brody's urge to ride the mat. Cool lead up to Jumbo hitting the side suplex but the finish wasn't justified, although both men were playing desperation to get the win very well in a decent piece of business.
Overall thoughts were Brody def. innovated when it came to the wild style of brawling and giving the fans a real fight for their money, as well as being your character, living and breathing it in most seconds of your performance, most notably that near every match ends with a long out of control brawling fight. His selling was never top notch and I think could only have a great match with a great worker to help him through it but I still enjoyed getting to see a wide range of his stuff from Japan. What makes a guy like Brody legendary is that there will never be another one like him and that is a compliment.
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