Cheap Wrestling For Cheap People 10.27.05: More Keyword Fun
Posted by Ryan Byers on 10.27.2005
Featuring John Cena before he cared about rap.
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the final Cheap Wrestling column of October. I hope that everybody's gearing up to have a good time with Halloween. Since it falls on a Monday this year, I know I'll be doing my best to turn off my lights and keep the volume on the TV low so that those trick or treating punks don't interrupt my Raw.
Cheap Wrestling Tip #23: It Still Says Wrestling on the Marquee
Last week, I noted that there are plenty of cheap wrestling DVDs and tapes available on eBay if you conduct a search for "WWF" as opposed to the more commonly used "WWE" keyword. I failed to mention, though, that there's another, similar search that you can run with very similar results.
eBay is full of people who are just trying to turn a quick buck. As a result, people who aren't fans of wrestling often wind up selling memorabilia related to the sport, and they're often not savvy enough to generate a list of keywords that we fans would be searching for on the auction site. Instead, they're just label whatever they're hawking as "wrestling," slap it up on the site, and move on. That's why it's often beneficial for you to do the same. Do a search sometime that includes the term wrestling but excludes the names of any major promotions . . . you'll come up with quite a few deals, with a lot of them being from smaller indy companies that you otherwise may not have been able to afford to sample.
For example . . .
Title: Wrestling's Future Stars Released By: Wrestling Gold Release Year: 2003 Run Time: 133 Minutes Found At: eBay Price: $7 (including shipping)
Though the Wrestling Gold series primarily focused on bringing older wrestling to a new generation, this release by the label did something a little bit different by making footage from Jim Cornette's Ohio Valley Wrestling available on a national level for the first time. In doing so, American got its first glimpse at guys like John Cena, Batista, Brock Lesnar, and plenty more. Now that many of the men featured in this program have become international celebrities, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at their roots . . . and it's even more appropriate since, just two years after the DVDs initial release, its price has dropped significantly, especially if you're willing to accept a used copy.
Match Numero Uno: Flash vs. BJ Payne in a Hardcore Match
Flash is a long time Cornette favorite, having first broken in with Smokey Mountain Wrestling. He's also gotten a few appearances in for the WWF from time to time, most notably as a heel tag team partner for Brian Christopher when the company was attempting to revive the light heavyweight division in 1993. Last I heard, he was working in Puerto Rico full time. BJ is an OVW trainee who was under a developmental contract for several months before finally being let go a couple of years back. The match is part of the OVW Hardcore Title tournament, a championship that Cornette says was introduced at the request of some of the wrestlers but ultimately dropped because he was uncomfortable with the unnecessary injuries that the matches caused. Insert your own Ian Rotten joke, because the background is over and it's time for the match to begin.
Payne starts off by choking Flash with a pair of jumper cables, and he then takes the obvious course of action, clipping them to Flash's groin area. A stop sign shot and a back body drop follow for BJ, and Flash is busted open as he gets lariated out of the ring. The two brawl back to the concession area (which is only about six feet from the ring), and Flash tosses some "hot coffee" in to his opponent's face to turn the tide. He then places a conveniently located bucket on Payne's head and hits it with an even more conveniently placed hammer. Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to report that the Three Stooges are alive and well. Payne comes back with a back body drop down on to the floor, and then the match takes the old Sullivan/Benoit turn by winding up in the women's restroom. The cameras don't follow, but, when the wrestlers return, Flash has a toilet seat wrapped around his neck. We go back to the ring, and BJ takes advantage of that fact by repeatedly closing the lid and thus ramming it in to Flash's head. A DDT on to the lid takes out "The Man Who Loves to Steal the Show," and that gives Payne time to exit the ring and return with a DOOR. Again, where an unhinged door came from is anybody's guess, but I will give them credit for being somewhat original with the props.
The door is set up in the corner and Payne attempts to whip Flash in to it, but that's reversed and BJ gets a hiptoss through his own weapon. A chairshot from Flash follows, and Payne is down in the corner. Flash takes advantage by setting up the chair over Payne's throat and then stomping it. An Arabian facebuster is next, and then Flash gets a little revenge for the beginning of the match by choking his opponent with the jumper cables. A sunset flip looks to finish it for Flash, but Payne grabs half of the previously smashed door and whacks Flasher upside the head with it. He gets a gutwrench suplex variation (The Payne Killer) and a pair of chair shots before setting up a hiptoss reversal sequence that ultimately ends with Flash taking a Rydeen bomb down on to the chair. Payne then goes up for a frog splash, but he misses and ALSO hits the chair, as Flash finds a ladder and props it up against the wall that the ring is pressed up against. He comes off with his own variation on the Buff Blockbuster, and that's enough to end the match.
Match Thoughts: Twenty times better than any WWF/WWE hardcore match, and I consider myself an expert after having watched their DVD on the subject. (EXCLUSIVE MINI-REVIEW: It's not worth your time.) Anyway, the present match is a very intense brawl with a good mix of spots that were risky and a few that weren't actually so risky but looked good. I think that the small area of the Danny Davis arena helped a lot, because the wrestlers didn't have to walk around and do nothing for two minutes in order to get to locations like the concession stand or the bathroom. Ultimately, though, it seemed like they were doing far too much for a match with no backstory to it. These sorts of things should really be saved for a match that has an actual purpose instead of just being thrown out there for the hell of it, and that's one of the reasons that I've never liked hardcore "divisions." **1/2
Match Numero Dos: OVW Heavyweight Champion Nick Dinsmore vs. Rico Constantino
Rico, of course, went on to become everybody's favorite homosexual in WWE before getting canned for no good reason and being shipped off to All Japan. Dinsome, meanwhile, would get transformed in to Eugene, which is unfortunately where he is currently stuck.
They lock up to start, and an armbar reversal sequence ends with a hiptoss. Lockup number three sees Dinsmore get a series of rolling vertical suplexes for two. Another reversal sequence leads to Dinsmore applying the Crippler Crossface, only to have Rico reach the ropes. Constantino goes for his Cobra Clutch finisher, but that is rolled through, and the Crossface is applied for a second time. The ropes are made again, and Rico rolls out of the ring before he can endure anymore punishment. He pulls Dinsmore out as well, and he attempts to whip the champion in to a concrete pillar that is right next to the ring. Mr. Wrestling reverses that in to a series of chops, and he places Rico back in to the ring. However, Constantino cuts off Dinsmore's reentry, and they trade punches from opposite sides of the ropes, culminating in Rico slamming Dinsmore's head in to the metal bolt that connects the turnbuckle to the ringpost. When Nick can actually get back in to the ring after that one, Constantino removes the padding from his metal knee brace and drops a leg across the champion's face for two.
Rico then applies a blatant choke hold and hits a kneedrop for another nearfall. When that doesn't work, he scores with a face first suplex, but the Cobra Clutch is countered again, this time with a backdrop. He follows up with a flying forearm and a missile dropkick, but Rico collides with the referee in the middle of the second move. Needless to say, Dinsmore gets a visionary pinfall off his German suplex finisher seconds later. However, before the referee can wake up to count, the champ is attacked by OVW's top heel manager Kenny Bolin and Bolin's four hundred pound bodyguard Mr. Black. The beatdown obviously draws a DQ, and then Rico surprises everybody by joining in on the fun, officially turning heel. Eventually, Flash makes his presence felt and runs off the bad guys.
Match Thoughts: Though short, this was a clinic in how to integrate your gimmick in to a match. Between the bolt shot and playing around with his knee brace, Rico was the perfect slimy heel. Meanwhile, Dinsmore was established as the superior man on the mat, countering Constantino's big hold twice and generally coming out on top of every reversal sequence. It was just dripping with awesome psychology, but the relatively short length and the run-in finish prevent the bout from reaching excellence. **
Match Numero Tres: The Minnesota Stretching Crew (Shelton Benjamin & Brock Lesnar) vs. The Disciples of Synn (Payne & Damien) w/ Synn
Payne is BJ Payne from the first match, after joining up with manager Synn and adopting a gothic gimmick. Damien was another developmental guy cut at about the same time as Payne, and I don't think that the other two men really need an introduction given events that have transpired since the release of this DVD. Damien and Benjamin start, and they trade armbars before Damien takes him down with a shoulderblock. A hiptoss reversal sequence ends with Shelton getting a back body drop and a superkick before bringing in Lesnar. The Crew picks up Damien for a double team slam, and Payne attempts to run interference. He's cut off by a Lesnar lariat and pops up to be dropkicked by Benjamin, sending him directly in to a slam from the future WWE Champion. Shelton finishes the sequence with a double corkscrew elbow drop on to both Disciples, and he then stays in the ring to take over on Payne. Damien gets a blind tag as his partner runs the ropes, however, and BJ gets the Payne Killer on Shelton just as his partner enters. Damien continues the assault with a back elbow and an elbow drop for two before bringing Damien right back in. Payne whips Shelton in to a Damien spinebuster, and that gets the heels a nearfall. Another quick tag for the disciples sees Payne choking Benjamin in the corner . . . and then Damien gets brought right back in.
Benjamin ducks his attempt at a lariat, however, and he takes both men down with a cross body block. Shelton is then quickly back up top, but instead of hitting an offensive move, he just does a front flip over the heads of both men and tags Lesnar in. Brock cleans house as one might expect, and both Disciples eat effortless belly to belly suplexes. Brock then gets his finisher (the fisherman's suplex) on Payne, but Damien makes the save at two. Then thing start to get goofy, as Synn rolls in to the ring and sprays Shelton in the face with mace to draw the DQ. Brock powerbombs her to gain a measure of revenge, but Damien maces him as well to set up a run-in by Leviathan (Dave Batista), Synn's other protege. Leviathan, being portrayed as an unstoppable monster, tosses everybody from the ring, including his own stablemates. Some "security guards" are also destroyed with various power moves, and the big man stands dominant in the ring.
Match Thoughts: Rock solid tag team wrestling from everybody involved, which is exactly what you would expect from a promotion being booked by Jim Cornette. Really enjoyable while it lasted, but it didn't last too long . . . which is very disappointing given what these guys were actually on track to doing. *1/2, though it had a LOT more potential.
Match Numero Tres: Mr. Black (c) vs. Randy Orton for the OVW Hardcore Championship
Orton is just breaking in with OVW, and he's on the fast track to being established as a big time player. If that doesn't tip you off to the finish of this one, nothing will. Orton starts us off with some forearms, but Black is able to come back and get the third generation wrestler down. He attempts a Vader Bomb but hits Randy's knees, and the youngster dropkicks him out of the ring to buy some time and load up the squared circle with plunda. Black misses a trash can shot when he gets back in to the ring, and Randy gets one of his own. A bat shot follows for Orton, but it only gets two. A pair of trash can lid shots get Black down in the corner, and Randy knocks off the Al Snow bowling ball spot. A leather strap is introduced and applied to Mr. Black's body, but he counters with a weak Yakuza kick and returns the favor with the strap. Orton is choked on the ropes, and Black wedges a chair in between the turnbuckles, only to have his own head rammed in to it. Bolin Services lackey Jerome Crony attempts to interfere with the can, but he accidentally blasts Black, and Orton is able to get a full nelson slam to claim the championship.
Match Thoughts: Even shorter than the previous matches, and there wasn't a whole lot here to boot. Black did show impressive movement in the ring for a three hundred pound man, but Orton was still very green here and not capable of a whole lot. The whole hardcore bit allowed him to hide his weaknesses somewhat, but overall this felt a lot more like a hardcore squash to establish Orton as a big name than it did an actual competitive title match. 1/4*
Match Numero Cuatro: OVW Heavyweight Champion Rico Constantino w/ Kenny Bolin vs. OVW Hardcore Champion Randy Orton
According to Cornette, Orton quickly shot himself up in to contention for the OVW Heavyweight Title, making the previously established three-way chase between Dinsmore, Constantino, and Flash in to a four-way chase. Meanwhile, Rico had upended Dinsmore to take the promotion's top title and put it around his waist. This match was the latest effort by Orton to cement his position in the company against the new champion. Speaking of the new champion, he manages to make an idiot out of himself by running directly in to Orton's boot to start the match, and the youngster follows things up with a press slam. Orton then reverses a hiptoss attempt in to one of his own and follows with a pair of dropkicks and a cross body block for a nearfall. An armbar follows, but Rico reverses that in to a neckbreaker. He follows up with a pair of backdrops for two. Rope chokery follows, as does a rather lame attempt to snap Randy's neck across the top rope.
Perhaps offended by the poorly executed move, Orton starts firing back with some basic punches, but he gets caught off guard with Rico's spinkick, and there's more choking to be had. A vertical suplex gets two for the champ, but Orton blocks his attempt at a monkey flip out of the corner and gets a big punch. Constantino is then dropped right on his Role Models with an inverted atomic drop, and a back body drop follows for Orton. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker comes close to finishing Rico but not quite. A swinging uranagi is next for the young buck, and sets up the full nelson slam, but Kenny Bolin is there to place Rico's foot on the ropes at two. Orton takes offense and decks the portly manager, but he walks straight in to an eye gouge upon reentering the ring. That sets up Rico's Sudden Impact (Northern lights suplex) for the victory.
Match Thoughts: Again, a very fast paced match with solid reversal sequences and a decent heel routine from Constantino. However, this one lacked the good psychological aspect of the previous singles bout, and it became pretty obvious that Orton was still fairly inexperienced. His movement in the ring was perfect, but his moveset looked almost exactly like something a week two Tough Enough contestant would be pulling off. That's not to say you need flashy moves to put on a big match, but things like the dropkick and cross body block have been devalued almost to the point that nobody's going to buy them as valid comeback moves. Not actively bad, but this was definitely a step behind what we've seen so far on this compilation. *
Match Numero Seis: The Disciples of Synn (Payne, Damien, & Leviathan) w/ Synn vs. Trailer Park Trash, Nick Dinsmore, & The Damaja
Trash is a grizzled veteran who's good in the ring but will never actually get anywhere major because of his look, while Damaja has gone on to become Danny Basham in the WWE universe. Everybody else we've already covered. Damien starts off with Damaja, and they do the basic armbar stuff and a rope runner sequence before Damaja finally snaps off a rana, which is quite impressive for a man his size. That prompts Damien to bring in Payne, but Damaja takes him down with a Thesz press as Dinsmore hits the ring. The faces get a double back body drop on Damien and a flapjack on Payne before dropkicking each heel. When the smoke clears, it's down to Payne and Dinsmore, and they hit each other with simultaneous cross bodies. Both men crawl over to their corners and get tags, with Trash and Leviathan coming in to the ring. Trash is leveled with a lariat, and Damaja is powerbombed by the big man. A corner charge on Trash misses, however, and Damaja capitalizes with a Stinger splash on Leviathan. A double flying shoulderblock from Dinsmore and Trash takes the monster off of his feet, but Synn trips up Trailer Park Trash as he attempts to run the ropes.
That sets up a chokeslam to put Leviathan back in the driver's seat, and he tags in Payne as Flash invades the broadcast booth to do a little self promotion. During that, Damien apparently replaced BJ in the ring, and he gets his corner clothesline/bulldog combo on Trash before bringing Leviathan right back in. Batista sends Trash to the turnbuckles and tags Payne right back in. He applies a bear hug and squashes Trash in the corner when he attempts to punch his way out. Damien is brought back and gets the corner clothesline, but this time Trash shoves him off in mid-bulldog, and the D-Man collides with Payne. That sets up your hot tag to Nick Dinsmore, and Mr. Wrestling gets a back body drop on Damien as well as a five-arm on Payne. He even takes Leviathan down with a second rope cross body, but that only gets one. Nick heads up again, but this time Synn trips him, and he's easy pickings for a Leviathan DDT (The Demon Drop) to end the match.
Match Thoughts: More solid tag team action, going a shade above what we were treated to previously. On the DVD commentary, Cornette mentions that this could fit right in on any episode of Monday Night Raw, and I'd actually do him one better by saying that it would probably take match of the night honors on most Raws. Everything looked very chaotic despite being under control by the folks in the ring, and there was again very solid heel tag team psychology displayed by the Disciples. Meanwhile, the booking of Leviathan was just brilliant, as he still sold and took offense, but it was all done in a manner as to not make him weak and damage his "monster" image. Viva la Cornette. **3/4 Match Numero Siete: Flash vs. OVW Heavyweight Champion Rico Constantino w/ Kenny Bolin
Flash gets things started with a back elbow and a forearm before lariating the champion out of the ring and ramming his noggin in to Bolin's. Flash then rolls Rico in, but the champ cuts his entry off and hangs the tweener out to dry on the top rope. A spin kick sets up a series of much smaller kicks, but a second rope senton gets nothing but canvas for Rico. That opens him up for a Flash superkick and guillotine legdrop. A lariat follows for the man who loves to steal the show, and he then leaps off of the second rope with a dropkick as Rico staggers out of the corner. Flash runs the ropes, but Constantino catches him with a side slam, and that sets up the rope choke. It looks like Flash will be mounting a comeback, but he runs directly in to the Role Model's boot before both men wind up taking each other out with simultaneous lariats. That prompts Bolin to get up on the apron, and Rico retrieves the Bolin Services briefcase while the referee is distracted. His swing is ducked, however, and Flash hits him with a drop toe hold that sends the case in to Rico's own face. Upon getting back up to his feet, Rico is met with a Van Flashinator, which gets him an upset win over the champion! Flash then beats down Kenny Bolin for good measure, putting him in a spinning toe hold. Rico recovers and makes the save, giving his opponent a pair of Sudden Impacts to draw out Nick Dinsmore for the save. Dinsmore runs off Rico, but Flash wanted to fight his own battle and corks Mr. Wrestling with the briefcase to teach him a lesson.
Match Thoughts: Again, a very solid albeit short match fitting in to the OVW mold. The booking was again fabulous, as it established Flash as being able to beat the champion without making Rico overly weak. This tape just keeps on cranking out the solid performances. *3/4
Match Numero Ocho: Leviathan w/ Synn vs. Sean Casey & Chris Michaels in a handicap match
Formula match if there ever was one . . . not that there's anything wrong with that. Casey and Michaels charge to start, and it looks like Leviathan is going to chokeslam them both right then and there, but they kick away from his clutches. They're quickly taken down by a double lariat, however, and Michaels is booted before Casey gets pummeled in the corner. Michaels goes up top but is caught by the big man, leading to Casey dropkicking his own partner in the back so that he lands on top of Leviathan. The men then dogpile him, but that only gets two. A spinebuster and a powerslam take out both members of the team, and that sets up the double chokeslam for three.
Match Thoughts: DUD, though it's one of those bad matches necessary for the development of the character.
Match Numero Nueve: OVW Heavyweight Champion Rico Constantino vs. Randy Orton
This is a rematch from earlier on in the compilation, and Bolin Services has been barred from ringside in order to prevent interference. The two trade punches to start, and Orton gets a hiptoss and a pair of dropkicks for two. A cross body also gets two for the youngster, and the two trade chops upon getting up from the mat. A lariat follows from Orton, and he tosses Rico out to the apron. Randy then attempts to vertical suplex his opponent back in, but that's blocked . . . AND RICO HIPTOSSES HIM OVER THE TOP AND TO THE FLOOR! Maybe it's just me, but I found that infinitely cooler than the five thousand rotation ranas that most people think of when they think of highspots. Rico zeroes in on the injured back now, sending it in to the ring apron and the concrete pillar. Back on the inside, a vertical suplex gets the champion two, and he then unleashes a series of forearms and knees to the back. A camel clutch variant follows from Constantino, but Orton makes it to the ropes. A back body drop and an elbow drop get the heel his next nearfall, and he slaps on a Boston crab to really be a dick.
Randy makes the ropes again, but Rico endears himself to me even more by not only waiting until the five count to break but also wrenching back MORE as soon as the referee begins his count. A backdrop suplex also gets two for Constantino, and he then whips Orton off of the ropes, tosses him up in to the air, catches him, and powerslams the boy down! He's got to be dead after that one! Rico goes up instead of going for the pin, however, and the third generation star manages to roll out of the way of Rico's senton atomico. That cues the babyface comeback, as Orton lands an inverted atomic drop, a spinning side slam, a backdrop, and a lariat all in very short order. A legdrop gets him two, and he reverses a slam in to a somewhat sloppy rollup. The ref got bumped on that exchange, and here comes that "barred" intereference. Kenny Bolin hits the ring disguised as the world's ugliest woman, and he whacks Orton with a brick loaded purse to secure the victory for Rico. Cornette is hilarious on the original commentary track, noting that Bolin has come out of the closet . . . "and it was a mighty big one at that."
Match Thoughts: I'm a little torn on this one. It did feature a very good, unique highspot and corresponding fabulous psychology from Rico, but it is also becoming more and more apparent that, at this point in his career, Orton was basically just wrestling the same match over and over again around different opponents. However, I'm more inclined to go with the positives than the negatives given that, if the match was viewed in isolation, the negatives are not something that one would readily pick up on. **
Match Numero Diez: Machine vs. Rob Conway
And we get the introduction of another new storyline here. The masked Machine entered OVW with an agenda that involved wiping out four of the company's biggest stars: Trailer Park Trash, Rob Conway, Nick Dinsmore, and The Damaja. However, at this point, both his motive and his identity remained shrouded in mystery. Eventually he would unmask to reveal Doug Basham, nephew of OVW trainer Danny Davis. Basham, you see, was out to prove that he was a superior wrestler to all of the other "OVW originals" trained by Davis . . . namely the four men listed above. To make himself even more menacing, Machine aligned himself with established OVW heels Johnny Spade and Sylvester Terkay (The Predator of UPW and Zero-One infamy).
Conway starts with a drop toe hold and the Christian-style backbreaker/inverted DDT combo before whipping the masked heel off of the ropes and taking him down again with a back elbow. A fist drop follows for the Iron Man, and then Basham is sent out of the ring with a lariat. The bad guy is whipped to the pillar as well, and both men return to the ring. Conway attempts to come off of the top rope, but he's caught and slammed off in Ric Flair fashion, allowing Machine to take over with a snap suplex for two. He then attempts to send the Iron Man's head to the buckle, but Conway reverses and attempts to whip Machine in to the corner. Basham prevents that by sliding under Conway's legs while still holding the arm, and using that grip to set up a pumphandle slam. An elbow drop out of the Vader Bomb position follows, and Conway is tied up in the tree of woe. He eats a dropkick to the face, and then Machine slides to the outside to do the old tree of woe choke that I haven't seen used since Scott Steiner's dopped off the face of the earth. Come to think of it, that hasn't been such a bad thing.
After returning to the ring, Machine covers for a one count, and he quickly gets two off of a snap mare/knee drop combo. A side walk slam sets up a rolling senton splash, but Basham misses a diving headbutt attempt to cue the babyface comeback. That starts off with a Conway lariat, and the Iron Man then gets a spinning back elbow. A powerslam and backdrop follow, and Conway then attempts a top rope cross body block . . . but that gets rolled through, and Machine grabs the tights to secure victory.
Match Thoughts: Yet another competent outing from the OVW boys, and it's even two of them that we have not previously seen on this volume. Very solid counter wrestling in the early stages, and all of the offense was very crisp. However, by the same token, there didn't seem to be a whole lot in the way of an internal storyline...it was just "I beat you up for a bit, you beat me up for a bit, and then we get to the finish." *3/4
Match Numero Once: OVW Heavyweight Champion Flash & Rico Constantino w/ Kenny Bolin vs. Nick Dinsmore & OVW Hardcore Champion Randy Orton
Constantino and Dinsmore start us off, and they trade armbars with Dinsmore eventually coming out on top and tagging out to Randy Orton. Orton takes over on the arm and (shock of shocks) gets a hiptoss followed by two dropkicks for the match's first nearfall. Rico quickly dives to the corner and out of the ring, slapping Flash's shoulder in the process so that he can escape the rookie onslaught. The two lock up and Orton is sent back to the corner, but he quickly punches his way out of that situation and tags off to Mr. Wrestling. The babyface team hits a double back elbow on Flash for two, and Dinsmore then reverses Flash's attempt at a hiptoss in to a bulldog for a second nearfall. The champion then goes to tag out, but Rico refuses . . . so Flash just punches him in the face. That's a legal tag, apparently, and Dinsmore slingshots Rico in to the ring so that he can get some licks in. Orton is then tagged and lands a cross body on the Role Model for two, but his momentum is short lived as Flash knees him in the back when he's coming off of the ropes. That sets up a Rico spinkick and a sideslam, but Flash tags himself in before Constantino can capitalize on his momentum.
Flash only manages to fire off a slam before Rico tags himself right back in, and he lands a vertical suplex. Orton takes him down with a sunset flip for two, but Rico cuts him off with a lariat . . . and, surprise surprise, there's another self-tag from Flash. He gets his own vertical suplex to set up a springboard guillotine legdrop for two. His blockbuster variant misses, and that sets up the hot tag to Nick Dinsmore. Mr. Wrestling cleans house, back body dropping both of his opponents and knocking Flash down with a five-arm. A superkick follows for Rico, and Flash eats the German . . . only to have Constantino take out the referee. Dinsmore quickly applies the Crossface to Rico, though, and the former American Gladiator taps . . . but there's no official to see it. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ring Flash gets the blockbuster on Orton and Constantino goes for the cover . . . but FLASH nails the referee this time, not wanting Rico to take the win off of his move. After that, Dinsmore knocks Kenny Bolin off of the apron and walks directly in to a Flash superkick, and Constantino managers to steal the three count off of that. Post match, Flash superkicks Rico as well and then sends his title belt in to Orton's face, taking out all of his rivals in a thirty-second span.
Match Thoughts: This was an interesting match, as they had to find a way for the default heel team of Rico and Flash to get heat on a babyface without actually working together. The repeated self-tag ins was an interesting way to go about that, but it almost seemed a little too forced towards the end. However, aside from that, we had another very nice little display of tag team wrestling, even if the bout could have stood to be a little longer. *3/4
Match Numero Doce: Machine vs. Nick Dinsmore
Machine's quest through OVW continues, as apparently in the period between the Conway match and this bout he had succeeded in ending Trailer Park Trash's career with the illegal-in-OVW piledriver. So Dinsmore is not just looking to prove that he's the best technical wrestler in OVW in this match, but he's also looking for a little bit of revenge. The two lock up to start and fight over who will control things a bit before going in to a typical armbar sequence. They then trade legsweeps for one counts before moving along to the chopping. Each man sells BIG TIME for the other's chops, with arms flailing and everything. Dinsmore dominates and heads up to the second rope, and he gets a sunset flip from that position that segues in to the fish out of water sequence. That ends with Machine applying the Texas clover leaf, but Mr. Wrestling makes the ropes. The two lock up again, and Machine controls with a headlock. Hiptoss reversals are traded, as are neckbreaker reversals (never seen that one before). Eventually Dinsmore does take Machine down in to the crossface, but the ropes are made. Nick then gets a nearfall by taking his opponent down with a drop toe hold and then rolling him up, but it doesn't even get one.
We then go in to a knuckle lock, and Machine turns that in to a bridging suplex for two. Basham stays on the arm after they get up, but Dinsmore turns it in to a hammerlock . . . and Machine turns THAT in to a waistlock. Nick shoves off and hits the ropes, where Doug attempts a hiptoss . . . only to have Dinsmore grab him with a bodyscissors in midair! That smoothly transitions in to a victory roll for two, but Machine is the first of the two men up, and he rocks his opponent with a pair of chops to set up a HUGE leg lariat. It looked awesome because Basham not only jumped up to catch Dinsmore in the face with the back of his knee, but also rode him down to the mat afterwards. Machine then looks to whip him in to the corner, but Nick blocks it by dropping in to a baseball slide and charging with the five-arm. A superkick follows from Dinsmore, but he kicks Machine right in the referee . . . and it's time for some chicanery. Basham produces the brass knux and blasts Mr. Wrestling for a three count. Boy, that's the perfect ending to a technically based match. However, Rob Conway comes out and exposes the cheating, thus getting the decision reversed in Dinsmore's favor. He then attacks Machine and goes for the mask, but Spade and Sly save. Who saves from the savers? Damaja and his trusty baseball bat.
Match Thoughts: WOW. Again, a short TV match, but they crammed a lot of great stuff in here. Fabulous reversals out the wazoo, including some stuff that you just don't see every day. Everything was beautifully executed, and it felt like you really were watching two greats of the mat game lock horns. Dinsmore's hiptoss counter was just breathtaking, as was the Basham leg lariat. It definitely made me want to see these two in a twenty minute match. Of course, the two men involved are now a retard and a jobber, so I doubt I'll ever get that. **3/4
Match Numero Trece: Rico Constantino & The Prototype w/ Kenny Bolin & Jerome Crony vs. The Disciples of Synn w/ Synn & Connie Swail for the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
Prototype is John Cena, who has been imported as Rico's protege . . . the perfect man, a prototype of what people can be like if they live by the Role Model's teachings. They're facing off against the Disciples in the finals of a tournament for the Tag Team Championship, which was previously held by the Minnesota Stretching Crew. Brock and Shelton had to vacate the straps due to an injury, and we've somehow wound up with two heel teams in the finals. Not only that, but they've each got an interference prone manager in their corners . . . and, to make things even more interesting, each interference prone manager has an interference prone lackey at ringside as well. This, ladies and gentlemen, has all of the makings of a clusterfuck.
Prototype starts things off against Damien, and the two lockup with Damien taking the upper hand. He lands a bodyslam and an armdrag, and the Bolin Services team decides to have a little conference. Rico offers advice to his partner but won't actually tag in . . . leading to Damien once again slamming and armdragging Cena. Prototype again asks for a tag and is again denied, so Damien brings in Payne to take over the offense. Payne takes down the Perfect Man with a pair of armdrags and a bodyslam, and Constantino STILL won't bail his partner out. Damien comes back in to the ring, and the Disciples get a double back body drop on their opponent, causing Prototype to finally force the tag to Rico. The Role Model is slingshotted in by the opposition, and Damien pounds him so hard that Rico winds up crawling in to the wrong corner . . . where Payne blasts him as well. Rico eventually winds up in the correct corner, and Kenny Bolin forces Prototype to tag in despite the treatment that he got from Rico earlier. Payne has come in as well, and the two men run the ropes . . . only to be tripped up by the other guy's manager. Bolin is none too happy about Synn's interference, so he enters the ring and challenges her to go one-on-one. The fight is teased, but eventually the teams hold each manager back . . . with Bolin being restrained by Rico simply grabbing his collar.
With the comedy over, the serious wrestling finally commences, and it looks like Prototype and Rico start getting along again. They trade on and off several times on BJ Payne, with Prototype getting a two count off of a European uppercut before bringing in Rico. He chokes the gothic kid, and then distracts the referee so that Cena can do the same. Rico then looks for his spin kick, but Payne grabs his leg and counters with a Rydeen bomb! That sets up YOUR hot tag, and Damien cleans house on both of the BS members. Spinebusters are delivered to both men, and the Disciples rally to land a wheelbarrow suplex/facebuster combo on Constantino for two. We clip through what was a commercial break in the original broadcast and return to Payne powerslamming Rico for two before resorting to the old choke hold. Damien makes it in, and Rico manages to fire back on him, only to have D-Man go to the eyes. Payne is brought back in and a front suplex follows for two. BJ sends Constantino in to Damien's boot for good measure, and Damien then tags in with a second rope fist drop on to the former OVW Champion. It looks like Constantino might be coming back as he gets a sunset flip for the hope spot, but it only catches two, and the Role Model is taken down with a lariat as soon as he gets up.
Payne is brought in and he applies a chinlock. Rico eventually elbows out, but the comeback is again cut off in its early stages by a lariat. Damien gets brought in as Payne slams his opponent down, and an atomic drop sets up a legdrop for another nearfall. Cena saves on this one, but he is taken out of the ring very quickly as Damien begins to bury his shoulder in to Cena's midsection in the corner. Payne comes in again and looks for a back body drop . . . but Rico turns it in to a tornado DDT to set up your second hot tag of the match. Prototype comes in with a dropkick on Payne and a slam on Damien, and a frog splash looks to finish BJ . . . but his partner makes the save. Damien then snaps Prototype's neck over the top rope, and Cena collides with the referee to take that pesky little gnat out of the equation. Damien then heads up top and comes down with a Savage elbow, but Bolin is in to hit him with the briefcase. Synn runs in and maces Bolin, and she goes for Prototype as well . . . but he blocks the spray with his hand! Synn then gets slammed by the Perfect Man, and he uses the spray on Payne . . . FOR TWO! The ref is bumped again as Payne attempts to roll up Prototype, and Jerome Crony runs in to bulldog BJ. As he celebrates, Connie Swail launches herself off of the top rope and hits him with a cross body, meaning all of our non-wrestlers have finally been taken out.
Damien slaps a sleeper hold on to Constantino, and the announcers act like that hold has actually won somebody other than Roddy Piper a match in the past twenty years. That streak stays alive as Prototype grabs the briefcase and whacks Damien upside the head with it, which is finally enough to given Bolin Services the win and the Southern Tag Team Championship. But do you think that's all? I mean, really? Of course it's not. Synn spears Kenny Bolin, and that sets off a huge brawl in which the dark side of things dominates. Eventually Leviathan comes on out, and Bolin Services is cleared from the ring. Match Thoughts: As far as heel vs. heel matches go, this one was actually well done. The crowd was split, so both teams got a heat sequence in order to give the fans a chance to root for whichever side they were on. And, though there was a good deal of interference on both sides, it was interference that created more doubt as to who the winner would be as opposed to interference that was just thrown in to the finish to protect somebody's heat. A very fast-paced and effective tag team match, with my only complaint being that the comedy stuff in the beginning really doesn't have a place in a match where you're attempting to establish new champions. ***
Match Numero Catorce: Rob Conway & The Damaja vs. Rico Constantino & The Prototype w/ Kenny Bolin
This is a non-title match taking place a week after the Bolin Services title victory . . . and why is it non-title? To set up a title match at a non-televised event! Damn, that's so old school. Conway and Constantino start, trading armbars before Rico catches an elbow and a few punches. Conway comes back with the same and goes for the Rude Awakening, but Rico rolls through it. He then attempts the Sudden Impact, but Rob blocks that and things degenerate in to a slap fest. Eventually Rico just takes too much damage for his liking and brings in the Prototype, who attempts a kneelift only to be rolled up by the Iron Man for two. Damaja is tagged in, and he misses a discus punch to set up a backdrop attempt by Cena . . . and the future Danny Basham manages to roll out of it. Damaja then lands a Lou Thesz press, though Prototype comes back seconds later with a sunset flip for two. A lariat cuts Prototype off, and the babyface team gets a tag. Conway comes in and the faces double hiptoss Prototype, leading to Rico storming the ring for a big brawl. Constantino winds up on the apron, and Conway attempts to slingshot him back in to the ring, but Bolin grabs the Role Model's legs, and Conway is instead slingshotted out to the floor.
The heels reintroduce Conway to the ring, and Prototype takes over on him. He gets two immediately upon Conway's reentry, and a series of kneelifts sets up Rico's return to the ring. He gets a kneelift off of the ropes for two, and Prototype tags back in to get two off of a back drop. After that, he goes out again, and Rico drills Conway with one of the biggest Irish whips to the turnbuckle in the history of Irish whips to the turnbuckle. He then taunts Damaja, and the heels pull off an illegal switch just because they can. Constantino is back in rather quickly, however, and he Irish whips Conway twice, only to hold on to his arm and follow him in with a kneelift each time. Prototype is brought in to capitalize, but his big frog splash misses again, and he runs in to Conway's knee to make things even worse. That sets up the hot tag, and Rico is brought in at the same time. Damaja cleans house, getting a flapjack on Prototype and an enzuguri on Rico before setting up Constantino for his finisher . . . but Cena cuts that off. Kenny Bolin pops up on to the apron to introduce his briefcase in to the match, but Synn makes an appearance and sprays him in the eyes, causing the case to wind up in Conway's hands. He corks Rico with it, and that gets the face team the three count.
Match Thoughts: Fairly basic tag team match, with Rico and the Prototype doing a good job of cutting off the ring and doing all of the classic heel shit. Yet things almost seemed a little bit too formulaic and basic this time around. Perhaps it's because the over the top rope bump has been used so many times professional wrestling that it was really hard to get in to the fact that Conway was seriously injured after his. The fact that only fairly basic offense such as five hundred knee lifts from the heel team didn't help that all too much either. *1/2
Match Numero Quince: Rico Constantino, The Prototype, & Mr. Black w/ Kenny Bolin & Jerome Crony vs. Damien, Payne, & Leviathan w/ Synn & Connie Swail
And the feud continues, with the Disciples apparently having become de facto babyfaces by this point. Damien kicks things off with Rico, and the two lock up, which results in Damien mussing Rico's hair. The humanity. Constantino comes back with some of that actual offense, landing a hiptoss, dropkick, and a bodyslam all in short order for a one count. He then tags out to Prototype, who slaps on a headlock, but Damien backs him in to the corner and unloads with a series of shoulders. Prototype regains control with a Mexican armdrag, however, and he also hiptosses a charging Payne. Mr. Black is in as well, and he levels Payne with the a big boot before tagging out to Rico. Constantino takes over with a corner pummel, but he leaves too big of an opening and allows Leviathan to be brought in. He kills everybody and looks to finish Rico with the Demon Drop, but Prototype is able to make the save at two. Leviathan brings in Payne, who immediately stomps a mudhole in Rico and walks it dry. He then gets a powerslam for two and sends the Role Model in to Damien's boot before bringing his partner in to the ring. Damien gets a snapmare and a kick to the shoulder blades as well as an elbow drop for another nearfall. Damien then tags out to Leviathan, who slams Rico but misses with a corkscrew elbow. He recovers and hits a version of the Side Effect, and we clip ahead as the result of a commercial break.
When we return, Damien and Constantino are going at it, and they take each other down with simultaneous lariats. We finally get the hot tag to Prototype, and he clears out Payne and Damien, finishing up the sequence by getting a side Russian legsweep on Damien and locking in a submission hold, only to have Payne save. Damien mounts a comeback with a spinebuster, and BJ is then brought in officially so that he can land his Rydeen bomb. Mr. Black distracts the referee, however, and Rico is able to run in with the Sudden Impact on Payne. It looks like Prototype has the match won, but it only gets two on Payne! Prototype gets the tag to Mr. Black, who's in just long enough to back body drop Payne and then tag out again to Rico . . . see, it's all about hiding the weaknesses of your team. Constantino gets a pair of charging shoulderblocks in the corner, and he sends BJ in to Prototype's boot en route to our next tag. Cena is in, and it looks like he's about to do the stupidest thing ever by whipping Payne in to the Disciples' corner, but he corrects in mid-move and reverses the whip so that he goes straight back in to the BS corner. He gets an elbow drop and tags in Rico, who applies a sleeper hold, only to have Payne elbow out. Prototype gets a blind tag as Rico runs the ropes, but the two heels collide with each other, which allows Leviathan to get a big tag.
Naturally, the Demon destroys everybody, landing his double chokeslam on Prototype and Rico and backdropping Mr. Black, only to have Cena make the save at two. The match degenerates in to a huge pier six brawl, and black is lariated out by the other big man. Meanwhile, the referee gets in Rico's way, so the Role Model just gouges him in the eye. On the outside, all four of the management type folks start going at it as Damien gets a neckbreaker on Constantino on the inside. Black makes the save however, and he then gets a sidewalk slam on Synn, who has somehow found her way in to the ring. However, as Black is getting up from that move, Leviathan spears him out of his boots and gets the victory for the Disciples. Post-match, Bolin takes his briefcase to Leviathan, but it has absolutely no effect. Prototype makes the save before Kenny can get destroyed, and Bolin Services dominates in a post-match beatdown. You'll note that it takes three men to keep Leviathan down, thus keeping the character strong even in defeat.
Match Thoughts: This was essentially the same match as the six man tag about earlier on the tape, but without the same degree of chaos and believable false finishes. It's very rare that lack of chaos detracts from a match, but this is probably one of the better examples of it. It was a passable bout, but fairly redundant in the context of the compilation. **1/4
Final Thoughts
Number of Matches: 15 Highest Star Rating: *** Lowest Star Rating: DUD Average Star Rating: *3/4
A very solid home video release from the Wrestling Gold series. As far as offering a glimpse at some current wrestlers prior to their mainstream fame, the show delivered exactly on what it promised as several talented individuals were showcased. However, this went a step beyond by not only providing a good look at young stars but also providing a good wrestling compilation regardless of who the wrestlers were or what their level of experience was. When you take in to consideration match length and gimmick considerations, everything was at least average in terms of ringwork. My biggest complaint is that on a DVD full of matches from OVW TV, there really isn't any sort of big blowoff match. Seeing just one of the established feuds ending or seeing one match that went over the length of ten minutes would have added a lot in terms of the overall presentation of the product. Regardless of that fact, though, this is definitely a title worth owning, particularly with a fantastic non-kayfabe DVD commentary from Jim Cornette and Dave Meltzer thrown in as icing on the cake.
