Cheap Wrestling For Cheap People 11.24.05: Visiting Old Friends (Part 2)
Posted by Ryan Byers on 11.24.2005
With two down and two to go, who will be the king of the web show?
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Cheap Wrestling for Cheap People. Those of you who joined us last week know that I'm in the process of looking back on wresting web shows that I have reviewed in the past. Why? Because just taking one look at a particular series is never enough to gauge its overall quality. Thus, with that in mind, it's time to crown the KING OF THE WEB SHOWS~!
Last week, Dory Funk's BANG TV and Jersey All Pro's World Wide both put on performances that, though not horrible, probably won't be enough to win them the crown. However, there's still hope for those shows. After all, our two remaining competitors could wind up sucking mightily. For my sake, I hope that's not the case. We'll have to see what happens, though.
SHOW NUMBER THREE: World-1 Wrestling Net TV Site: http://www.world1wrestling.com What I Said Last Time: . . . if Corino and company can keep some decent puro flowing on to the internet (even if it's only in small doses), I'll be a happy camper. So, if the 7/15 episode of WORLD-1 TV is still up by the time that this column is posted, definitely check it out. Heck, I'd even suggest watching at the next episode if it looks like it's going to follow a similar format. I'd be a bit more wary, though, when the match listing for the TV show starts looking like the match listing for their 8/6 live show.
This Time:
Match Numero Uno: Ricky Landel vs. The Masked Grappler w/ Rob Dimension
This match is being presented in "Rob Dimension Reality TV," which means that, throughout the bout, the head of heel manager Rob Dimension pops up and espouses his opinion. It's reminiscent of one of those lame syndicated dating shows in which text balloons appear to let us in on the "thoughts" of the moronic contestants who have agreed to humiliate themselves for a fifty dollar dinner at an overrated LA nightspot. Errr . . . right . . . wreslting match.
Landel opens up with some punches and a back elbow for a two count, before the masked man follows up with a few of his own. Chops are then exchanged, with Mr. Mask getting the upper hand and a nearfall before choking away. The Grappler follows up with a slam and more choking on the ropes, allowing Dimension to get in a few cheap shots as well. What's next? MORE PUNCHING! Landel finally opens up a bit by hitting an enzuguri, but it takes him seemingly twenty minutes to follow up. When he does, it's accomplished via dropkick. He then attempts the Diamond Dust, but Grappler pulls him off the top rope and . . . does something. I'd do a better call, but it's not even clear if it was supposed to be an offensive move by Landel or one by the Grappler. In other words, it was ugly as hell. After that, Dimension pops up on the apron to distract Ricky. It works, and Grappler hits a big boot to win the match in 4:09.
Match Thoughts: This wasn't any good. Period. Landel has done some pretty decent work when he's in there with more experienced competitors. Though I'm not sure who exactly the Grappler is under his cheap Villano III mask, it was painfully obvious that he's not one of the veteran workers that Landel needs to be in there with. The two men just sent punches flying back and forth and periodically threw in more exciting spots. The problem was that neither man knew where to throw in those highspots in order to create a cohesive match. Hopefully Ricky improves on that aspect of his game so that he can soon carry some opponents instead of perpetually being carried. DUD
Match Numero Dos: Jerry Lynn vs. Masato Tanaka for the Pro Wrestling World-1 Championship
This match is actually from the first tour that World-1 did a few years back, after which it went on hiatus briefly before reopening earlier in 2005. It's available on DVD-R from Highspots if anybody is interested.
The two men lock up to start, and standing switches are the order of the day. A very quick mat sequence ensues, capped off by the traditional mutual respect spot. Tanaka then goes to the top wristlock, and there's a basic reversal sequence before Mr. JL beals his man off and hits a flying headscissors. Masato then runs in to a boot and is hit with a second rope bulldog, but it only gets two. Lynn then snaps the proverbial mare and applies the chinlock, which is well deserved after the pace at which they were working earlier. A shoulderblock and a headlock are next for Lynn, and Tanaka escapes the hold before landing a lariat. He follows with a big jumping forearm in the corner. Lynn blocks a Tornado DDT, however, and he goes for a big boot . . . only to be caught with a NASTY looking dragon screw. That sets up a toe hold by the son of the Rising Sun, but Lynn makes the ropes. The former FMW standout then unloads with some stiff, stiff chops, though Jerry is able to respond in kind. He then suckers Masato in to the ropes and gets a big guillotine legdrop to the back of the head, which knocks both men to the outside. Tanaka then grabs a chair from a ringside fan and does the old audience participation bit that we all know and love. After that, he sets the chair up at ringside and attempts to send Lynn in to it, but the Minnesotan blocks . . . AND DDTS TANAKA ON THE CHAIR!
We go back to the ring after that, where Lynn manages to get a two count. He hits a tornado DDT for another nearfall, but Masato reverses a subsequent suplex attempt in to a brainbuster and goes for the ten punches in the corner. Unfortunately, the crowd does not know how to count to ten in Japanese. Then, in a unique spot, Tanaka goes for a Stinger splash, only to have Lynn avoid it by jumping out of the corner and on to the second rope. Tanaka also lands on the second rope, and Lynn then sunset flips him off it. Jerry tries to follow up with a discus punch, but Tanaka ducks and gets in a belly to back suplex. Diamond Dust then connects . . . but it only gets two! A powerbomb attempt is next, but Lynn blocks it and looks to reverse . . . KRYPTONITE CRUNCH! That can't get a three count either, and neither can the cradle piledriver. Yikes. Lynn then looks to hit the piledriver agian, but Tanaka slips out and lands the roaring elbow. He then heads up to the top, where he misses a frog splash. Jerry tries to take the victory with an Oklahoma roll, but Tanaka is out at two. Seconds later, Masato's second attempt at the roaring elbow gets him the duke. The victory took 10:18.
Match Thoughts: It's hard to go wrong with Lynn and Tanaka, especially when they're in there together. This was a fine example of the fusion of high flying and hardcore wrestling for which both men are well known. Both guys moved at a quick pace and landed some stiff strikes, which made the match visually stunning. Toss in excellent counter sequences like the second rope sunset flip, and you've got an entertaining ten minutes. However, the one thing that they didn't do was establish a storyline for the match, leaving it rather devoid of ring psychology. In fact, the last two minutes featured both men doling out far too many head drop moves, which makes it incredibly difficult to suspend disbelief and get in to any storyline that the bout may have had. **3/4
Show Thoughts: Though they weren't importing any footage from Japan in this one, World-1 seemed to stick with the same basic formula as the last episode I reviewed. The earlier, shorter matches primarily featured green talent and were pretty lousy. However, they came through in the end with a main event that was very exciting and probably could have maintained a decent audience if it were on broadcast TV. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like it's possible to fast forward through the earlier stuff. Despite that problem, World-1 has still put out the best show thusfar. We'll see if our final show can unseat them from the top spot.
SHOW NUMBER FOUR: AWA Hotwire Site: http://www.awanj1.com What I Said Last Time: . . . the matches were still quick and still held between competitors who are relatively inexperienced. However, the wrestlers were allowed to go all out in the limited time periods that they had. As a result, they wound up going back and forth with several quick reversal sequences and pulling out one of a kind moves that you won't be able to see in other wrestling promotions. This made the show in to a breath of fresh air. Though I wouldn't chose to watch it over a big pay per view event or even an episode of WWE Smackdown, it was at least as entertaining as the average episode of Heat or Velocity.
This Time:
Match Numero Uno: AC Smooth vs. Neeno Capone
The two men trade armbars to start, and then Capone gets in to the ropes to end that sequence. Neeno then gets a headlock but is caught with an armdrag when Smooth shoves him off. Neeno bails at that point, giving us a great shot of the fifty people in the audience. When Capone gets back in to the ring, the two do the old "ineffective shoulderblock" spot, which is odd given how small they both are. Smooth eventually gets the upper hand with another armdrag and a hooking lariat for a two count. Capone bails again and has a seat amongst the fans. Smooth exits the ring and charges at him. That turns out to be perhaps the dumbest move he could have made, as Neeno moves out of the chair and the last second and drop toe holds AC down on to it. That gets two once they head back in to the ring, and then Capone unloads with some chops and your good ole' basic bodyslam. A vertical suplex is next for Neeno, and that sets up el chinlocko grande.
Smooth makes the traditional babyface comeback, which he's quite good at for an indy guy. However, before he can mount any post-resthold offense, Capone catches him with a lariat. It looks like Neeno is going to control for the rest of the match, but Smooth blocks a hiptoss and sends Capone flying out to the arena floor, coming dangerously close to some chairs in the process. AC then brings his man back in to the ring for an elbowdrop and another vertical suplex, but he still can't put the man away. The Kryptonite Crunch is next, but Smooth only manages to get two off of it because he spent too much time showboating. AC stays on his man with a few big chops and then attempts a cross body block, but Capone ducks and pulls down the top rope to send this fight to the floor one more time. Smooth then gets sent in to the post, and wrestler extrordonaire Danny Demanto makes an appearance. He apparently hates Capone's guts, and the referee attempts to prevent Danny from interfering. With that distraction present, Capone is able to use a chain to win the match in roughly eight minutes. (Yeah, my stopwatch broke. Damn it all.)
Match Thoughts: This match was a bit different than your general east coast indy match, especially the matches that were featured the last time that I checked out AWA Hotwire. Instead of a lucha-esque match starring two speed demons, Capone and Smooth slowed things down, played to the crowd more, and told a bit more of a story. There were clearly defined characters, as Neeno was the arrogant heel and AC was the level-headed veteran who wasn't going to be phased by the young punk's antics. The interplay between the two was very well done, and it saved a match that otherwise would have been a snoozer. *3/4
Up next is the AWA's version of Piper Pit . . . yes, it's Aldolfo's Alley! Aldolfo talks to Eric Cooper, who would like to kill Jay Lethal and Rob Vegas. If nothing else, you need to watch the show to see Cooper's promo. Not because it's good but rather because Cooper is a definite contender for the prestigious 2005 "Wrestler Who Looks Most Like a Box Turtle" award.
Match Numero Dos: Bobby Vee vs. Monsta Mack
Mack gets on the mic before the match, which he really should stop doing. The man's voice is far too high pitched for me to take him seriously. Vee should take him seriously, though, as he's caught by Mack's flipping, flopping, and flying as soon as the bell rings. Mack follows up with a back body drop and a slam, which sets up an elbowdrop for two. Apparently that warrants a "holy shit" chant in the AWA. The former Hit Squad member then gets a big back splash in the corner, and a back elbow sends Bobby out of the ring. Mack then unloads with a series of headbutts on the floor before sending his man in to the snack counter that sits a few feet away from the ring. Double M then throws his man back in to the ring, but Vee takes the big advantage by ambushing his man. He gets a few strikes in and attempts a sunsent flip, which you just know wasn't going to work. Mack sits on his opponent's chest, and then a reversal sequence culminates in a German suplex by Bobby. Okay, that was pretty impressive. Vee then chops away at the big guy, but Mack no sells it and slaps Bobby all around the ring. Vee follows up with a European uppercut, though, and that's apparently enough to allow him to apply a rear naked choke. Mack powers back up to his feet and elbows out, but Vee cuts off the comeback with a takedown. More European uppercuts and chops follow. They don't work this time either . . . but an eye gouge does. Forearms and choking then abound, followed up by a rollup for two.
Vee then goes for something or other in the corner, but he runs in to a pair of boots and eats a belly to belly suplex in to the turnbuckles. After some laying around, then two wrestlers take turns forearming each other, and then Vee takes the Flair flop. A powerslam is next for Mack, after which he gets a press slam. Mack then looks for a German, but Vee escapes by grabbing the referee and low blowing the opposition. Vee follows with a DDT and a Northern lights bomb, but neither move puts fatty away. Bobby then tries to send his man in to the ropes, but Mack blocks it and gets in a lariat. Mack is about to go up top, but Vee's ally Mike Donovan runs out. Mack dispatches him with a spinebuster, but the distraction allows Bobby to get in a chairshot. He then applies a rear chinlock, and Mack is unconscious in the hold. That causes the ref to call the match for Vee at about the nine minute mark.
Match Thoughts: Obviously, the point of this one was to give a rub to AWA regular Vee by having him beat Mack, the more established name. However, that whole point was undercut by the fact that Bobby got virtually no big offense on his own and the fact that the offense he did get was all shrugged off by his opponent within a matter of seconds. Combine that with the screwjob finish, and this didn't have nearly the impact that it could have had otherwise. Vee did look like he has been improving the ring, however, hitting a couple of good suplexes and some European uppercuts that connected more often than not, even if his follow through is a little bit exaggerated. Given a little bit more time to develop both his moveset and his physique, it looks like Vee could be something. *1/2
Match Numero Tres: Arcadia vs. Mike Donovan vs. Pinkie Sanchez vs. Bandido Jr. for the AWA Lightheavyweight Championship
A four-way lockup spot starts, which just looks odd. All four men break out of that simultaneously and start punching each other, which leads to a square dancing spot. Bandido and Sanchez then dropkick the other two men out of the ring, and they do a rope running sequence. That culminates in Pinkie being tossed from the ring, and then Arcadia tosses Bandido. Donovan and Arcadia go at it with Donovan being tossed. All four men brawl on the outside for a little bit, and then we clip ahead to Pinkie hitting a big plancha on all three of his opponents. He follows up by biting Donovan and taking him in to the ring, where they are soon joined by Arcadia. Pinkie gets ‘Cade with an Ace crusher, only to be turned inside out by a Donovan lariat. Then, as soon as Donovan turns around, Bandido takes him down with a spin heel kick. All four men are down for a bit, and they do a four way submission spot when they get up. More clipping leads to a chopfest, and then Sanchez leaps off of Donovan's back to dropkick Arcadia. Mikey then grabs Sanchez from behind and Rolls the Dice. Pinkie is then placed in the tree of woe, and Donovan CRUSHES him with a cross body block. Mike falls out of the ring after that, though, so he can't follow up. With the other two men down, Arcadia and Bandido go at it. That ends just as soon as it starts, with the champion hitting a package piledriver to retain his championship.
Match Thoughts: There wasn't quite enough here to give a rating to, but the highlights that aired were quite entertaining. Nobody goes in to four way matches like this expecting an all-out classic, but you had chaos in the ring, although not so much chaos that the bout broke down and was unwatchable. All four men seemed to have a good sense of where they were needed in the ring and when, which prevented congestion and blown spots. The only thing I disliked was the four way submission spot, as those always look hokey to me unless they're done with a lot of attention to detail. However, as bad as that spot may have been, it was more than made up for by the rest of the offense in the match.
Show Thoughts: Of the four shows that I've looked at, AWA New Jersey appears to have the most balance. They managed to get in three matches which were of a decent length for a one hour show, and they also did several segments in between to further the company's angles. Combine that with plenty of plugs for their upcoming live show, and it appears that these guys have the art of internet television down pat. Of course, they're not the highest rent promotion in the world, but their crop of regulars seems to be competent enough, and they have easy access to guys like Homicide, Monsta Mack, and Jay Lethal if you need a few "name" indy wrestlers to spice things up.
Concluding Thoughts
Well, after looking at all four shows, which one stood out the most? Not to give the cop out answer, but they all had their strong points. If you're high on sports entertainment and particularly if you're in an area where you can get out to the live shows, JAPW should entertain you. If you're in to a slower paced, WWE-style of wrestling featuring young up and comers, you could probably get in to BANG TV. If you're particularly in to the puro style and its American counterpart, the main events on World-1 TV will keep you entertained. My personal favorite, however, remains AWA Hotwire. There are better matches on World-1's show and more colorful angles on JAPW's show, but the AWA has been the most consistent in terms of both in-ring and out of ring product. Of course, any indy wrestling program is not going to be as polished as a WWE or a TNA. In fact, the four companies reviewed here aren't even as professional looking as Ring of Honor. However, if you can look past all of this and focus on the performances, there's a wealth of free, legal wrestling footage to be had on the internet.
