The Independent Mid-Card 10.30.07: Webb vs. Younger
Posted by Samuel Berman on 10.30.2007
Featuring the longest gosh darn entrance in TPI history!
Hello and welcome to another week of The Independent Mid-Card. Though this past weekend was filled with a variety of title changes and major occurrences throughout the Independent circuit, I'm actually taking a week off from topical columns to cover some of what I've personally been watching recently. During IWA Mid-South's fire sale to combat the company's extreme debt issues, I picked up a handful of shows, including this year's Ted Petty Invitational. Though it's rare these days that I will take the time to sit down and watch an entire wrestling show, I ran right through the two-night event in a little less than two days. To that end, I thought this week would be a good opportunity to share a match from the 2007 TPI, and also feature a pair of wrestlers who have yet to be featured in this column. Curious what I've been watching lately? Then soldier on, because that's what we're looking at in this week's IMC.
Nate Webb vs. Drake Younger
Tournament First Round Match
IWA Mid-South 2007 Ted Petty Invitational, Night 1 Midlothian, IL September 28, 2007
The Wrestlers:
Nate Webb Known almost universally as the "Spyder", Nate Webb is a borderline IWA legend, and is one of the true fan favorites amongst the Mid-South faithful. A competitor with a diverse group of styles at his disposal, Webb has competed for countless promotions, but primarily works in IWA Mid-South and Combat Zone Wrestling, having held gold in both of those companies. Webb, who also took part in MTV's ill-fated Wrestling Society X, had even taken a shot at IWA Mid-South World Heavyweight Champion Chuck Taylor during the Summer of 2007, but had fallen short of winning the belt. This year marked Webb's fifth appearance in the Ted Petty Invitational, with Webb having only made it out of the first round in one previous tournament (2004, when he lost to Mike Quackenbush in the quarterfinals after defeating Hallowicked).
Drake Younger A graduate of the Rage Dojo, the wrestling school of former IWA Mid-South star American Kickboxer, Drake Younger is another in a growing line of hybrid talents, able to wrestle a straightforward style as well as mix things up in a death match environment. With his scar-covered body telling the tale, Younger has paid his dues in the wrestling business, earning his reputation as one of the top young American talents. Competing in Combat Zone Wrestling as well as in IWA Mid-South, "The Psycho Shooter" comes from an amateur background that gives him a leg-up on many of his contemporaries. This is Younger's first appearance as a part of the Ted Petty Invitational.
The Match:
Drake Younger comes through the curtain first. He gets a very solid pop from the crowd and knocks fists with fans all around ringside before crossing himself and hopping up to the ring apron. He poses on the second turnbuckle and then gets checked by the referee as a small "Psycho Shooter" chant begins. Wheatus' Teenage Dirtbag begins to play, and that can only mean the impending arrival of "Spyder" Nate Webb. Even the commentator Ben Jordan and color man Josh Abercrombie note that this will be the longest entrance in the TPI field.
The crowd claps along with the beat of the song, with Webb popping through the curtain and doing a really over-the-top pose just for kicks. He goes right over to the merchandise table and grabs an 8x10 of himself to show to the camera. Of note, you can see fellow TPI participants CJ Otis and Devon Moore in the background here. Webb walks around ringside, handing the photo to a kid in the crowd before hopping over the guardrail and dancing on the first row of chairs. Webb then goes to the concession stand and grabs a candy bar which he throws into the crowd. He jaws with IWA Mid-South owner Ian Rotten for a moment before heading back to the entranceway and making his way around ringside once again. In a very subtle funny moment, you can see Nigel McGuinness, another TPI participant, in the background dancing around to Webb's music. The fans chant for Webb, who climbs up to the apron and dances up there for a bit. He climbs all the way to the top and does a backflip into the ring, posing right in the middle of the ring at the song's crescendo. The crowd starts a loud "Nate" chant as the announcers gush over Webb, and I'm hard-pressed to disagree. That whole dynamic was just tremendous fun.
Travis Young is introduced as the referee for this first round tournament matchup, which will be contested with a 30 minute time limit. "The Psycho Shooter" Drake Younger is then announced, hailing from Indianapolis, IN by way of the Rage Dojo. Nate Webb then gets introduced, himself hailing from Flavor Country by way of Beer City. For the record, Beer City does not refer to Milwaukee, WI, as I believe Webb also hails in reality from Indianapolis. For whatever reason, TPI introductions (and I think Mid-South introductions in general) do not include weigh-in results. Young checks Webb's gear and then calls for the bell to start things off.
The two men circle for a bit, posing, dancing, and switching up stances a few times before Younger finally dives in going for a leg. Webb avoids it and both men back off. Nate stays low, but Drake grabs a waistlock on the lockup. Webb counters into a wristlock, forcing Younger to roll through before getting a single-leg takedown and grabbing a standing anklelock. Nate rolls over to relieve the pressure, but Drake releases and grabs a headlock instead. Nate fights to his feet, so Younger segues into a wristlock and really wrenches it in before transitioning into a hammerlock. Webb gets a standing switch into one of his own, so Drake just walks over to the ropes to force a break.
Nate backs off and the crowd claps as the two men begin to circle again. Drake gets into a shoot-style pose, so Webb mocks him with the same. It's all in good fun though and the two men lock up, leading to Nate getting a drop toehold right into a headlock. Drake works up to his feet and sends Nate off the ropes, but Webb is able to flip all the way through a clothesline attempt on the rebound, only to have Younger try a back body drop after the landing. Nate again lands on his feet, but gets caught with an armdrag and Drake holds on with an armbar.
Webb works back to his feet, so Drake segues into a wristlock again. In a nice subtle sequence, Nate keeps trying to reach the ropes, but Drake keeps pulling him back towards the middle of the ring by tightening the wristlock. Nate is forced to get creative and feeds his foot to the referee, using the momentum to backflip out of the hold. Webb pops up with a hurricanrana takedown that forces Drake to retreat to the corner. Younger is all fired up and gets right in Nate's face before hitting him with a stiff forearm shot. Nate responds in kind and the two exchange forearms for a bit until Younger is able to string together a series of them and force Webb into the corner. Younger gets in a pair of chops to the chest and then whips Nate cross-corner before hiptossing him on the rebound. Drake then immediately picks him up and whips Webb into a back body drop. Drake makes the cover, hooking the far leg for a two-count.
Drake stays on the offensive with a headbutt and then whips Nate into a flapjack. Younger then locks in a Mutalock (bridging deathlock into a chinlock). Nate is in some pain, but is able to elbow out of the hold. Younger stays on him with a pair of stomps and then hits a front slam near the corner before hitting a springboard moonsault from the second rope for two. Drake then hits Webb with an impressive delayed vertical suplex and again covers for two. Younger hits a trio of slaps to Nate's face, but an Irish whip gets reversed into a big time back elbow from Webb that turns Drake absolutely inside-out. The referee begins to count both men down, but both men are up at seven. Younger tries to come running with a right hand, but Nate blocks and hits a right of his own. Drake stumbles into a couple of additional rights from Webb, who then takes control with a series of knee strikes against the ropes. Nate goes off the ropes and comes running with the Arachnid Kick (spinning thrust kick), but Drake ducks out of the way and Webb ends up crotching himself on the top rope.
Drake forces Webb to the corner and gets in a chop before going for a cross-corner whip, but Nate is able to reverse the momentum and comes running with a cannonball. Drake catches him however, and hits a Lygerbomb (running high-angle sitout powerbomb) out of the corner for a very close two. Younger gets fired up and calls for the Drake's Landing (modified back-to-back double-underhook piledriver), only to have Nate flip out of the maneuver and shove him off the ropes. Webb catches him with a kick to the midsection on the rebound and then comes running off the ropes with a falling facebuster over the knee. Nate then runs the ropes again and hits Younger with an absolutely beautiful lariat, complete with a fantastic sell by Drake. Nate makes the cover, but only gets two. He goes for another cover right away, but again Drake gets his shoulder up.
Nate forces Younger to the corner, but Drake reverses a cross-corner whip and catches Webb on a float-over attempt before planting him with a running over-the-shoulder powerslam. Nate kicks out of the pinfall attempt at two, further frustrating Drake. Drake then climbs to the top, looking for what appears to be a moonsault, but Nate is able to cut him off with a clubbing forearm to the back. Webb climbs up after Younger and grabs a half-nelson, bringing him down with a top-rope half-nelson facebuster that gets the academic pinfall at 8:55. Webb is announced as the winner and the crowd pops huge, especially for a mid-card contest. Webb goes over and helps Drake to his feet in a nice show of sportsmanship as the crowd chants and applauds the "Spyder". The crowd continues to applaud as Nate makes his way to the back.
The Analysis:
I'm not going to try to sell you on this match being a classic or anything, but I had a tremendous amount of fun watching it, much as I did with the entire 2007 TPI. There was solid action throughout this contest, but little in the way of long-term psychology. I really liked some of the small moments in the match, specifically Drake pulling Nate away from the ropes during the wristlock early on, and the fact that calling out his finisher cost Younger near the end. The ending was pretty out of nowhere, but unlike a rollup, the impact of the facebuster was enough to convincingly put Drake away. Another little moment I liked was the lariat, which just came across fantastically thanks to Webb's great form and Younger's even better sell job.
Again, I can't sell this match as anything other than a fun, brisk, solid affair, because there isn't a lot to it. Webb was able to win convincingly, but neither guy was really able to build a sustained offense or a cohesive strategy. In a strange way, the simplicity of this match was a nice reminder that every bout doesn't have to be a finely-tuned battle of good and evil, and that sometimes two talented guys going out for ten minutes and keeping things easygoing can be just as entertaining as anything else. This wasn't a comedy match, it was a light hearted one, which is something you don't really get to see all that often.
Oh, and though some might find it tedious, as a big fan of the pageantry of professional wrestling, I absolutely loved Webb's epic entrance sequence. For reference's sake, at the 2004 TPI, when Webb fought Mike Quackenbush in the second round, Quack looked right into the camera and said "this is the longest entrance in pro sports ". Of course he also went on to clap along to the beat throughout the entrance, so his comments weren't exactly an indictment. Let's put it this way: if you like Steve Corino's over-the-top entrance and ring introduction, then you'll probably love Webb's as well. If you think Corino's is a waste of time, then you'll probably want to fast forward to the opening bell. Personally, I love stuff like this, but obviously your mileage may vary.
The Aftermath:
"Spyder" Nate Webb would go on to fall in the second round of the 2007 Ted Petty Invitational to highly-touted West Coast talent Human Tornado. In the month or so since TPI weekend, little has happened for Drake Younger and Nate Webb, though Younger in particular looks to be on the rise as 2007 draws to a close. Drake, along with his partner Corey Shaddix, was able to advance past the first round of IWA's recent Double Death Tag Team Death Match Tournament, but was unsuccessful in a second round Fans Bring the Weapons Match against Deranged & Brain Damage. There is no word yet on either Younger or Webb's next booking for IWA Mid-South.
The Final Word:
For some reason, I've been having a lot more fun recently watching IWA Mid-South instead of my usual Ring of Honor viewing. Maybe it's the change of pace, or the more fun-loving commentary, or the fact that there are a lot of wrestlers I like watching who don't appear for ROH, but whatever the reason, I cannot stress enough how enjoyable it has been to watch the 2007 TPI over the last week or so. If you're a hardline ROHbot and you haven't taken the time to seek out the work of some great talents like "Spyder" Nate Webb, Chuck Taylor, Human Tornado, Eddie Kingston and Josh Abercrombie, then do yourself a favor and further expand your wrestling horizons by seeking out some of the work of each of these individuals.
To see this week's match, the 2007 Ted Petty Invitational is available either directly from IWA Mid-South or from Smart Mark Video. Specifically, if you order through IWA directly, you can get another single-day show for free, certainly making this purchase an even bigger bargain. In addition to this week's contest, there are great matches like Claudio Castagnoli vs. Nigel McGuinness, Chuck Taylor vs. Human Tornado, and a non-tournament Last Man Standing Match between bitter rivals Chris Hero and Eddie Kingston. Though some worried that last-minute cancellations would cause this year's event to suffer in terms of the in-ring product, I fully enjoyed both shows, and think that this stacks up favorably with 2006's more acclaimed tournament.
While you're here at 411mania, please take a look at some of the other great columns and reviews we have up this week. Ari has Part 1 and Part 2 of Column of Honor, Bayani's got Truth B Told, and Short's got The Navigation Log. There's a Buy or Sell featuring Dunn & Bauer, as well as my appearance in Fact or Fiction. As an aside, if you were ever curious what I think about TNA, then read Fact or Fiction, because I make my opinions pretty clear. In terms of reviews, Brad & Jake have ROH Live in Osaka, while Brad goes it alone for PWG's Straight to DVD and All Star Weekend 2 Electric Boogaloo, Night One. Also, be sure to read JD's review of ROH Reborn Again, a notably different take on the show than I have seen before.
This week's Buy or Sell features Mike Campbell & Jake Ziegler in a preview of Glory By Honor VI weekend, and there will also be an ROH Roundtable, though it may end up being late-breaking due to a delay in the final cards being announced.
The only TV update of any importance is the pure awesomeness that was the Scrubs premiere, as I found the whole thing to be really well crafted and has me personally VERY excited to see how they build things for the rest of the year. Oh, and The Office was out of control again, but that's pretty much become the norm for the show this season. I do like the tighter half-hour format, however, separating me from those who preferred the longer hour-long editions that we'd been getting for the last month. Californication remains the class of the rest.
In a strange way, this week's column was the easiest one to write in some time. Can't really put my finger on why, though. Eh, maybe I'll figure something out after it gets posted.
I'm out for another week, but there's always next Tuesday, so fear not loyal readers. Fewer moves got made this week than I would have preferred, but hey, they can't all be winners. Next week will be a pretty big non-411-related personal anniversary for me, so I'm taking this week to celebrate. Tanqueray anyone?
