Break It Down: CZW T.O.D. vs. Gorefest

T.O.D. vs. Gorefest on November 7th, 2010

Opening Match: First Round: Thumbtack Deathmatch: Jon Ryan vs. Danny Havoc
Havoc hits Ryan with a thumbtack bucket and suplexes him onto it. He comes off the middle rope but Ryan throws a chair at him. Ryan adds another chair shot and hits Havoc with a thumbtack Guitar Hero controller. Ryan gets a thumbtack paint roller and carves Havoc’s back. They exchange chops in the corner. Havoc actually puts on a thumbtack glove to add emphasis to his chops. He connects with a knee strike and low blows Ryan with a thumbtack cannonball. That was something. Ryan answers by breaking a lighttube over Havoc’s head. Havoc responds by breaking a water jug over Ryan’s head. Jesus. Havoc hits a butterfly DDT but falls victim to a piledriver. Ryan puts on a thumbtack Santa hat and they trade headbutts. Multiple chairs are brought into the ring. Havoc sets Ryan on the chairs and puts various weapons on top of him. He goes up top but Ryan crotches him. Ryan hits a cradle shock through the chairs for the win at 10:55. Entertaining deathmatch that used thumbtacks in creative ways. This was my first time seeing Ryan and I was impressed. They effectively teased the final spot through the chairs, but Havoc ruined any notion of believability by popping up immediately after the three count. Nevertheless, this was a solid opener that had the crowd invested. **¾

Match #2: First Round: Cinderblocks and Barbed Wire Boards Deathmatch: Drake Younger vs. DJ Hyde
Hyde hits a swinging side slam on Younger, sending him into a barbed wire board. He then side slams Younger onto a cinderblock. Hyde misses another cinderblock shot and Younger half nelson suplexes him through a barbed wire board. Younger breaks two cinderblocks across Hyde’s chest and then DDTs him onto another cinderblock. He takes a piece of a board and grinds it across Hyde’s forehead. Hyde dropkicks Younger through a barbed wire board. He goes to the back and pushes some type of automobile to ringside. They battle on the roof where Younger hits the Drake ‘n’ Bake for the victory at 8:43. Hyde looked pretty sluggish but Younger played his role perfectly. Some of the crowd was behind Younger and he did what was necessary to lose their support. Bringing an automobile to ringside might have been a little over the top, but at least the crowd seemed to like it. **

Match #3: First Round: Ultraviolent Tables Match: MASADA vs. Jimmy Havoc
Havoc dropkicks MASADA to the floor and hits him with a chair. He catches MASADA with a dive but gets caught with a few chair shots. They brawl into the crowd. MASADA misses a chop and connects with the wall. Havoc suplexes him on the floor and lands a crossbody off a scaffold. In the ring, Havoc hits another suplex and stacks two tables on the outside. He reverses a swinging uranagi and plants MASADA with a DDT. They trade control and MASADA german suplexes Havoc through a table. He then hits Havoc with a piece of the table. Havoc comes back with a missile dropkick. He charges at MASADA, who back drops him through the two tables on the floor. Back in, MASADA hits a pumphandle slam onto an easel. He then powerbombs Havoc onto an unfolded easel. MASADA grinds a piece of wood across Havoc’s arm. He hits a suplex and sets up a barbed wire table in the ring. They battle up top and Havoc hurricanranas MASADA into the barbed wire table. A table wrapped in lighttubes is setup. MASADA hits a german suplex through the table for the win at 17:16. Both men appeared to be going through the motions and the match felt extremely long at seventeen minutes. They took way too long to setup spots and none of them were worthwhile except for the finish. Hopefully MASADA can match his performance on the last show in the upcoming rounds. **

Match #4: First Round: CZW Ultraviolent Underground Title: Polish Punishment Deathmatch: Adam Polak © vs. Nick Gage
This has been a heavily hyped match as Gage is trying to bring the title back to CZW. Polak avoids a facewash kick and holds his own in a strike exchange at ringside. Gage hits a spinebuster in the ring and attacks Polak’s right arm with a pizza cutter. Polak gets fired up and unleashes a flurry of offense. He grabs a chair but the seat comes undone. In frustration, he uses the remains of the chair to shatter a lighttube bundle. Polak applies an abdominal stretch and hits a DDT. He adds some mockery by hitting a Chokebreaker. Gage shrugs off the move and connects with a facewash kick. Gage follows with the Chokebreaker to become the new CZW Ultraviolent Underground Champion at 7:58. They didn’t try to do too much, as Polak is limited in a deathmatch setting. Polak acted like an arrogant prick, Gage made his comeback, and the title was brought back to CZW. Simple and to the point. *¾

Match #5: CZW World Heavyweight Title: Jon Moxley © vs. Devon Moore
Moore snaps off a satellite headscissors and lands a dive to the floor. He follows with a springboard moonsault. Back in, Moxley stops his momentum with a lariat but gets caught with a spin kick. Moxley hits a hangman’s suplex and takes control, targeting the left arm. He rolls through a sunset flip and hits a bucklebomb. Moore comes back with a yakuza kick and another springboard moonsault. He escapes the Hook and Ladder and sends Moxley into the turnbuckles. Moxley hits an ace crusher along with the Hook and Ladder for a nearfall. He misses a missile dropkick and Moore lands a shooting star press for a two count. Moore goes low and connects with a superkick. Moxley rolls through a flying crossbody and pins Moore to retain his title at 7:51. They worked well together and were able to create a few believable nearfalls in only eight minutes. I think this match could have really stood out with more time. Nevertheless, this was a solid non-deathmatch showcase for the German crowd. **½

Match #6: Semifinal Round: Lighttube Log Cabins Deathmatch: Drake Younger vs. MASADA
The first competitor to put their opponent through two lighttube bundles will win the match. They find creative ways to avoid lighttubes until Younger rams MASADA through a lighttube bundle in the corner. 1-0. The action goes to the floor where Younger busts MASADA open with pieces of lighttubes. In the ring, Younger back drops MASADA through more lighttubes. MASADA japanese armdrags Younger through the second lighttube bundle. 1-1. He kicks a lighttube into Younger’s back and breaks another one over his head. They exchange forearms and MASADA hits a dragon screw leg whip onto a lighttube. He applies a cloverleaf and Younger taps, but it doesn’t count. MASADA dropkicks his head into a lighttube in the corner. Younger hits Drake’s Landing and desperately tries to go for a cover. He props a lighttube bundle in between two chairs. They battle up top and MASADA hits a superplex through the lighttube bundle for the victory at 12:06. They worked extremely well with the stipulations and put together a good deathmatch. Both men found low-risk ways of putting each other through the first two lighttube bundles, making MASADA’s winning superplex stand out. Younger continued to play his role well, looking for unsatisfying ways to end the match (tapping out and going for a pin attempt) to no avail. Anyone who enjoys this aspect of professional wrestling will appreciate this match. ***

The crowd chants for Younger after the match. He gets on the microphone and completely loses their adulation.

Match #7: Semifinal Round: CZW Ultraviolent Underground Title: Unlucky 13 Staple Gun Deathmatch: Nick Gage © vs. Jon Ryan
The goal is to staple your opponent seven times. They actually start with some wrestling. Gage hits a northern lights suplex and blindly tries to find success with the staple gun. Ryan staples Gage’s forehead three times. 0-3. Gage connects with a lariat and staples the hell out of Ryan. I don’t even know the score. They staple each other in the crowd. The announcer says that the score is 0-6, which is highly inaccurate. Gage gains five points. 5-6. Gage staples Ryan three more times and the score is tied. Maybe I’m missing something? 6-6. The next staple wins! In the ring, Ryan hits a cradle shock and tries a pin attempt. Gage answers with a brainbuster and staples Ryan one more time to retain his title at 8:17. The less said about this match the better. The scoring made absolutely no sense and the brawling was pretty uninspired. ½*

Match #8: wXw World Heavyweight Title: Big Van Walter © vs. 2-Face
Thumbtack Jack gives 2-Face his boots as a sign of respect. Walter ruins the moment by attacking before the bell. He maintains control until 2-Face lands a flying crossbody. Walter connects with a big boot but gets caught with a bulldog. He responds with another big boot and takes over. 2-Face comes back with a DDT and wins a strike exchange. He catches Walter with a corner cannonball and hits a death valley driver. 2-Face misses a lariat and falls victim to a saito suplex. Walter kicks him in the face three times and hits another saito suplex. Walter follows with three more kicks and knocks 2-Face out to retain his title at 10:08. Walter was incredibly sluggish and just looked like he didn’t care. They were trying to make 2-Face look resilient, but Walter’s lack of effort stopped that from happening. He probably would have been my last choice for world champion. *

Match #9: Adam Cole, Drew Gulak, Karsten Beck, and Sabian vs. Zach Sabre Jr., Bernd Fuhr, Greg Excellent, and Rich Swann
Cole calls out Excellent to start. Excellent lifts up his shirt and the crowd chants “one more time” in response. Gulak almost has a seizure on the apron. Excellent comically wins a test of strength against Cole. Sabre lowers his kneepads to mimic Gulak. They trade control on the mat, working in some comedy. Sabre connects with a stiff kick and Gulak immediately tags out. Fuhr catches Beck with a springboard crossbody and snaps off a headscissors followed by a hurricanrana. Swann nearly botches a headscissors twice on Sabian but the crowd doesn’t really notice. Sabian connects with a dropkick and Cole adds an eye rake. The heels isolate Swann until he nails Cole with a spin kick and makes the tag. Excellent hits a gourdbuster on Sabian and a corner cannonball on Gulak. Beck catches him with a low blow but Kylie Pierce takes him down with a headscissors. Beck clotheslines Pierce but Fuhr dropkicks him out of the ring. Swann dives off the apron and onto Beck. Fuhr hits a lungblower on Sabian and a jawbreaker on Gulak. Cole superkicks Fuhr and has a great exchange with Sabre. Sabian hurricanranas Sabre and connects with a missile dropkick. He follows with a dive to the outside. Excellent pulls down his pants, takes off his shirt, and adds a dive of his own. Sabre comically puts Gulak in a cross armbreaker on the floor. In the ring, Fuhr hits a code red on Cole. Cole ducks a clothesline and connects with the Corona Kick for the win at 19:59. Incredibly fun showcase that didn’t feel overly long. The comedy in the early portion of the match worked well. Once the action broke down, there were some quality exchanges, especially involving Cole and Sabre. In fact, I would say that these multi-man tag team matches need to happen more often in CZW. ***¼

Match #10: Sami Callihan vs. Carnage
These two make it clear that they have no respect for each other. They trade kicks and chops. Yeah, these two definitely don’t hang out on weekends. Ignore the fact that they live in different countries. Carnage nearly kills Callihan twice with a kick to the head. Carnage connects with a corner dropkick but misses a flying knee strike. They both find success with knockout kicks and fall to the canvas. Callihan hits a back suplex but runs into a spinebuster. Carnage stomps his head and hits a piledriver. Callihan answers with a vicious forearm. They battle up top and Callihan finds himself in the tree of woe. Carnage connects with a flying double stomp and another knockout kick for a nearfall. Callihan ends a strike exchange with a dragon screw leg whip and applies the Stretch Muffler. While the hold is applied, Callihan repeatedly kicks Carnage, knocking him unconscious for the victory at 11:49. This match was very similar to Callihan’s outing against MASADA the night before. Carnage completely brutalized him and you couldn’t help but feel bad for Callihan at points. These two put together some of the most intense strike exchanges that you will see in professional wrestling. None of the action came off as lame or unwarranted either. In fact, this match could be considered more of a spectacle for its uniqueness. Callihan definitely stood out the most over the course of CZW’s two shows in Germany. ***½

Match #11: Final Round: CZW Ultraviolent Underground Title: No-Rope Barbed Wire Deathmatch: Nick Gage © vs. MASADA
Dueling chants from the crowd. They have a chair battle that ends in a stalemate. MASADA avoids the barbed wire by sliding to the floor. Gage goes under the ring and dropkicks him into the barbed wire. He proceeds to whip MASADA into the barbed wire again. Gage attacks MASADA’s forehead with a fork and presses his left arm against the barbed wire. Gage also utilizes a pizza cutter. He catapults MASADA so his throat makes contact with the barbed wire. MASADA finally finds an opening to give Gage a taste of his own medicine. He stabs Gage with wooden stakes and the stakes stay in his head. Gage hits a spinebuster and connects with an elbow drop. MASADA hits a gourdbuster into the barbed wire. The action goes to the floor where MASADA uses a cracked beer bottle to carve Gage’s forehead. In the ring, Gage is whipped into the exposed steel turnbuckle. MASADA misses a charge and Gage connects with two facewash kicks. A barbed wire table is setup in the ring. MASADA hits a russian leg sweep but gets caught with an atomic drop. Gage electric chair slams him through the barbed wire table. Gage hits a piledriver and a powerbomb but MASADA won’t stay down. MASADA back drops Gage into the barbed wire and connects with a boot. They trade unprotected chair shots to the head. MASADA hits a DDT for a nearfall. He whips Gage with barbed wire and then presses it against his forehead. MASADA wraps barbed wire around his right arm and connects with repeated elbows. Gage reverses a suplex into a small package to win the tournament and retain his title at 21:59. The first half of this match was entertaining and smartly worked. They were using the barbed wire in creative ways and had the crowd’s attention. However, the action towards the end became plodding and even stupid at points with the multiple unprotected chair shots. Additionally, the finish wasn’t a satisfying culmination of a twenty-two minute deathmatch. Overall, this was a decent weapons-based brawl that could have benefited from a shorter duration. **½

Gage and MASADA show respect for each other after the match. DJ Hyde gives Gage his trophy and title. Gage leaves through the crowd with his winnings. Hyde says that CZW might return to Germany next year with a cage. He thanks the crowd as and the relationship between CZW and wXw looks to be strong.

The 411: T.O.D. vs. Gorefest is a worthwhile show that provides enough quality non-deathmatch action to compliment the weapon-based brawls. The eight-man tag team match was a solid showcase while Callihan delivered another great performance. As far as the deathmatches are concerned, they were decent for the most part with Younger/MASADA standing out the most. If you want a deathmatch tournament, you’re probably better off buying Tournament of Death 9. However, I would say that this was a better show overall and a fine way to cap off CZW’s stint in Germany. Slight recommendation.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]