Views from the Hawke’s Nest: 2CW All or Nothing 2012

August 3, 2012

Muscle Marcos vs. Cheech vs. Loca Vida
Marcos did some generic mic work, running down the crowd, before the match. The crowd liked Cheech when he made his entrance.

Vida had some success against the two rudos early on. Eventually, Cheech and Marcos used the numbers game to cut off Vida. They worked him over. Marcos got a nearfall on Vida with a tornado DDT. Marcos ended up on the floor. Vida caught him with a seated senton. Cheech ended up on the floor. Vida then took out both rudos on the floor with a somersault plancha. Back in the ring, Cheech got submissions on Vida and Marcos simultaneously. Marcos came back with an Ace Crusher on Cheech. Vida came back with a 619 on Marcos; Cheech broke up the pinfall. Vida went for a top rope move on Vida, but Marcos caught him with an Ace Crusher: 1…2…3!

Muscle Marcos was apparently going to be having a confrontation with Diamond Dallas Page the next day, which is why he was using Ace Crushers in this match.

This was a solid opener, and it was definitely better than a lot of 2CW openers that I’ve seen. They didn’t do anything special, but they kept it simple and the crowd liked it.
Match Rating: **1/2

Bin Hamin vs. Zachary Springate III
Springate rushed the ring and got the upper hand. Unfortunately, it was a fake Bin Hamin. The real Bin Hamin finally made his way to the ring and was setting up to use a steel chair on Springate. First Class ran in and made the save. Bin Hamin went to the back. The fake Bin Hamin was Matt Milan. Springate challenged them to a handicapped street fight the next night.

I hate everything about this story.
Match Rating: Fail

Slyck Wagner Brown vs. Isys Ephex
This is my sixth 2CW show, and these two have been two of least favorite 2CW regulars to watch.

Ephex called for a dive early, but Brown cut him off. Brown then dropped Ephex on the metal guardrail. Brown got the heat for a while after that. Ephex eventually came back and sent Brown to the floor. Ephex then hit a tope con hello. Ephex got a nearfall with a diving crossbody. Brown came back with a Rough Ryder for a nearfall. They went back and forth for a bit. Ephex came back with a bridging dragon suplex: 1…2…3!

This match wasn’t all that interesting, as I expected going in. Neither of these guys light my world on fire, but the crowd was generally pretty responsive to them. I love the 2CW crowd.
Match Rating: **1/4

Super Smash Brothers (Player Dos & Player Uno)© vs. All Money Is Legal (K-Murda & K-Pusha) [2CW Tag Team Championships]
The teams went back and forth for a while to start the match. Not much of note happened until Dos hit a middle rope moonsault on Murda. The SSB worked over Murda for a while. Murda eventually hit Uno with a satellite DDT. Pusha tagged in and ran wild. Murda wiped out Uno with a tope suicida. Pusha got a nearfall on Dos with a Sliding D. Pusha hit a diving X-Factor on Dos. Uno ate a pair of dropkicks in the corner. Pusha hit Uno with a brainbuster for a nearfall. They did Kevin Ford’s favorite independent tag team spot, which obviously means that all four men went down after a bunch of movez. SSB hit Pusha with the Get Over Here Suplex and the Alabama Slam/Backstabber combo: 1…2…NO! Murda came back with a moonsault on Dos. Pusha followed it up with a swanton bomb: 1…2…NO! SSB managed to send Pusha to the floor, and they then hit Murda with the Fatality: 1…2…3!

This was a lot of fun, and it was easily the best match on the show so far. SSB is an excellent team to carry the 2CW tag team division, and I hope to see more of their defenses. I had never seen All Money Is Legal before, but they bring a lot of fun and athleticism to the table. Good stuff!
Match Rating: ***1/4

Masada vs. Colin Delaney
Masada was in control for a while. Colin eventually came back with a tope suicida and a suicida dive that was transitioned into a swinging DDT. Back in the ring, Masada cut off Delaney with a weak-ass clothesline. Masada worked over Colin after that. Colin eventually came back with a swinging DDT from the middle rope. Masada came back with a powerbomb. Delaney came back with a fisherman neckbreaker. Delaney went for a diving move, but Masada caught him with an uppercut: 1…2…3.

That finish came out of nowhere, which is fine since this was a midcard match. I think these two guys are both valuable members of the 2CW roster. I think they work best right now in the midcard setting, but I would be interested in either of them challenging Steen for the 2CW title. In fact, I really want to see Masada vs. Steen.
Match Rating: **3/4

Jason Axe vs. Mikey Whipwreck
Axe came out and cut a babyface promo putting over 2CW and the fact this was the final show in the “2CW Arena.” Whipwreck came out and attacked Axe. Thus, we have a match.

They end up on the floor quickly enough, and they start brawling. They got some plunder out, and a ladder was set up next to the guardrail. Axe went for a somersault dive off the apron, but Whipwreck moved and Axe crashed through the ladder. Whipwreck proceeded to work over Axe. This feels weird to me. Whipwreck has pretty much always been a babyface in my eyes, and I’ve only seen Axe be a bad guy in 2CW. Whipwreck got a couple of nearfalls, but Axe came back with a fisherman buster out of nowhere: 1…2…3!

The crowd showed Whipwreck some love after the match.

This was designed to be a short and fun brawl. With that in mind, this was perfectly fine. It didn’t light my world on fire, but it wasn’t supposed to. Whipwreck looks perfectly fine for his age. I wouldn’t mind seeing him against Kevin Steen in 2CW. Jason Axe isn’t my favorite 2CW performer, but he’s usually been solid in the matches that I’ve seen him in.
Match Rating: **1/2

Dick Justice & Pete D. Order (w/Eric M. Timmins) vs. First Class (Kevin Graham & Mike Van Slyke) vs. Team CK (Kage & Sean Carr) vs. The Killer Steves (Steve Kruz & Steve McKenzie)
Apparently this is a battle royal with the winners getting a tag title shot. Hopefully First Class win. This was every battle royal with bad athletes you’ve ever seen. Kruz was the first person eliminated. Pete D. Order was eliminated. McKenzie was eliminated. First Class and CK teamed up to eliminate Justice. First Class vs. CK battled it out for the tag title shot. Van Slyke eliminated Kage. Carr eliminated Van Slyke. Carr and Graham are both good, and the ideal way to end this match. Slyck Wagner Brown came out and distracted Carr. Graham eliminated Carr to win the match. Slyck Wagner Brown getting involved was not the ideal finish to this match.

I feel like I should you use this space to discuss my hatred for the film, Battle Royale, instead of wasting your time trying to explain why this battle royal was as boring as every battle royal you’ve ever seen. Eh, whatever. I’m tired. The right team won at least.
Match Rating: The Poop

Rich Swann vs. Jay Freddie
Neither guy could get a decisive advantage in the early stages of the match. The match was 50-50 for a good long while. Swann did a feint dive at one point, but Freddie then immediately hit a dropkick. Swann called for another dive, but Freddie caught him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Swann was eventually able to come back with a super hurricanrana and a tope con hello. Back in the ring, Freddie hit a sliding lariat for a nearfall. Swann hit a Scissors Kick for a nearfall of his own. Freddie came back with a Scorpion Deathdrop. Freddie then hit a sick kick and a tope suicida. Back in the ring, Freddie got a nearfall with a missile dropkick. Freddie called for the sharpshooter, but Swann avoided it. Swann came back with a superkick and a Lethal Injection: 1…2…NO! Freddie came back with an Alley Oop into a turnbuckle and a release German suplex: 1…2…no. This is one of those matches where they do more and more stuff, and it gets less and less of a reaction. Freddie went for a diving elbow, but Swann blocked it. Swann got a nearfall with a frogsplash. Freddie managed to lock in the sharpshooter out of nowhere, and Swann pretty much immediately tapped out.

I’m not a huge fan of Rich Swann singles matches, and this match wasn’t the exception. These two tried to have a really big time match, but they didn’t really engage me or the audience. Frankly, this was just way too serious and not enough fun. They definitely put in a great effort, but the match just never clicked like I expected it to.
Match Rating: **3/4

John Morrison vs. Sami Callihan

Sami Callihan vs John Morrison 8.3.12 from 2CW Squared Circle Wrestling on Vimeo.

This was the first Morrison match I’ve seen since he decided to not re-sign with the WWE. His abs look as good as ever. He came out to his WWE music, and he even got the slow motion entrance. The crowd loved him, but then they gave him “Sami’s Gonna Kill You” chants, which seemed to amuse Morrison.

They went back and forth at the start. Sami eventually sent him to the floor. Morrison got back on the apron, but Sami hit the Silverking Lariat and followed it up with a tope suicida. They brawled for a bit on the floor. At one point, Morrison jumped up on the apron and the guardrail and hit a moonsault. That was awesome. My description didn’t do it justice. Morrison brought him in the ring, and he started to work him over. . Morrison went for the ten punches in the corner, but Sami escaped and hit his superkick to the leg. Sami then went after Morrison’s now injured leg. Morrison eventually managed to hit a big DDT. They then traded some strikes. Morrison hit the C-4: 1…2…NO! Morrison went for Starship Pain, but Sami got his knees up. Sami hit a big lariat: 1…2…NO! Sami then got a Figure Four variation, but Morrison made it to the ropes. Morrison hit The Flying Chuck: 1…2…NO! “THIS IS AWESOME!” chants. Morrison tried to get Starship Pain, but Sami caught him with a saito suplex. Morrison came back with an enzuigiri and then the Starship Pain: 1…2…3!!!

This was a super entertaining match, and it was a significant step up from every other match on this show. Both guys worked hard, and the typical hot 2CW crowd didn’t disappoint. With ex-WWE guys, there always seems to be a chance that they will phone in these independent performances, but I was really happy with Morrison’s effort here. Other promotions would probably be lucky to have him make a guest appearance here and there. I wish Sami went over though.
Match Rating: ***3/4

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The 411: While the midcard definitely had some solid matches (especially the SSB tag title defense and Masada vs. Colin Delaney), this is pretty much a one-match show. In 2013, I really think DVDs need to be more than that to justify a purchase. However, Morrison vs. Callihan was a very unique and very entertaining match; thus, I would not begrudge anyone who would want to own it on DVD. 2CW is very close to becoming a great promotion. They need to cut out some of the fat and tighten up their shows so there aren’t so many lulls in quality. You can support 2CW by purchasing this DVD.

Final Score:  6.0   [ Average ]