COMBAT ZONE WRESTLING BEST OF THE BEST 2 6/8/02

Running Time: 4 hours

The video started with a cool music video highlighting the participants in the Best of the Best 2 tournament. Cool video, partially because the participants' styles were made for highlight reels. The event itself began with each participant being brought out, and the first round matches were announced.

1. Round One: M-Dogg 20 vs Trent Acid vs Gabriel

Acid punched Gabriel and chopped M-Dogg repeatedly. M-Dogg and Gabriel then gave Acid some chops. Acid chopped Gabriel from the apron but M-Dogg jumped off the middle rope and knocked Acid off the apron with a dropkick. Gabriel then gave Acid a second rope dropkick of his own before Acid could regain his bearings. Gabriel blocked a clothesline but M-Dogg backdropped him over the top rope and Gabriel grazed Acid. Gabriel hit a cool slingshot moonsault to the floor on Acid for a pop. Gabriel punched Acid. M-Dogg faked a dive but Gabriel gave him a slingshot cross bodyblock for a near fall. Gabriel hung M-Dogg upside down in the corner but missed a sliding kick. Gabriel barely avoided crotching himself on the ringpost but grabbed M-Dogg's head. Acid then took out both opponents with a sliding dropkick in the corner. Acid knocked M-Dogg off the top rope to the canvas with a springboard legdrop. Acid punched M-Dogg but missed a clothesline. M-Dogg countered a German suplex from Acid with elbows. M-Dogg went to monkey flip Acid but Gabriel hit a top rope dropkick that knocked M-Dogg on top of Acid. Gabriel gave Acid a 619 and a slingshot moonsault for a near fall. Gabriel and M-Dogg 20 hit simultaneously a springboard dropkick and flying bodypress on Acid. The three men exchanged punches. M-Dogg went for a back suplex but Acid flipped out of it. Acid and M-Dogg did a back suplex duplex of sorts (M-Dogg suplexed Gabriel as Acid suplexed him). Acid punched Gabriel and chopped M-Dogg. Acid ran into a boot by M-Dogg. M-Dogg charged, Acid threw him overhead and M-Dogg then gave Gabriel a huracanrana. Acid gave M-Dogg a falcon arrow of sorts for a near fall. Gabriel and Acid traded leg kicks but Acid scored with a stiff kick. Acid missed a yakuza kick in the corner and Gabriel dropkicked Acid as his leg was caught in the ropes. Gabriel gave Acid a flip neckbreaker and a corkscrew top rope senton for a near fall. M-Dogg gave Gabriel a shooting star LEGDROP (!). Acid then gave M-Dogg a yakuza kick and pinned Gabriel at 6:06 to eliminate Gabriel from the tournament. Well, the finish should be the most memorable part of a match like this, and it was. M-Dogg's shooting star legdrop was one of the damndest things I've ever seen. This was a fun opener. Good highspots from all three with reasonable execution. Of course not much flow, but it made sense to see them going all out from the start given the tournament setting. Acid didn't do much stalling, so he was fine. I also like his using the yakuza kick as his finisher, which could prolong his career (maybe)- he has the athletic ability/style to do a much more dangerous finisher, but he's doing the smart thing by sticking to a basic finisher that he can execute very well. **

2. Round One: Super Dragon vs B-Boy vs Nick Berk

B-Boy and Dragon attacked Berk at the start but Berk gave them a double Japanese armdrag. Dragon elbowed Berk and chopped him. Dragon gave Berk a backbreaker and held him as B-Boy scored with a dropkick to his face. Dragon gave Berk a standing corkscrew senton for a near fall. B-Boy hiptossed Berk for a near fall and kicked him. B-Boy chopped Berk as did Dragon. B-Boy whipped Dragon into Berk in the corner and B-Boy gave hunched over Berk a dropkick in the corner. B-Boy catapulted Berk into an over the knees backbreaker, then held him as Dragon scored with a top rope kneedrop. B-Boy rolled up Dragon for a near fall. Dragon and B-Boy chopped Berk but Dragon missed a corner splash. Berk backdropped B-Boy out of the ring and hit a somersault plancha over the ringpost. Berk gained a near fall on Dragon and punched him. Berk gave Dragon an x-factor for a near fall. Dragon countered a Berk driver but Berk tripped him and applied a modified Mutolock. B-Boy then hit both opponents while in the hold with a slingshot somersault senton. B-Boy snapmared Berk and punted his back. He chopped Berk's back and gave him a great urunage. B-Boy knocked Berk off the apron with an enzuguiri, leaving himself in the ring against archrival Dragon. B-Boy ran into a boot in the corner and Dragon kicked him. B-Boy countered and blocked a tornado DDT. Berk came in but Dragon kicked him. Dragon then gave Berk a neckbreaker and B-Boy a DDT simultaneously for a near fall on both men. Berk gave both opponents punches and a double neckbreaker of sorts. Berk flipped up and hit a double dropkick to their heads (the systematic breakdown) for a near fall. Berk gained a near fall on Dragon. Berk missed a clothesline and B-Boy gave him an inverted DDT. B-Boy missed a clothesline and Dragon German suplexed him. Dragon went for a second German suplex but Berk gave him a running forearm. Berk dropped B-Boy on his head with a half nelson German suplex but Dragon then gave Berk a dragon suplex for a near fall. Dragon went for a psycho driver but B-Boy attacked him. Berk gave B-Boy a Berk-something (Berkicet?), which was a double arm spinning neckbreaker/DDT. Dragon then gave Berk a psycho driver II for the pin at 8:02. Definitely a good match between three very solid perfomers. Berk has certainly improved quite a bit from what I saw of him in 2001, looking much sharper in executing his moves. Some cool innovative moves and new versions of moves I don't recall seeing before. Dragon looked like major league material. **3/4

3. Round One: Ruckus vs Tony Mamaluke vs Max Fury

Fury headlocked Mamaluke but Mamaluke pushed him off. They did a criss cross and Fury and Mamaluke double hiptossed Ruckus. Ruckus kicked them away and gave them a double Japanese armdrag. Ruckus took Fury and Mamaluke out with an amazing fat boy space flying tiger press worthy of Sayama and Sasuke. Ruckus gave Fury some kicks in the corner. Fury whipped Ruckus into a corner but Ruckus dumped him to the apron. Fury did a second rope backflip into a rollup on Ruckus for a near fall. Fury dropkicked both opponents out of the ring. He did a flying bodypress off the apron but Mamaluke and Ruckus caught him and slammed him back first into the ringpost. Ruckus punched Mamaluke but Mamaluke fought back and applied a Fujiwara armbar. Mamaluke belly to belly suplexed Fury for a one count. Ruckus telegraphed a backdrop and Mamaluke gave him a Russian legsweep into a spaghetti bender submission hold. Fury stomped Mamaluke and elbowed him. Ruckus gave Fury a tilt-a-whirl and Fury spun around into a cool tornado DDT on Mamaluke. Fury dropkicked Ruckus's legs, used his back as a launch pad and gave Mamaluke a shooting star press but virtually landed head first nearly botching the move. Ruckus applied an STF on Fury but Mamaluke then applied an STF on Ruckus briefly. Fury missed a kick and Ruckus flipped him into an Ace crusher. Mamaluke gave Ruckus a rolling neck snap but Ruckus pulled him out of the ring. Fury punched Ruckus but missed a spin kick on a criss cross. Ruckus fell over the top rope when Mamaluke pulled the rope down. Mamaluke gave Fury a twisting back suplex on his head for a near fall. Ruckus superkicked Fury and slammed him. Ruckus did a cartwheel into a running phoenix splash. Mamaluke threw Ruckus off the apron and Ruckus took a flip bump to the concrete. Mamaluke went for a wheelbarrow suplex, Fury countered, but Mamaluke basically gave him a double chicken wing/face first slam combo for the pin at 6:04. Another fun match, less psychology than the last match, if any at all, but lots of nice moves and smooth flow from one spot to another. All three worked really well together except for the botched shooting star press, and even that didn't mess up the flow. Good spotfest, and Mamaluke worked better with Ruckus than I expected. Fury looked a bit green, but had some really nice moves and showed major league potential. Ruckus was simply off the charts with his flying spots, as they were spectacular by any standard much less for someone who had to be legit over 250 pounds and under 6 feet. **1/2

4. Round One: Johnny Kashmere vs Jody Fleisch vs Jonny Storm

Fleisch hit Kashmere with a spinning kick. Storm launched off Jody's back with a somersault plancha on Kashmere. Jody missed a somersault plancha but landed on his feet. Kashmere gave Storm a forearm. Jody jumped off the top rope but Kashmere dropkicked him in mid-air. Storm and Jody double teamed Kashmere in the corner and whipped him into the opposite corner. Jody whipped Storm in but Storm missed a corner splash. Kashmere clotheslined Jody. Kashmere monkey flipped Storm out of the corner, Storm landed on his feet and collided with Jody. Jody and Storm exchanged punches. Storm applied a Gori special on Jody but Jody escaped. Jody lifted Storm for a Gori special suplex but Kashmere hit a top rope splash on both of them. Kashmere gained a near fall on both opponents. Jody chopped and kicked Kashmere. Storm and Jody went for a backdrop but Kashmere jumped off their backs and basically gave them a double spear. Kashmere bulldogged Storm and knocked Jody off the apron into the barricade with a yakuza kick. Kashmere clotheslined Storm out of the ring and hit a tope on Jody. Kashmere hit a crazy running somersault plancha on Storm, crazy in that he almost hit head first on the concrete. Gabriel ran in and hit Kashmere with a chair and attacked him. Gabriel went for another chairshot but Kashmere hit him with a baseball bat and gave him a cradle breaker. Storm gave Kashmere a victory roll, held his pants and pinned him at 4:43. Pretty good action, some spectacular spots, but not as fresh as the first three matches. Fleisch and Storm didn't get a chance to really strut their stuff while Kashmere didn't blend well with their styles. **

5. Battle Royal

This might be a clustermess, I'll try to do my best in the description. Chris Cash and GQ came out first, followed by the H-8 Club (Nick Gage and Nate Hatred), who attacked them. Gage and Hatred gave their opponents a great beating, including a chokeslam into a backbreaker and a tilt-a-whirl face first slam. VD (Eddie Valentine & Jon Dahmer) came out next, and went after Gage and Hatred. Gage whipped Valentine into a table and the barricade and Hatred hit Dahmer with a chair. Gage hit Valentine with a brutal chairshot at ringside. John ??? came out next but Dahmer threw him out of the ring. Gage and Hatred dominated Valentine and Dahmer at ringside. Z-Barr came out next, and gave Cash and GQ a double clothesline. Cash and GQ got the better of Z-Barr in the ring. Z-Barr was suplexed as VD and H-8 Club continued to brawl with tables and chairs at ringside. Someone called RFK (as well as Cowboy) came out but was attacked at ringside. Dahmer bashed RFK with a chair. Sun G (sp?) came out and hit a great somersault plancha on someone. H-8 Club dominated the action in the ring and continued to attack their opponents with chairs. Wild, great action by battle royal standards. The Softcore Connection came out next. Ian Knoxx and Styles came out. The ring looked more like a typical battle royal at this point but there was also much action around the ring. Danny Rose came out and attacked Gage. Ty Street was eliminated. Gage and Hatred gave Z-Barr a flapjack slam and Hatred clotheslined him out of the ring to eliminate him. Rick Michaels was next in the match. Gage hit Z-Barr with a chair as he was walking to the back. Josh Prohibition was next, but someone press slammed him out of the ring (I think it was Gage). Adam Flash entered the ring and attacked Hatred. Flash attacked Dahmer. The Rockin Rebel came out next. Hatred eliminated Valentine and Gage eliminated Dahmer. Messiah came out next and Rebel ousted Gage. Hatred eliminated Rebel. Gage and Flash were both ousted by Gage. Justice Pain ran in and DDTd Messiah. Pain threw Messiah over the top rope to supposedly win the match after about 16:00. Very hard to describe the action, because I didn't have a clue who half the participants were because of my limited CZW experience. Wild and hot action by battle royal standards, because wrestlers were brawling around ringside with weapons in addition to the standard battle royal fare. The last few eliminations came a bit too sudden, as did the entrances. This was done Royal Rumble style, but with one minute intervals, and often two wrestlers would enter at once, and this diluted the value of this system a bit. Fun match, I guess **ish, actually really hard to rate. Definitely better than the average battle royal, though.

6. Quarterfinals: Trent Acid vs M-Dogg 20

Acid stalled for the entire first two minutes of the match. Acid took down M-Dogg with a waistlock and applied a wristlock. Acid snapmared M-Dogg and applied a chinlock but M-Dogg countered with a hammerlock. Acid hammerlocked M-Dogg but M-Dogg snapmared him. They traded rollups for near falls. M-Dogg flipped out of hiptoss and monkey flip attempts. Acid took M-Dogg down but M-Dogg did a kip-up and dropkicked his gut. Acid stalled again, and this was getting very annoying. He and M-Dogg had some pretty nice, unexcessive exchanges, so why this crap??? M-Dogg gave Acid an armringer and wristlock but Acid countered with a wristlock of his own. They picked up the pace. Acid elbowed M-Dogg but M-Dogg gave him a great Japanese armdrag. M-Dogg jumped off the second rope in the corner and armdragged Acid. M-Dogg gave Acid another cool armdrag and Acid rolled out of the ring and stalled-AGAIN! Come on, the exchanges have been quite good, but this Zbyszcoing is ruining it! Acid blocked a tilt-a-whirl headscissors but M-Dogg blocked a Rocker dropper. They had a criss cross and Acid feigned a knee injury. Damn, this is annoying. Acid attacked M-Dogg from behind and clotheslined him. Acid gave M-Dogg an enzu-lariat for a near fall and choked him. Acid chopped M-Dogg twice and gave him a backbreaker. Acid applied a full nelson (called a sugar hold) on M-Dogg. A full nelson in CZW??! Acid choked M-Dogg and applied a surfboard followed by a chinlock. Let's see how long this lasts...M-Dogg escaped after not too much time. Acid knocked M-Dogg out of the ring with a knee to his thigh. Acid asked for some chairs from the crowd and got about a dozen. Acid choked M-Dogg again. Acid chopped Ruckus and punched him. M-Dogg gave Acid a headscissors takedown out of the corner. Acid backdropped M-Dogg over the top rope but M-Dogg landed on the apron. M-Dogg gave Acid a slingshot headscissors takedown. M-Dogg went for a tornado DDT but Acid countered and placed him on the top rope. M-Dogg countered an Acid bomb (iconoclasm it looked like) and gave him a cool inverted tornado DDT out of the corner. M-Dogg hit an amazing space dog M-Dogg driver (space flying tiger press) on Acid for a pop. M-Dogg whipped Acid into the ringpost and hit a flagpole press, in which he basically balances in mid-air while holding onto the top rope, then splashes his opponent on the floor. Weird but impressive spot. M-Dogg set up some chairs at ringside but Acid attacked him. Acid hit M-Dogg with a chair and rammed him into the apron. M-Dogg fought back but Acid kicked him and DDTd him on the edge of the apron. Acid took forever setting up a bunch of chairs at ringside and chopped M-Dogg onto the chairs. Acid then went for a moonsault off the top rope but M-Dogg pulled him down and kicked him. M-Dogg stomped Acid's leg. M-Dogg then jumped off the top rope and gave Acid a spinning huracanrana from the apron through the chairs on the floor, nearly spiking his head in the process in an absolutely insane spot that was *almost* worth the setup time. M-Dogg sold his knee, which he had done previously as well. M-Dogg missed a shooting star press or legdrop (hard to tell). They traded punches and Acid won the exchange. Acid hit a jumping knee in the corner (called a version of the shining wizard, which was questionable). M-Dogg gave Acid an armdrag out of the corner as Josh Prohibition came out. M-Dogg dropkicked Josh off the apron, then gave Acid a reverse rana/frankentoyota. M-Dogg dove onto Josh at ringside but Josh hit him with a chair and piledrove him on the chair. Acid then gave M-Dogg a yakuza kick for the pin at 20:00. Cheap finish to a really annoying match. Acid's worst side was in full force here, with his seemingly endless stalling and taking forever to set up his chairs spot. His work wasn't always smooth in going from one spot to another, but generally solid enough I liked it. M-Dogg has enough cool moves, and not just insane ones too, to have star potential. He isn't very polished, but lots of fun to watch. Had it not been for the stalling, this would've likely been **1/2-***. But the stalling ruined this match something fierce (as Dave Meltzer might say). 3/4*

7. Quarterfinals: Super Dragon vs B-Boy

More stalling early, not quite as bad as the previous match. B-Boy hammerlocked Dragon, Dragon countered, B-Boy took down Dragon. They had a solid exchange on the mat and Dragon applied a chinlock. B-Boy countered and applied a hammerlock. B-Boy took down Dragon with a headlock, Dragon countered with a headscissors, B-Boy kicked out. They repeated that sequence with Dragon getting the headlock, etc. They shoved and slapped each other. B-Boy took down Dragon and gave him some crossface blows. B-Boy went for a cross armbreaker but Dragon countered and landed punches from the mount. B-Boy went for the cross-armbreaker again but Dragon reached the ropes. Not super, but nice wrestling to start out with some patience shown. Good sign. Dragon monkey flipped B-Boy kinda and applied a cross armbreaker. B-Boy barely reached the rope with his foot. Dragon gave B-Boy a heel kick in the corner and a top rope kneedrop. Dragon went for a tope but B-Boy punched him in mid-move from ringside. B-Boy hit a top rope missile dropkick, snapmared Dragon and punted his back. B-Boy gave Dragon a rolling neck snap and a second one as Dragon faced the mat. B-Boy hit a second rope kneedrop and applied a chinlock/armbar combo (hooking Dragon's arm with his leg) called the San Diego stretch. B-Boy taunted Dragon and hung him upside down in the corner. B-Boy then gave Dragon a dropkick to his head and a dropkick to Dragon's face as he was slouched down in the corner in a bronco buster position. B-Boy gained a delayed near fall and punched Dragon. B-Boy blocked dragon and German suplex attempts. Dragon countered a German suplex with elbows and gave B-Boy a double arm DDT. Dragon gave B-Boy a kneelift and piledrove him for a near fall. Dragon hit a great springboard spin kick to the back of B-Boy's head for a near fall. Dragon chopped B-Boy repeatedly in the corner but ran into a kick. B-Boy gave Dragon a T-bone suplex and Dragon crashed partially into the corner. B-Boy punched Dragon but Dragon fought back. B-Boy rolled Dragon up for a near fall and gave him an armbar into a somersault rollup of some kind for a near fall in a spot with lucha flavor. Dragon gave B-Boy an armbar/headscissors takedown combo for a near fall. They ran into each other. Dragon missed a lariat and B-Boy flattened him with a shoda for a near fall. B-Boy gave Dragon a cross special brainbuster for a near fall. Dragon was whipped into the corner but gave B-Boy a lariat. Dragon scored with a second lariat for a near fall. Dragon gave B-Boy his psycho driver and B-Boy rolled out of the ring to avoid the pinfall in a nice psychology bit. Dragon missed a phoenix splash and B-Boy gave him a backdrop driver. B-Boy gave Dragon a second backdrop driver and Dragon rolled out of the ring. B-Boy picked up Dragon on the apron and brought him back into the ring with a third backdrop driver for the pin at 15:13. Some fans gave them a subdued standing ovation. Fans didn't seem to get into it, but that was understandable as this was much less a spot-driven match than the previous matches. These two showcased some great athletic spots, but also paced themselves trying a more heavyweight puroresu approach. Not that polished, but a nice attempt and much stronger fundamentally than any match so far. They saved most of the big moves for the second half after some nice wrestling exchanges early. Some might not like how much head dropping they did late, but at least the head dropping led to the end result. Cool finish, almost out of the Steve-Williams-Kenta Kobashi playbook (the legendary finishing backdrop driver sequence). Good use of submission holds, and both men used some unusual holds to keep them interesting. Can't say they put together a great package, but there were enough positives to make this a very good match, and great by indy standards. ***1/4

8. Quarterfinals: Ruckus vs Tony Mamaluke

Mamaluke took down Ruckus early but Ruckus held his own on the mat. Mamaluke went after Ruckus's arm near the ropes. Ruckus headlocked Mamaluke and they had a criss cross. Ruckus did a backflip into a headscissors takedown, armdragged Mamaluke and dropkicked him out of the ring. Ruckus faked a dive but attacked Mamaluke at ringside and whipped him into the barricade. Mamaluke backdropped Ruckus over the barricade into the crowd. Mamaluke gave Ruckus a tornado DDT off the barricade on the concrete floor. He dumped Ruckus back over the barricade to ringside and gained a near fall back in the ring. Ruckus blocked a hiptoss, but Mamaluke rolled into an anklebar. Mamaluke rammed Ruckus's knee into the mat twice. He tried to do it again but Ruckus countered with an enzuguiri in a cool spot. Ruckus hit a somersault plancha but sold his knee. Ruckus gained a near fall in the ring. Mamaluke flipped out of a back suplex and gave Ruckus a victory roll for a near fall. Ruckus clotheslined Mamaluke and vertical suplexed him for a near fall. Ruckus hit a standing moonsault for a near fall. Ruckus went to the top rope but Mamaluke shoved the ref into Ruckus, who crotched himself on the top rope. Mamaluke went to the top rope and traded punched with Ruckus. Ruckus shoved Mamaluke off the top rope into the barricade at ringside and Mamaluke took his typical nasty spill. Mamaluke gave Ruckus a divorce court, which is basically an arm-first DDT. Mamaluke botched a rolling armbar but did apply a cross armbreaker on Ruckus. Mamaluke kicked Ruckus hard and attacked his arm. Mamaluke applied a top hammerlock for a near fall. Mamaluke punched Ruckus and gave him a Russian legsweep into a spaghetti bender hold. Mamaluke landed a European uppercut. Ruckus fought back and hit a razzle dazzle, which is the old hurricane Kronus move from ECW. Ruckus did a somersault into a Rocker dropper on Mamaluke for a near fall. Ruckus headbutted Mamaluke and chopped him repeatedly. Ruckus went for a corner splash but Mamaluke countered with a drop toehold and Ruckus fell head first into the middle turnbuckle. Mamaluke gave Ruckus an inverted x factor and they traded rollups for near falls. Both men clotheslined each other. Ruckus missed a superkick but kicked Mamaluke's leg. Ruckus hit a standing shooting star press and pinned Mamaluke at 11:30. Decent match, but not very well structured AND it lost steam in the second half. Ruckus looked amazing again hitting his highspots, but his lack of polish and sense of pacing showed in a big way. Mamaluke's work was solid and again he meshed reasonably well with Ruckus, but didn't have a strong enough command of the match's flow to make it cohesive. One of the weakest matches so far, but that's definitely a good sign in my book. *3/4

9. Quarterfinals: Jody Fleisch vs Jonny Storm

Storm stalled a bit early. They did a criss cross and a great exchange of misses and counters early for a pop. They traded armringers and flip counters. Fleisch appeared to go for a dragon screw but Storm countered and landed on top of him for a one count. Fleisch countered with a sunset flip for a near fall. Storm went for a German suplex but Fleisch countered and rolled him up for a near fall. Storm did a somersault into a side rollup for a near fall. Fleisch gained a near fall with la magistral. Storm hammerlocked Fleisch, Fleisch snapmared him but Storm held onto the hammerlock. Fleisch gave Storm an armringer but Storm flipped off the top rope and armdragged him. Storm gave Fleisch a Japanese armdrag, drop toehold and a headlock. Fleisch countered with a wristlock and an armringer but Storm countered and gained a couple near falls with a knucklelock. Fleisch backflipped off Storm's shoulders and gave him a spin kick. Storm backdropped Fleisch over the top rope but Fleisch landed on the apron and knocked Storm out of the ring with a spectacular springboard missile dropkick to the back of his head. Fleisch hit a crazy springboard shooting star plancha for a pop. Fleisch kicked Storm. Storm whipped Fleisch into the corner but ran into a double boot. Storm blocked a tornado DDT and deposited Fleisch on the top rope. Storm chopped Fleisch, leaped to the top rope and gave Fleisch a huracanrana to the mat. Storm kicked Fleisch but telegraphed a backdrop and Fleisch kicked him. Storm gave Fleisch a spinning sky high powerbomb of sorts. Storm punched Fleisch and gave him a Storm driver for a near fall. Storm missed a clothesline, Fleisch tried to jump off his shoulders, but Storm caught him with a low mule kick in a creative spot. Storm hit a top rope spin kick and Fleisch rolled out of the ring. Storm then hit a running springboard somersault plancha out of the corner onto Fleisch. Storm slapped Fleisch and hit him with a great chairshot. Storm whipped Fleisch into the barricade and Fleisch flew over the barricade into the crowd in a seemingly illogical bump (although it was spectacular). Storm took the fight into the crowd and hit Fleisch with a soda. Storm whipped Fleisch towards the wall near the building entrance but Fleisch scaled the wall and came off with a moonsault in his amazing patented highspot. Fleisch took the fight back to ringside but Storm fought back and crotched him on the barricade. Storm gave Fleisch a slingshot somersault senton on the floor using the barricade for leverage. Storm went to the top rope but Fleisch crotched him there before he could jump. Fleisch punched Storm but Storm elbowed him. Storm then hit a second rope iconoclasm for a near fall. Storm whipped Fleisch into the corner but ran into a kick and Fleisch gave him a Misteriorana (cartwheel, jump onto opponent's shoulders, spin, huracanrana) for a near fall. Fleisch missed a roundhouse kick and clothesline. Storm countered a wheelbarrow suplex with a corkscrew (not tornado) DDT for a near fall. Storm dumped Fleisch to the apron but Fleisch kicked him. Fleisch jumped off the top rope but Storm gave him a mid-air sitout powerbomb for a great near fall. Storm confronted the ref about the two count. Storm whipped Fleisch into the corner, jumped over him onto the top rope and jumped back with a huracanrana called the rewind for a great near fall. Storm blocked a kick but Fleisch gave him a shoulder to the gut. Fleisch kicked Storm and hit his amazing 720 DDT for the pin at 12:31. Fans gave them a standing ovation, and it was well-deserved. Not as much a revelation of a match as Briscoe vs Briscoe from the first Best of the Best, but like that match, this was the show stealer. Spectacular match for almost the last 8 or 9 minutes, with lots of creative spots and spectacular dives. If you like the kind of lucha libre popularized by Misterio, Psicosis, Juventud Guerrera and others with all the creative and crazy highspots, but also with reasonable flow, you'll really dig this match. Not as polished as those three, but cohesive enough and Fleisch and Storm maintained momentum throughout. Great execution in most of their highspots, especially given their difficulty. Much better than their 6/22/02 Ring of Honor match (which I'll review soon), and that was a fun match. Very little sloppiness here, just some weak transitions. Outstanding spotfest, perfect for the Best of the Best event. ***3/4

10. Semifinals: Trent Acid vs B-Boy

Acid slapped and chopped B-Boy. They exchanged forearms and knees. Acid landed a couple elbows and a kneelift but B-Boy responded with an elbow. They exchanged chops, slaps and elbows. B-Boy gave Acid a forearm against the ropes, snapmared him and punted his back. Acid bounced right up and gave B-Boy some kneelifts. Acid grabbed a chair but missed a chairshot. B-Boy gave Acid a double arm lift into a backbreaker, then spun him around into a DDT for a pop and a near fall. Both men missed clotheslines but B-Boy clotheslined Acid the second time around for a near fall. B-Boy gave Acid a head and arm suplex and a brainbuster for a near fall. B-Boy gave Acid a couple shodas in the corner but Acid asked for more. Acid blocked a shoda and flattened B-Boy with a shoda of his own. Acid landed a couple kicks and a roaring elbow. Acid gave B-Boy a jumping knee in the corner and a top rope missile dropkick for a near fall. Acid choked B-Boy and elbowed him. B-Boy landed some elbows but missed a clothesline. Acid missed a roaring elbow, B-Boy missed a shoda and blocked a yakuza kick. B-Boy shoved Acid down and gave him an enzuguiri. B-Boy hit a shining wizard for a near fall but missed an enzuguiri. Acid hit a roaring elbow but missed a second. Acid hit a mule kick and superkicked B-Boy. Acid then hit a yakuza kick for the pin at 6:57. Little stalling, no stupid telegraphed chair spots, and you get a pretty enjoyable performance from Acid. They kept it simple, mainly focusing on strikes and kicks with not too many big spots. A bit sluggish at times, but overall it worked really nicely, and their strikes weren't the sharpest, but solid enough to make it work. I'm really liking how they're getting over the yakuza kick as a lethal finisher. Both men worked really well together with the simple work. **1/2

11. Semifinals: Ruckus vs Jody Fleisch

They traded waistlocks and had a criss cross. Fleisch armdragged Ruckus but Ruckus responded in kind. Fleisch landed a kick and Ruckus missed a kick. Ruckus gave Fleisch an armringer. Fleisch countered but Ruckus gave him a spin kick and Fleisch rolled out of the ring. Ruckus hit a crazy moonsault where he ran across the apron, scaled the ringpost and flipped onto Fleisch. Incredible coordination for someone of Ruckus's build. Ruckus slammed Fleisch on the floor and did a cartwheel and backflip into a moonsault on the floor. Ruckus rammed Fleisch into a table and dumped him into the crowd. Ruckus took the fight towards the building entrance. Ruckus tried a wall climb moonsault but slipped and took a nasty spill on the concrete that came precariously close to being tragic. Ruckus actually created a hole in the wall. Fleisch then did a wall climb moonsault but Ruckus caught him and rammed him head first into the wall. He shouldn't have recovered that fast, but oh well. Back in the ring Ruckus gave Fleisch some shoulderblocks, whipped him into the corner but missed a razzle dazzle. Fleisch did a cartwheel flip into a great tornado DDT on Ruckus for a near fall. Fleisch hit a springboard huracanrana (not as smooth as Misterio's) for a near fall. Both men missed Van Daminators. Ruckus gave Fleisch an enzuguiri and rammed his head into a chair he was holding in the process (kinda like an inverted Van Daminator?). Ruckus gave Fleisch a Michinoku driver and placed a chair on his face. Ruckus then hit a moonsault legdrop onto the chair and Fleisch called the leap of fate for a near fall. Ruckus missed a second rope corkscrew senton and Fleisch hit a lousy chairshot and fans booed. Fleisch hit a better but still weak chairshot, then a third decent chairshot. Fleisch gave Ruckus a 720 DDT onto the chair for the pin at 6:49. Pretty much a spotfest without much rhyme or reason, and some major flaws, but overall lots of fun. Ruckus clearly only has one strength as a worker, that being his highspots, but in that regard he turned in a terrific showing. Fleisch was great once again, and they worked reasonably well together. The ending could have been structured much better though, with the chairshot sequence taking place more towards the middle. Great finish, a bit sudden, but acceptable given how hard they had worked to that point. I'd say the previous match was a bit better because it had fewer flaws, but this was in the same class. Good stuff. **1/2

12. CZW Heavyweight & Ironman Titles: Nick Mondo (Ironman Champion) vs Messiah (Heavyweight Champion) vs Justice Pain

Adam Flash was the ref for this match. Mondo and Messiah confronted Flash early. Flash pushed Mondo into Messiah and Messiah started punching Mondo. Mondo gave Messiah a huracanrana and a dropkick. Mondo hit a sloppy spin kick on Messiah and went for the pin but Flash turned his back instead of making the count. Messiah landed some punches and gave Mondo a spinebuster for a slow two count. Pain pulled the top rope down and Mondo slowly fell out of the ring (and I mean slowly as in it didn't look smooth). Pain kicked Messiah but ran into a boot. Pain gave Messiah a northern lights suplex of sorts and applied a cross armbreaker but Mondo kicked Pain. Pain and Mondo had a criss cross ending when Pain rolled up Mondo for a near fall. Messiah gave Pain a leg lariat and punched him. Pain chopped Messiah and clotheslined Mondo. Messiah gave Pain a northern lights suplex and more punches. Mondo gave Pain a slingshot blue thunder powerbomb for a slow near fall. Messiah gave Mondo a crucifix bomb for a near fall but Pain gave him a blockbuster. Messiah went to hit Pain with a chair but Flash took the chair away from him. Pain hit Mondo with the chair as Flash was looking at Messiah. Pain belly to belly suplexed Mondo for a near fall. Messiah confronted the ref and they shoved each other. Messiah went for a dragon suplex but Pain countered with a low mule kick. Mondo and Pain went at it as Messiah gave Flash a Death Valley driver. Danny Rose came out and hit Messiah with a chair. Mondo gave Pain, who was sitting on the mat, a top rope knee to the back of his head. A second ref came in to count the pin but Flash hit him with a chair. Messiah clotheslined Mondo and threw him out of the ring. Pain clipped Messiah from behind and kicked him. Messiah gave Pain the Godsmack (damn there are some stupid names for moves in the indies, including some here I refused to acknowledge), which is basically the old Buh Buh cutter. Messiah hit a cross bodyblock on Pain but both men crashed over the top rope to the floor and into the barricade. Mondo hit Messiah with a chair but Messiah recovered and whipped him into the barricade. Pain hit Messiah with a chair and rammed him into the barricade. Mondo punched both opponents and Messiah chopped Pain at ringside. After confronting Flash in the ring, Mondo hit a running somersault plancha over the ringpost in the corner and took out both opponents. Mondo punched Messiah and rammed him into the apron. Messiah whipped Mondo into the barricade. Messiah whipped Pain into the barricade and charged but Pain dumped him into the crowd. Back in the ring Mondo crotched Pain on the top rope. Messiah punched Mondo and superplexed him for a near fall but Mondo hit Messiah with a springboard legdrop. Pain jumped to the middle rope attempting a belly to belly superplex but Messiah knocked him to the ground and hit a top rope legdrop for a near fall. Mondo hit Pain with a chair but Messiah punched him. Mondo placed Messiah on a table in the ring and they fought on the table. Mondo gave Messiah a northern lights bomb through the table for a near fall. Mondo gave Pain a Michinoku driver. Messiah caught Mondo on the top rope but Flash knocked Messiah off the apron. Pain then jumped to the middle rope and gave Mondo a Pain driller (or killer? or something??), which is basically a running T-bone superplex, for the pin at 13:39 to win the title. Very little rhyme or reason to what they were doing, but their execution was generally fine. Good action, but kinda underwhelming in a setting like this, especially where they didn't bust out more big spots or dramatic near falls. Also the ref storyline was lame as hell given the title match setting. Decent work, but it came across as a spotfest as much as any other match on the show, and it was much less spectacular than most matches on the show as well. I enjoyed the battle royal more than this. *3/4

13. Best of the Best II Final: Trent Acid vs Jody Fleisch

Acid said they should do CZW style, and tossed a chair to Fleisch. They had a duel with the chairs and hit each other at the same time. Acid hit Fleisch with several chairshots and set up the two chairs along with a third. Acid placed Fleisch over the chairs and went to the top rope but Fleisch punched him. Fleisch went for a superplex but Acid countered. Fleisch held on and DDTd Acid through the chairs for a near fall. Fleisch rammed Acid into the apron and dumped him over the barricade. Fleisch hit an amazing Taka-style springboard superquebrada over the barricade onto Acid. Fleisch appeared to trip over some chairs in the crowd and Acid gave him a tornado DDT onto a chair flat on the concrete floor. Acid brought a table to ringside. Fleisch hit a Van Daminator style springboard dropkick (with chair) on Acid for a near fall. Fleisch brought the table into the ring and set it up in the corner. Acid fought back but Fleisch rammed him into the table. Acid missed a yakuza kick and Fleisch kicked him. After numerous reversals and counters Acid gave Fleisch a running blue thunder powerbomb through the table for a near fall. Acid ran into a kick and Fleisch hit a shooting star press for a near fall. Fleisch climbed to the top rope but Acid hit him with a chair. Acid hit a top rope frankentoyota (reverse rana) on Fleisch and a tumbleweed legdrop with a chair on Fleisch's face for a near fall. Acid hit a Yakuza kick for a nice near fall. Acid missed a yakuza kick and Fleisch gave him a roundhouse kick. Fleisch hit his 720 DDT for another good near fall. Fleisch went for a 720 DDT but Acid countered. Acid hit a jumping knee in the corner and gave Fleisch a yakuza kick for a heated near fall. Acid hit another yakuza kick and pinned Fleisch to win the tournament at 9:28. A bit short, but given how long they had worked previously the length was acceptable. Actually, it probably helped. After an up-and-down first few minutes quality-wise, the match got really good late as they focused the match really well around their finishers. Very good exchange of near falls and perhaps the best of the night in that regard. Some typical Acid chair use early, but it wasn't excessive and led to some strong spots early. Much better, more focused and more spectacular than the previous match. Not the best match of the tournament, and Acid was far from my favorite worker on the show, but a worthy finale. **3/4

I would really like to see/know how the first Best of the Best was, because given the accounts of that show, the sequel seemed better, with a greater depth of enjoyable and worthwhile matches. Unlike Ring of Honor (well, that's debatable but there is a point here), which generally presented a major league lineup of workers, this was a show with mostly indy-level talent. Great spots, variable selling, often lackluster transitions, not much psychology, etc. But as an indy show this was in the upper tier. It's very hard to find fault with an indy show where most matches rated ** or better, with several "good" matches and only one definitely bad match. Most matches contained some very enjoyable action and memorable spots. Again not the best indy show you'll find, but if you want to see a good mix of independent talent, including some workers who deserve more attention, this is a show worth checking out. Probably one of the best CZW shows to date, at least from what I've heard.

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