THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA
ARTICLE #31
MARCH 25, 2002
Setting New Standards: The 2001 U.S. Independent Classics
SATs (Red, Joel Maximo & Jose Maximo) vs Briscoes (Mark & Jay) & Ric Blade 5/12/01
The Briscoes and Blade gave the SATs a triple dropkick and knocked them out of the ring with a triple clothesline. They then hit a great triple superquebrada on the SATs for a pop. Jay and Jose exchanged offense. Joel attempted a backdrop but Blade landed on his feet. They then had a kinda funky exchange that didn�t look quite right. Mark and Red had a good exchange ending when both men threw simultaneous dropkicks. Red got the better of Jay and gave him a stiff high kick. Jose gave Jay a stiff lariat. Jose gave Jay a drop toehold and Joel and Red hit sliding kicks to each side of Jay�s head. Jose applied a Romero special on Jay, Joel bent Jay�s head back with a dragon sleeper of sorts, and Red gave Jay a top rope dropkick while he was still in the hold. Jose maintained the hold, shifted Jay to a vertical position, and Red dropkicked him and Joel came off the top rope with a kneedrop. Red whipped Jay into the corner and hung him upside down there. Red did a backflip but Blade caught him. After a shaky exchange, Joel spin kicked Blade and gave him a snapmare and dropkick sequence for a near fall. Jose whipped Blade into the corner, Red whipped Jose into Blade and Red hit one of the sharpest running spin kicks in the corner you�ll ever see on Blade. Blade fought back with some kicks on Jose but Red and Joel gave him springboard top rope dropkicks. Joel then gained a near fall on Blade. Jose missed a moonsault on Blade, Mark missed a corkscrew swanton on Jose, Joel missed a 450 splash on Mark, and Blade missed a corkscrew top rope somersault legdrop on Joel. Red then missed a skytwister press on Blade but Jay missed a top rope senton on Red. Mark attempted a huracanrana but Jose countered with a powerbomb for a near fall. Blade gave Jose a couple corkscrew suplexes and a hammerlock cradle suplex dropped like a Michinoku driver for a near fall. Joel attempted a German suplex but Blade landed on his feet, Blade missed a kick and Joel German suplexed Blade for a near fall. Joel countered a brainbuster attempt but Jay gave him a tiger driver for a near fall. Red gave Jay a legsweep and hit a Red star press for a near fall. Mark crossed Red�s arms and gave him a burning hammer for a near fall. Mark backdropped Jose and then backdropped Joel into Jose. Blade crotched Red on the top rope. Blade lifted Jay, and Mark then got on Jay�s shoulders and Mark gave Red a tower superplex that was kinda botched in that it almost turned into Red giving Mark a brainbuster because, while Mark did the superplex, the tower didn�t move in sync with the bump. Fans did pop and it still was an amazing move. Jose knocked Blade off the apron with a spin kick. Jose crotched Jay on the top rope. The Maximos then gave Jay the Spanish fly (both men, one on each side, hold the victim like a Rock bottom, then jump off the top rope and flip him around so the victim takes a somersault bump and the Maximos do a backflip while maintaining the grip on their victim) for a near fall. Blade and the Briscoes then gave Joel a triple dropkick to the head with each man hitting from different sides. Jay then trapped Joel in a modified surfboard, Mark held a chair in front of Joel�s face, and Blade hit a top rope dropkick to the chair for a pop. Blade kicked Jose and Jay gave him a top rope senton. Mark hit a five star moonsault on Jose and Blade followed with a skytwister press for the pin at 13:17. Blade was the only real negative from a work standpoint. While his spots were great, his transitions and pacing were very weak at best and he looked like little more than a talented backyard wrestler at times. However, the other five were generally solid to very good in terms of pacing and mechanics, and their spots were amazing given their experience level. Blade prevented the match from being great, but the others made sure it was still very good. ***1/4
CZW Best of the Best Junior Tournament Quarterfinal: Mark Briscoe vs Jay Briscoe 5/19/01
Jay armdragged Mark early and they exchanged offense on the mat. They traded armbars and Mark took Jay down with a fireman�s carry. Jay worked on Mark�s arm and applied a cross armbreaker but Mark quickly reached the ropes. Jay snapmared Mark and maneuvered him into a pin position for a near fall. Jay grabbed a hammerlock but Mark maneuvered him out of the ring. They did a lengthy criss cross exchange ending when Mark spin kicked Jay. Jay applied an armbar but Mark landed some elbows. Another criss cross exchange ended with Mark giving Jay a Misteriorana. They exchanged Mexican armdrags and Jay gave Mark a huracanrana. Mark gave Jay a released German suplex and a conventional suplex with a bridge for a near fall. Mark gave Jay a snapmare/dropkick sequence and a kneedrop for a near fall. Mark slammed Jay and hit a springboard top rope kneedrop for a near fall. Mark landed a couple elbows but Jay fought back and gave Mark a tiger driver for a near fall. Jay snap suplexed Mark for a near fall. He tombstoned Mark and hit a top rope splash for a near fall. Jay gave Mark a spike DDT and attempted a tiger driver but Mark countered with a backdrop and landed on top of him for a near fall. Jay turned Mark over and dropped him straight down on his head with a tiger driver �91 that was almost dropped like a piledriver. Jay then gained a near fall on Mark. Jay whipped Mark into the corner and hit a running lariat. Jay whipped Mark into the opposite corner but Mark caught him coming in and gave him a fisherman buster. Mark then gave Jay a top rope spinning huracanrana off the apron to the floor for a huge pop. In an insane spot, Mark then hit a top rope moonsault splash onto Jay, who was flat on the floor. Mark then gained a near fall back in the ring. He gave Jay a gutbuster for a near fall and then a northern lights suplex. Mark gave Jay a northern lights superplex for a near fall and the fans gave them a standing ovation. Mark won an exchange of chops and gave Jay a burning hammer for a pop and a heated near fall. Mark powerbombed Jay but missed a five star moonsault. Jay then dropped Mark on his head with a great half nelson German suplex. Mark attempted a dragon suplex but Jay countered and gave him another half nelson German suplex for a great near fall. Jay gave Mark a top rope tiger driver and pinned him at 14:51. The fans gave then another well-deserved standing ovation. Other than the finish, which was kinda botched, the execution was pretty amazing not only because they were rookies, and not only because they were 17 and 16 years old, but also because of the complexity of their offense. Actually, if it had not been for the sloppy finish, this would have been a genuinely excellent match. Instead it was �great�, but downright amazing given the age and experience of the combatants. What impressed me most was their patience in saving the crazy dives and head dropping for later and starting out with the matwork and quick exchanges. Granted their transitions and psychology weren�t very advanced, but there were few if any awkward moments in terms of pacing and transitions. This has to be one of the best if not the best match between two under-20 male wrestlers in history. I think most fans would enjoy this match. ***3/4
SATs (Joel Maximo, Jose Maximo & Red) vs Divine Storm (Chris Divine & Quiet Storm) & Brian XL 6/8/01
Joel and Divine had a solid exchange to start. Joel monkey flipped Divine, then Divine monkey flipped Joel, then Joel gave Divine a huracanrana. Divine came off the second rope with a cool armdrag on Joel but Joel then hit a tilt-a-whirl armdrag of his own. They exchanged basic armdrags to end the first of many great sequences in this match. Storm and Jose then had an exchange of moves. Jose scored with a headscissors takedown. Storm started out with a headscissors but floated over and armdragged Jose. Storm monkey flipped Jose, Jose landed on his feet and they traded pin attempts. Brian and Red did simultaneous backflips off the ropes, traded armdrags, did more flips, and traded chops and kip-ups. Red hit a tilt-a-whirl headscissors but Brian landed on his feet. Red attempted a hiptoss but Brian landed on his feet again. They then dropkicked each other to end that exchange. Red got the better of Brian and tagged Jose. Jose gave Brian a drop toehold, Red and Joel hit simultaneous baseball slide kicks to Brian�s head, Jose applied a Romero special, Joel grabbed Brian�s head, and Red came off the top rope with a foot stomp. Jose maintained the hold, Red dropkicked Brian, Jose bent Brian back with a rear chinlock, and Joel came off the top rope with a kneedrop in a triple-team sequence that would made the Michinoku Pro guys blush. Joel then gained a near fall on Brian. Joel gave Brian a corkscrew suplex. Brian kicked Jose and Storm hit a top rope spinning huracanrana on Jose. Joel came in but Storm clotheslined him. Red gave Storm probably the hardest hitting high kick I�ve ever seen as Storm took a nasty bump on the mat. Joel then gained a near fall on Storm. All three SATs took turns elbowsmashing Storm. Jose gave Storm a sidewalk slam and applied a Boston crab. Joel then gave Storm a slingshot legdrop, Jose turned Storm over so he was facing upwards, and Red hit a top rope dropkick that turned Storm over like Jose was giving him a sunset flip and Jose gained a near fall. After numerous counters back and forth Storm jumped off the top rope but Jose speared him in mid-air in yet another amazing spot after which Joel gained a near fall. Jose missed a swanton on Storm, Divine missed a top rope splash on Jose, Joel missed a 450 splash on Divine, Brian missed a moonsault on Joel but landed on his feet, Joel gave Brian a legsweep, Red missed a skytwister press on Brian, and Storm missed a top rope splash on Red to end an absolutely exhausting sequence. Storm German suplexed Jose for a near fall. Joel gave Storm a fisherman suplex for a near fall. After a couple counters Divine gave Joel a brutal tiger suplex. Red then dropped Divine on his head with a great dragon suplex for a huge pop. Brian gave Red a northern lights suplex but Jose then gave Brian a fallaway slam for a near fall. Divine hit a tope suicida on Jose. Joel then took out both Divine and Jose with a superquebrada. Storm hit a corkscrew plancha. Brian then hit one of the greatest slingshot superquebradas I�ve ever seen, at least as good as Taka Michinoku used to do the move. Finally, Red launched off a chair and hit a magnificent springboard somersault plancha that was so great he almost overshot everyone. Red attempted a huracanrana, Storm blocked it, Storm flipped Red, Storm attempted a dragon suplex, then Red tried to counter with a rollup but Storm slammed him face first onto the mat. Jose gave Storm what started out as a tiger driver but turned into a flip slam with Storm landing on his front instead of his back and Jose gained a near fall. Brian gave Jose a corkscrew top rope flip into a tornado DDT in yet another breathtaking spot. Brian then hit a springboard 450 splash on Jose for a near fall. Joel hooked Brian�s arms under Brian�s crotch, held him in a powerbomb position while holding Brian�s arms, and gave Brian a full flip slam face first onto the mat for a near fall. Divine gave Joel something of a modified flatliner for a near fall. Red gave Divine a Samoan drop. Storm gave Jose a handspring elbow in the corner but Jose blocked a bulldog attempt. Jose dropped Storm on his head with a released German suplex. Then, at the exact same time, Jose hit a sliding kick to Storm�s head, Joel hit a sliding kick to Storm�s crotch, and Red hit his Red star press (standing shooting star press) on Storm. Storm and Divine knocked the Maximos out of the ring with top rope dropkicks. Divine gave Red what started as a TKO but ended as a turning slam for a near fall. Divine Storm picked up Red and lifted him on their shoulders, and Brian gave Red a springboard top rope dropkick. Divine Storm and Brian then gave Red the dropkicks to the head/Red star press combo. Divine went for a tope suicida but ran into a chairshot as did Brian on the other side. Storm went to the top rope to pounce on Red but the Maximos threw chairs from opposite sides that hit his head in another cool spot. Red kicked a diving Storm. The Maximos gave Storm the Spanish fly and Red followed with a phoenix splash. The SATs then pinned Storm at 15:18. Fans gave a standing ovation after the match, and it was well-deserved. If you�ve never seen these guys or at least at SATs, you MUST get this match on tape. This was definitely the most amazing spotfest I�ve ever seen, with hot moves and amazing sequences from start to finish. The execution varied, but for the most part was amazingly strong given the difficulty and complexity of the spots and sequences they were performing. Some would say that there was little sense of pacing and psychology in this match, but there didn�t have to be. Actually, the placement of moves was mostly reasonably logical. Red was the best performer, but actually didn�t steal the show because Brian was nearly as spectacular. When thinking about those two, picture two guys with characteristics of Rey Misterio Jr. & Great Sasuke, but much more insane and daring. The Maximos are great flyers, but even greater double-team artists, as their creativity of spots rivals if not surpasses the Kaientai-DX group from Michinoku Pro�s glory days. Storm and Divine were very solid, and very good bump-takers. There were numerous small flaws with this match, but keep in mind that only one performer was older than 21 years of age. Even with the flaws taken into consideration, there were just too many amazing, creative, breathtaking and well-executed spots for this not to get a high rating. ****1/2 (but in terms of spots blew away the 5-star scale).
JAPW Tag Team Title TLC Match: Insane Dragon & Dixie (c) vs Da Hit Squad (Mafia & Monsta Mack) w/Johnny D 7/7/01
Mack and Mafia attacked their opponents and gave them lariats. Mafia threw Dixie out of the ring and Mack chopped Dragon. Dragon ducked a lariat by Mack on the apron but ran into a chairshot from Mafia. Mack tackled and elbowsmashed Dixie. He threw Dixie out of the ring and into Mafia�s arms. In a funny spot, Mafia teased throwing Dixie into the crowd but then threw him back into the ring to draw heel heat. Mack backdropped Dixie over the top rope but in doing so Dixie crashed onto Mafia on the floor. Dragon charged at Mack but Mack threw him up and dropped him head first on the top turnbuckle. Mack rammed Dragon into the opposite corner and powerbombed him head first onto the top rope. Mafia lifted Dixie and dragged his face across the barricade in a cool heel spot I don�t recall seeing before. Mack gave Dragon a short powerbomb as Mafia dominated Dixie at ringside. Dixie rammed Mafia into the ringpost as Mack brought a ladder into the ring. Dixie gave Mafia a couple chairshots and Dragon bounced off the ropes with a headscissors takedown on Mack. Dragon hit a top rope corkscrew dive on Mack in the ring. Mafia slid under the ring and to the other side to try to escape Dixie�s wrath. However, when he reappeared Dixie met him with another chairshot. Dixie then suplexed a ladder onto Mafia at ringside. Mack missed a top rope headbutt on Dragon as Mafia�s head got caught in the ladder and apparently busted Mafia open. Dixie placed Mack between the two sides of the ladder and repeatedly slammed one side onto him in a neat spot. Dixie then gave Dragon the original Edge downward spiral (circa 1998) onto the ladder in which Mack was sandwiched. Dixie then slammed Dragon onto the ladder again in a funny spot that nearly killed his teammate. Mafia gave Dixie a high kick. Dixie attempted a sunset flip, Mafia countered but missed a punch but recovered and suplexed Dixie onto the ladder. Dragon knocked Mafia out of the ring with an enzuguiri. Dixie climbed the ladder to get the belts but Mack followed him and knocked Dixie off the ladder by hitting him with the belts as they hung from the ceiling. Dixie recovered and tipped the ladder into Mack as Mack climbed down. Dixie climbed the ladder, Mafia tried to knock the ladder over, but Dixie jumped off just in time and Mafia basically clotheslined the ladder in another creative twist. Dixie missed a clothesline and Mafia dropped him on his head with a spectacular half nelson German suplex. Mafia grabbed the ladder but Dragon hit a springboard dropkick that knocked the ladder into Mafia. Dragon charged towards Mafia but Mack intercepted him with a spear. Mafia hit Dixie with the ladder and slid the ladder into his crotch. As the one ladder end was propped against Dixie�s crotch, Mack and Mafia hit the other end with chairs in a painful-looking spot. Dragon ducked a chairshot from Mack but ran into a chairshot from Mafia. Mafia set up the ladder in a corner as a table was brought into the ring. Mafia placed Dragon on the table. Mack dove off the ladder but Dixie moved Dragon so Mack crashed through the table. Dragon and Dixie dropkicked Mafia into Mack and Dragon superkicked Mafia. Dragon and Dixie clotheslined Mafia in the gut with the ladder in the corner, then kept the ladder propped on the middle ropes in front of Mafia. Dixie dropkicked the ladder into Mafia and Dragon launched onto the ladder and kicked him in the face. Dixie held the ladder so one end was right at Mafia�s face and Dragon hit the other end with a chair. Dixie tried unsuccessfully to retrieve the belts. Dixie did a sunset flip over the top rope and powerbombed Mack, after Dragon hit him with the ladder, from the apron to the floor through a table. Dragon climbed the ladder to get the belts but Mafia came in, grabbed him off the ladder, and went to give him a burning hammer. However, Dixie pulled Dragon off Mafia�s shoulders. Dragon gave Mafia an enzuguiri, Dixie hit an elbow strike, and knocked him down with a roaring elbow. Dixie climbed the ladder to get the belts but the ladder was too far away, so Dixie jumped off and legdropped Mafia. Dragon climbed up, lunged for the belts but missed, but landed with a splash on Mafia from the top of the ladder. Dragon and Dixie climbed up again but Mack intercepted Dragon with several chops. Dixie dove off the ropes but Mack slammed him down and Dixie took a really hard bump. Dragon dove off the top rope but Mack caught him and Mafia gave him a burning hammer. Mafia and Mack then took their opponents to the stage and upper deck area in the ECW Arena. They stacked two tables on the stage and placed Dixie on the top table. Mafia then powerbombed Dragon off the upper deck, onto Dixie and through the two tables in the ultimate exclamation point spot of the match. Da Hit Squad returned to the ring and Mack climbed the ladder and retrieved the belts to win the title at 16:32. In many ways this was an indy-level match. Da Hit Squad were solid in everything they did, but seemed to lack that something extra that could translate into major league superstardom. As a team, though, they really worked well, and the stiffness of their work ranged from strong to unreal. As for Dixie and Dragon, they had their flaws in that they didn�t seem overly polished or focused, especially in between spots as some of their movements and transitions seemed awkward. However, they worked their butts off, took a ton of punishment and great bumps, and worked beautifully as Spike Dudley-sized underdog types. Finally, as a whole the match had its positives. All four men worked really hard, the match never dragged, and there were a ton of creative, brutal and spectacular spots. Despite the weaknesses in pacing, the finisher was appropriate as it was easily the most memorable spot of the match, and it did establish Da Hit Squad as a lethal team, which was good since they were about to have a tag team title reign. Overall, a great match, and all four showed that they have strong major league potential. ***1/2
ECWA Title: Scott Andrews (c) vs Low Ki vs Christopher Daniels vs American Dragon 9/22/01
Andrews attacked Ki�s left arm. Ki gave Andrews some really loud chops, a snapmare and a chinlock. Ki went for a tilt-a-whirl headscissors but Andrews caught him and dropped him face first on the mat in the first of many neat moves. Andrews whipped Ki into the corner and Ki tagged Dragon. Dragon got the better of Andrews on the mat but Andrews gained a near fall. Dragon also got the better of Ki on the mat by working on his arm and gained a near fall. Ki fought back with a snapmare and a very stiff kick to the back. Ki snapmared Dragon again and locked on a headscissors. Andrews escaped, hooked Ki�s legs, bridged back, and locked Ki�s arms in somewhat of a double chicken wing while maintaining the headlock. Ki�s arms were bent so far back you�d swear they had been broken or dislocated. Dragon then more or less maintained the hold and turned Ki over into a pinning position and gained a near fall. Daniels then exchanged offense with Dragon on the mat. Dragon maneuvered Daniels into a pin position for a near fall. After trading basic armlocks and armringers, Dragon attempted a cross armbreaker on Daniels but Daniels blocked it. However, Dragon still gained a couple near falls in the attempt. Dragon gave Daniels a couple chops but Daniels scored with a dropkick. Daniels went for a backdrop but Dragon caught him and suplexed him, then seamlessly transferred to applying a front facelock while bending Daniels�s arm back. Ki chopped Daniels and missed a kick but Dragon gave Daniels a low kick to the leg. Dragon and Ki then gave Daniels stiff kicks to his chest and back at the same time. Ki gave Daniels more chops and hit a handspring into a great spin kick in the corner for a near fall. Ki hooked Daniels�s left arm with his leg and bent Daniels�s right arm back with an armbar. Daniels fought back with a DDT on Ki. Daniels clotheslined Ki and kicked his back. Andrews tagged in but Daniels bailed out. Andrews applied something similar to Shinzaki�s cross-arm strangle on Dragon but Dragon countered with a leglock while pulling Andrews�s head forwards. Andrews dropkicked Dragon and tagged Ki. Dragon landed a kick and a chop on Ki and gave him a snap-double-arm DDT for a near fall. Dragon snapmared Ki and punted his back again for a near fall. Daniels gave Ki a running lariat in the corner and a bulldog for a near fall. Daniels elbowsmashed Ki for a near fall. Dragon slapped Daniels�s back to tag in. He gave Ki a power elbow for a near fall but Ki fought back with a roundhouse kick to the back. Ki slammed Dragon and hit a power elbow for a near fall. Ki attempted a cradle suplex but Dragon backed him into a corner and tagged Andrews. Andrews tied up Dragon�s legs in the corner and gave him the old shattered dreams kick of Goldust fame. Andrews missed a dropkick and tagged Daniels. Daniels clotheslined Andrews but Andrews no-sold his punches. Daniels then tagged Ki and bailed out. Ki kicked Andrews�s leg and gave him a kneebreaker. Ki then applied a figure 4 leglock briefly. Dragon attacked Ki�s left arm and dropkicked him while the arm was hooked in the ropes. Dragon gave Ki what amounted to an armtoss and applied an armbar. Dragon tried to roll into a cross armbreaker but Ki reached the ropes. Daniels attacked Ki and gave him a slingshot back suplex for a near fall. Daniels attempted a hiptoss but Ki countered and gave Daniels a brainbuster. Dragon tagged in and immediately rolled up Daniels for a near fall. Dragon applied a modified surfboard on Daniels. Daniels fought back with a kick to Dragon�s face. Daniels elbowed Ki and threw Dragon out of the ring. He whipped Dragon hard into the ringpost and dropped him neck first on the barricade. Daniels then hooked Dragon�s arms around the ringpost and pulled on them. Daniels gave Dragon a gut wrench suplex for a near fall. He hooked Dragon�s leg as in an STF, then bent Dragon�s arm and neck back and turned him over like an upside down surfboard. Daniels gave Dragon a tilt-a-whirl slam for a near fall and applied a chinlock, at times with his feet on the ropes. Daniels missed a clothesline and Dragon threw him down to the mat. Dragon gave Daniels an enzuguiri. Dragon tagged Andrews but Ki jumped off the apron when Daniels tried to tag him. Andrews attacked Daniels and gave him a leg lariat, backdrop and Rock bottom for a near fall. Dragon and Ki traded chops, then chopped Andrews, then Dragon headbutted Ki. They had a similar exchange but this time Ki won out and gained a near fall on Andrews. Ki went for a handspring spin kick but missed and got caught up in the ropes. Dragon hooked Ki, Andrews hooked Dragon, Daniels hooked Andrews and they did an amazing tower/chain German suplex. Of course it didn�t work perfectly, but it looked good enough that it contributed positively to the match and fans popped huge for it. After a time where all four sold the damage, Daniels missed a baseball slide kick on Ki but rammed him into the apron. Daniels then hit a slingshot quebrada on Ki for a pop. Andrews hit a somersault plancha on Daniels and Dragon then took out both Daniels and Andrews with a great Orihara moonsault. Ki then took out everyone with a pretty amazing phoenix (Orihara moonsault into a full forward flip) plancha. Back in the ring Daniels gave Dragon two German suplexes and a back suplex into a sitout powerbomb for a near fall. Daniels missed a corner splash and Dragon gave him an elbow strike. Dragon gave Daniels another elbow but then Andrews came in and knocked Dragon for a loop with a clothesline. Andrews gave Dragon a spinebuster for a near fall. Ki stiffed Andrews with a kick to the head. After some counters Ki applied a dragon sleeper on Andrews while hooking his arm. Ki then gave Andrews a corkscrew fisherman buster (fisherman buster dropped into a Michinoku driver position) for a near fall. Dragon hooked Ki�s arms, applied a double chicken wing and then bridged forward for added pressure. Daniels intervened with a headbutt to Dragon�s stomach. Daniels gave Dragon a falcon arrow for a near fall. He went to slam Dragon off the top rope but Dragon then applied an armbar and hung over the top rope in one of the neatest counters I�ve ever seen. While Dragon was upside down Ki dropkicked him in the face and Dragon spilled to the floor. Daniels caught Ki on the top rope with a Cima-like punch, hooked his arm and gave him a flip slam off the top rope (like Cima�s iconoclasm I think). Daniels then moonsaulted Ki for a near fall. Andrews gave Daniels a spinebuster almost dropped into a sitout powerbomb for a near fall and a sunset flip for another near fall. Daniels and Andrews exchanged rollups for near falls. Daniels gave Andrews a spinning pedigree for a near fall. Daniels grabbed one of the title belts from ringside. Ki went for a handspring spin kick but Daniels hit him with the belt in mid-air. Daniels rolled into a leglock on Ki but Dragon kicked him. Daniels countered a dragon suplex attempt and gave Dragon an enzu-lariat and a regular lariat for a near fall. Daniels threw Andrews out of the ring. Dragon chopped Andrews but Andrews fought back and hit a flatliner for a near fall. Daniels gave Andrews a tilt-a-whirl into what could only be called a corkscrew stunner for a near fall. Daniels went to give Andrews an inverted DDT but Dragon kicked him from behind. Dragon and Ki double booted Daniels out of the ring. Ki won an exchange of chops but Dragon gave him a roaring elbow. Dragon punted Andrews�s back and chopped him. Andrews fought back and after a couple counters, gave Dragon a pumphandle into a greetings from Asbury Park for the pin at 33:43. This might have been the best independent match of the year and was a definite worldwide match of the year candidate. Everything they did was solid, most of it was great and the execution was outstanding by indy standards. They paced the match well, timing the dive sequence perfectly as a bridge from the build portion to the closing segment. Many of the near falls at the end were strong and could have been adequate finishes. They also showed patience during the first 18 or so minutes in that while they did many creative spots and sequences, they saved their best spots until later yet never wasted time as the match never dragged at all. The spots weren�t as breathtaking as you might see in an SAT match, but they were sharply executed for the most part and done at a pace that wasn�t mind-numbing. Ki was the best worker with his innovative and sharp kicks and submissions and unique movements. However, Daniels might have been the best performer as he combined great work and spots with very good charisma that effectively got him over as a heel. Dragon wasn�t as polished as the others, but everything he did looked good and he didn�t take the match down in any way. Andrews was the least spectacular of the four, but a very solid worker in that he stuck to the solid offense he could execute and didn�t try anything too complicated or risky. This is a must-see match for just about any type of wrestling fan, especially those who haven�t had the chance to see four of the top independent workers in the nation in their element. ****1/2
Next Issue: Sayama: The Original Aerial Standard-Setter
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