CZW STREET FIGHT 2K4
January 17, 2004
Fresh off running in a new town the previous night for “The Allentown Project” (review available on Inside Pulse) CZW returns to their home arena of Viking Hall for a promised showdown between Zandig and New Jack, stemming from the main event of Cage Of Death 5.
Anyway, this is a good show with a nice variety of action, so read on.
MATCH RESULTS:
Hallowmass vs. Nick Berk & Z-Barr – Obviously a rematch from the night previous. The Softcore Connection storm the ring and take clean house. Hallow double team Barr and cut off the ring. Barr plays face in peril before a quick tag to Berk who cleans house. Man this is like a tag match in fast forward. So now they start working over Berk, with Samir giving him a brainbuster for two. Nasty jawbreaker gets two and Barr breaks up a choke hold. Berk comes back with two dangerous half nelson suplexes and hot tags Barr who cleans house. The Softcore Connection hit tandem finishers for the win at 7:23. A lot of house cleaning going on here. This was a nice little opener. **
Die Hard vs. Scotty Matthews – Scotty is pretty ripped for an indy wrestler. Total squash as Matthews just kills Die Hard with suplexes and the like. DVD into Michinoku Driver gets the win at 3:39. Good showing from Matthews. *1/2
Niles Young vs. Cory Kastle vs. GQ vs. Jon Dahmer – Dahmer and Young go at it with Dahmer killing his students like he usually does. GQ tags in and works on Young before falling victim to a tornado DDT and rollup for two. Dahmer comes in and hell breaks loose as he delivers a double suplex to Young and Kastle. GQ hits a moonsault out onto Kastle and Young on the floor. Missile dropkick from GQ on Dahmer gets two. They go into a pin sequence before Dahmer hits the Move of a Thousand Maniacs. The pinfall is broken up and Kastle andYoung double team their teacher. They give him a bunch of moves but he won’t lay down. Dahmer makes a comeback, and in a dangerous spot, goes for the Move of a 1000 Maniacs off the top, but loses his balance and tumbles to the outside. He hits the move in the ring and gets the pin at 10:29. What is the point of this? Why keep putting Dahmer over his students? *
Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz vs. All Money Is Legal (K-Murda & Kid Pusha) – All Money unleash a bunch of tandem double tea moves on the Scoundrelz to get the match off to a nice start. The sequence ends with a moonsault plancha. Back and forth tag action follows, with All Money impressing me with some nice flying. The Street Sweeper is an interesting move. The Scoundrelz start working on Pusha, cutting the ring in half as the fans let us know how much All Money remind them of the SATs (Spanish Announce Team, who were regulars in CZW before going on to work ROH and NWA-TNA). The Kid gets murdered with a backdrop suplex. He makes a comeback with a facebuster off the top. Hot tag to Murda who cleans house with a satellite headscissors. He takes both Scoundrelz off the top, allowing his partner to a moonsault 450 for two. The Scoundrelz give Murda a neckbreaker off the top for the win at 9:29. This was pretty solid tag action, with two teams showing promise despite tendencies towards spotmonkeyism (hey, I’m not a psychologist, but you know what I mean). **1/4
Sumie Sakai vs. Mercedes Martinez – Women’s match, which is somewhat of a rarity in CZW. Sakai gets the early advantage with a rollup and a plancha. Martinez, who has the size advantage, comes back with a big suplex and a strange surfboard stretch. Delayed suplex gets two for Martinez. Hurricanrana from Sakai gets two. Monkey flip gets two. Powerbomb from Martinez in the corner gets two. Sakai goes up but Rick Feinberg, Martinez’s valet interferes with a chairshot. A heel miscommunication also leads to Feinberg chairshoting Mercedes, and Sakai gets the win at 7:43. The vast size difference prevented these two from really gelling in the ring. *
-Zandig comes out and brings Smokin Joe Frazier into the ring (he was in the audience). He announces the special Fifth Anniversary Show for next month (February). He promises to induct someone into the CZW hall of fame. New Jack makes his way out to the ring and goes on a huge rant, which is very interesting to listen to as he attacks the Dudley Boyz and things in general. Nice speech, which I won’t recap here. The whole segment ends up in a brawl between Zandig and New Jack, leading to the CZW debut of Devito. Wifebeater makes the save for Zandig, and it’s a tag match tonight, instead of just a singles match.
Jonny Storm vs. B-Boy vs. Grim Reefer – What B-Boy did to deserve being lumped with these two I have no idea, as he’s clearly a cut above them. Three way gymnastics sequence starts us off. B-Boy hits a big missile dropkick, taking out both guys. He goes to work on Reefer before Storm interferes and hits a tope. Reefer follows with a somersault plancha, almost killing himself. Reefer hits Storm with a backbreaker in the ring for two. Reefer charges but B-Boy gives him an exploder into the turnbuckles. He goes up, which leads to the standard three-way sunset flip/superplex combo. B-Boy hits a neckbreaker on Storm and a criss-cross piledriver on Reefer for two. He powerbombs Storm into the corner and hits a running dropkick. Reefer hits a swanton on Storm for two. He goes back up but B-Boy shoves him out and hits Storm with the Shining Wizard for the win at 10:43. This was standard three-way fare, and offered nothing I haven’t seen before. *1/2
CZW Jr Heavyweight Title: Sonjay Dutt vs. Jimmy Jacobs – Feeling out process to start, where they avoid the standard junior heavyweight gymnastics session, immediately earning points with me. Dutt works the headlock before a couple of arm drags leads to a dance standoff. Criss-cross and Sonjay gets a dropkick. Jacobs bails and Sonjay follows with a beautiful somersault tope. Back in Jacobs gets a backbreaker and a stomp for two. Enziguri lets Dutt make a comeback, getting a nasty backdrop suplex on Jacobs. Victory roll only gets two, as does an impaler. Sonjay comes off the to but the HUSS meets him with a boot in mid air. Jacobs goes up but cannonball senton meets knees. Sonjay reverses an attempt at Slice Bread #2 and hits a picture perfect Phoenix Splash for the win at 9:48. Grim Reefer attacks Sonjay after the match, setting up a match for next month. This was a really good outing for both guys, with a nice short spotfest allowing them to show off their stuff. Five more minutes and more psychology and this could hit greatness. **3/4
Ruckus vs. Sabian vs. Joker vs. Chris Cash – Some clever four way spots start us off as Ruckus uses Sabian as a battering ram, tossing him around the ring. Ruckus misses the Razzle Dazzle on Cash and eats a belly to belly from Joker. Joker hoists Cash up for the Joker Driver but Sabian comes off the top, hitting Cash with the Doomsday Device. Sabian goes to hurricanrana Ruckus off the top but it gets reversed to a powerbomb for two. Cash escapes a submission from Joker and nails him with a release german suplex. Ruckus retrieves a ladder from backstage. Joker KILLS Cash with a bizarre version of the Fisherman’s Suplex. Sabian brings a table and a chair into the ring. Ruckus sets up the ladder and the table and sets Sabian on it. He goes for a 450 but decides not to, telling the fans they don’t deserve to see the move. Cash interferes, so Joker goes up to attempt to hit a move on Sabian. Cash joins him and gives him the CASH FLOW OFF THE TOP OF THE LADDER, THROUGH THE TABLE!!!!!!! Joker just BARELY got round there to avoid landing on his head. Dangerous spot, and Sabian steals the quick pin on Joker for the win at 10:12. Post-match sees Ruckus and Sabian team up and beat the shit out of Joker and Cash. This was a tight spotfest, as all of these guys have history with each other and played off their previous matches, particularly Joker/Cash. All spots, but always action. ***
Xtreme Strong Style Tournament: First Round: Homicide vs. Dan Maff – This is the first match in a tournament designed to span the whole of 2004. Xtreme Strong Style basically means it’s a strong style match with chairs and tables. Homicide’s shoulder is taped up, which serves for some nice psychology when he tries a hiptoss on Maff early in the match but can’t lift him because of his weak shoulder. Homicide lands on his feet form a full nelson suplex, dumps Maff and follows with his patented crazy flipping dive. They brawl around the ringside area before getting back into the ring, where Homicide HITS THE CHINLOCK~! Maff breaks free and they go back to the outside, where Maff runs Homicide’s shoulder into the ringpost. He then traps the shoulder in a chair and smashes it into the post again. Homicide grabs a wrench from under the ring and shoves it up Maff’s nose. They get back into the ring where Maff gets an elbow and goes up for a flying headbutt which gets two. Maff hits his running cannonball in the corner for two. He goes up top again but this time the headbutt misses, and Homicide mounts a comeback, using his uninjured arm, keeping with the psychology. He hits an exploder that only gets two because his shoulder hurt too much and he couldn’t make the pin quick enough. Homicide gets some bootscrapes in the corner for two. Ace Crusher (with the bad shoulder!) gets two. The psychology set up is there, but Homicide’s selling is becoming sketchy. Maff hits a huge half nelson suplex for two. Maff gets a huge spear tackle but falls victim to a dropkick and both guys are out. Homicide goes for the Vertebreaker but his shoulder can’t take it. Maff goes for the Burning Hammer but Homicide escapes and schoolboys him for two. Maff uses the rollup as an opportunity to lock an armbar on the injured arm and get Homicide to tap at 13:46. And Maff advances. The H8 Club come out and confront the two wrestlers, setting up a tag match for the next show. Homicide’s sometimes sketchy selling aside, well done to them for working a match that incorporated some weapons and psychology, with some big moves. It lacked a really great finishing sequence, which would have sent it into four star territory, but as it is: ***3/4
CZW Iron Man Title: Submission Match: Jimmy Rave vs. Alex Shelley – They trade arm wringers and headlocks early on. Staying on the mat, they move into more complex submissions, some which I can’t describe because they look so weird. Shelley gets a chinlock, but Rave escapes and locks in an Octopuss Stretch. Rave tries a triangle choke, but Shelley makes the ropes. Shelley goes to work on Rave’s shoulder, stretching it all kinds of ways. In a nice touch, he locks Rave’s arm behind his back and gives him a backbreaker. Rave tries to fight back but Shelley keeps locking his arm down, taking him to the mat. Rave makes a charge but eats ring post with his injured arm. Shelley hits a knee drop off the top into Rave’s shoulder. Tornado Arm Breaker leads into a version of the Cattle Mutilation, but Rave won’t tap. Rave irritates me by locking on a version of the tarantula with his bad arm, and then doing a DDT off the top with it. Shelley gives him a northern lights suplex into the turnbuckle to reinjure the arm, going back to it again. Rave was selling very well up until that point. Rave manages to lock on a rear choke and Shelley taps at 16:53. Wow, ending came out of nowhere and really hurt the match, but it was all very good technical wrestling before that, aside from the two moves where Rave forgot about his arm. Still, solid showing from Rave and Shelley, and just the match Rave needed to put him over as a proper champion after winning the title from Trent Acid at Cage Of Death 5. ***1/2
CZW Tag Titles: The Backseat Boyz vs. Rebel’s Army – When the Rebel’s Army come out, they get jumped by JUSTIN CREDIBLE, making his CZW debut. This makes into a six man tag, though the belts are still on the line. So:
CZW Tag Titles: The Backseat Boyz & Justin Credible vs. Rebel’s Army (Rockin Rebel, Greg Matthews & Derek Frazier) – Big brawl to start and Credible and Acid hit planchas. Acid suckers Rebel into getting run over by Dewey Donovan’s wheel chair. Back inside, the Backseats hit the Dream Sequence on Frazier, with Credible also adding an extra blow. I’ve never been a fan of Justin, by the way. It settles down into a tag match, with The Army running over the other three. The Backseats interfere and hit Rebel with the T Gimmick, sending us into finish move territory. Frazier hits Acid with a Snow Plow. Kashmere hits Frazier with the Cradle Breaker. Rebel gives Kashmere a spinebuster. Credible gives Rebel a superkick. Credible gives Frazier the spinning tombstone piledriver. Matthews bulldogs Credible. Acid gives Matthews a yakuza kick, sending him out of the ring. The Backseats go for the T Gimmick but Rebel schoolboys Acid and Frazier falls on Kashmere, getting a quick pin and the tag titles at 8:05. Weird match, just bizarre. This may have been one of the contributors to the Backseats leaving CZW after this show (more on that story later). *
Adam Flash & The Messiah vs. The H8 Club – The H8 Club meet their opponents in the aisleway and brawl all around ringside. We settle into a tag match with Hatred and Messiah going at it. Hatred hits some big suplexes and clotheslines for two. Gage tags in and hits a senton off the top for two. Back to Hatred, who gets two off a belly to belly suplex. Messiah makes a comeback, and tags in Flash. They double team Hatred but only get two. The match continues with Hatred playing face in peril before he snaps off a tilt-a-whirl and makes the hot tag to Gage, who cleans house. Gage hits bootscrapes on Flash in the corner but falls victim to a nice twisting suplex from Messiah. Messiah breaks his usual wrestling style by hitting a no hands dive over the top onto Hatred. Back inside Flash and Messiah give Hatred a conchairto. They set Gage up on a table outside and Flash puts him through it with a legdrop off the top. Messiah’s head busted open hardway, not sure what move did it. The Hi-V go for tandem dives but miss, and the H8 Club make the big comeback. Gage nails Flash with the Chokebreaker for the win at 11:42. Not a bad tag match but seemed to degenerate after the hot tag as the crowd wasn’t really into it. **1/4
Street Fight: Zandig & Wifebeater vs. New Jack & Devito – A variety of weapons litter the ring, and I’ll describe them as they get used. These kind of matches are hard to recap, so bare with me. Zandig and New Jack brawl on the outside while Beater and Devito go at it. New Jack sends Zandig into some corrugated iron propped against the guardrail. Devito just KILLS Wifebeater with some hard chairshots, and Beater is busted wide open. Zandig suplexes New Jack through that same piece of metal. Devito puts Beater through a table with an elbow off the apron. Zandig and New Jack kill each other with a chain in the ring and Zandig takes a trip through a nail strip board in the corner. He comes back to powerbomb New Jack into the remainder of the board for two. Zandig sets up some chairs and powerbombs Deviot through them. They brawl to the staging area, where the faces set Jack and Devito on tables. Zandig then powerbombs Wifebeater off the stage through the heels and the tables. It gets the pin at 13:25. This was nothing you haven’t seen before, and was surprisingly missing a trademark New Jack dive. *
The Verdict: – Solid show this time round after the poor showing at Allentown. Some garbage in the main event and some of the early card matches, but some really solid wrestling in the midcard. No absolute standout match, but enough for me to give this a recommendation.
-You can get CZW tapes from www.smartmarkvideo.com, the original proprietors with the best service around. Smart Mark are also selling CZW DVD’s now, an extra incentive to BUY!!
-Check out www.czwfans.com for the best CZW discussion on the net.
I appreciate any feedback.
Thanks for reading,
-TIM
