This is just nearly 30 minutes of 2 legends of UK wrestling taking cheap shots at each other in good spirits. You can tell they're both having a blast out there. You can't exactly call Finlay a babyface, but the crowd are 100% behind him here (at the start of the match he even hugs some old ladies, has warm exchanges with fans and even gives a little cuddle to a beer swilling goon).
The match itself is very entertaining. It isn't pretty and that's what makes it so good. Both of these guys are very gifted wrestlers, but even the old school holds have a dirty edge to them. Sanders bashing Finlay's arm into the mat after every arm hold at the start of the match is amazing. It pisses everyone off but he keeps doing it and gets some great heel heat. Enjoy this one. One for those who like their wrestling old, cheap and nasty.
Terry Funk's Funkin' Army vs Steve Corino's Extreme Horsemen
Terry Funk's Funkin' Army consisted of Funk, Sandman, Steve Williams, Sabu and Bill ''Annoying As Hell'' Alfonso. The Extreme Horsemen consisted of Corino, Simon Diamond, CW Anderson, PJ Walker and Barry Windham (may I add Windham is a perfect wrestler). Now they're all on the indies and anything goes. So, you ask... how did it go?
Joey Styles is on commentary with freedom to say whatever so that's always great. In addition, the rules to this match is no pinfalls - just submissions or knockouts. CW Anderson enters to cheesy rave music and Sandman enters with a kendo stick and a beer - less of an entrance and more of a lifestyle for that guy actually. Guzzle the beer, bash it off your head and spit out the beer and the match is ready to begin after the Metallica stops playing.
CW Anderson isn't a horrible wrestler at all. In ECW he was actually one of the more technical, but that doesn't mean to say he isn't prone to the odd bloodbath (watch his match with Corino from 2000). But when you step in the ring - or a cage - with a drunken Sandman then you need to adapt to brawling, hitting the crazy bastard with a stick then waiting for his alcohol to finally kick in and send him to the ground. That's why Sandman is a cult icon and why no one gives a shit a shit about CW, although he deserves more credit than he gets. Also, in this bout we're treated to a beautiful suplex from Sandman that makes you wonder what could have been if he stayed in shape and wasn't content to lose 17 pints of blood a night.
Next in is Corino, with a fist full of barbed wire. Corino, is a great in ring wrestler in my opinion. The guy has never gotten the credit he deserved. Probably because everyone assumes that all ECW guys were hardcore freaks. They weren't though, Corino really brought a bit of wrestling class to ECW at times. Anyway, he enters and Sandman takes a beating until his partner joins. And what an entrance Terry Funk makes, by throwing a chair over the cage from the ramp. He enters the cage, throws chairs everywhere and brawls like a crazy old beautiful pirate.
Next in is Simon Diamond - another underrated ECW wrestler. Diamond goes straight for Sandman, and along with Anderson they drop toehold him on a chair. Sandman should be dead by this point in the match. Funk comes to the aid of his partner and meets chair. But it's not long before Dr. Death shows up to help out his comrades (I should also mention that The Funkin' Army were supposed to be a man short as Jerry Lawler was unable to compete - imagine Lawler in this, just punching people? That would have been awesome). Anyway, Death cleans some house before it turns in to a back and forth free for all, with a side of senton from Sandman. PJ Walker (of Justin Credible fame) then enters with a small ladder that Blooter wouldn't even take to a paint job (Blooter is a painter from my local town). Anyway, unsurprisingly, Sandman is first to bump into the ladder. It was as if the ladder was inviting him to rub up with. But PJ takes it right after.
The next competitor is expected to be the mercenary for hire, Barry Windham - but Sabu shows up to even the odds - and excitement levels increases when you see the table. Now I love me some table. Everyone loves a table. It just looks... well, cool when someone crashes through one. Even better is a superb press slam into the second ring by Steve Williams on Corino.
Eventually, we get Windham but Alfonso is furious and he strips off and gets in the cage to even it up. Sabu puts PJ through a table and after nearly 20 minutes of vicious brawling and savagery the match can finally begin. We actually get some submission wrestling here to supplement the brawling. But Terry Funk shows up with a flaming branding iron and goes nuts. I love Terry Funk. He spinning toeholds Corino and Corino submits and the match is over.
Overall thoughts - a fun entertaining match but nothing special. I did enjoy it though and would recommend it, even for nostalgia's sake.
I am now of the opinion that Concession Stand Brawls are the greatest form of entertainment, not only in wrestling, but in all of entertainment. This is, yet again, one of the greatest things I've ever seen. They use everything and the kitchen sink (literally) to beat each other here. They hit each other with weapons, they throw stuff at each other and Lawler even tries to drown one of them in the sink. What more can you say about a match like this? It's just flat out fun. Everyone likes fun. This is hardcore wrestling at its best.
When you're in the mood, sometimes the best 'rasslin' is the all out chaotic that isn't even wrestling. This match is an example of that. This match is a great example of chaos at it's best. It's not like ECW where New Jack would come in and beat crackers with weapons for the duration of 'Natural Born Killers' by Dre and Cube, this is Memphis Baby, and it's rednecks punching each other as the crowd go wild. The actual match may be short, but that doesn't matter, because it's the chaos continuing after the bell has rung that makes it's so much fun to watch. Plus, who couldn't watch Jerry Lawler punch all day. His punches look so real and the way he conducts them looks so cool.
All this match is is fun chaos. Don't be expecting guys going hold for hold here. Expect punching and a lots of it - and chairs, belts, stools... Enjoy.
So this one is more of a match to sell tickets to a small time indy show really. Take the best independent wrestler in the entire world and put him against a legendary gimmick like Kamala, put the ROH title on the line and you're guaranteed to sell out the 30 or so seats in the arena. As for the match itself, I kinda enjoyed it but I'll let you judge for yourself.
The crowd was split here, the Danielson doubters were there to see him get annihilated by a monster, where as the fans were there to chant, ''BEST IN THE WORLD!'' You assume that chant was for Danielson, but who knows? It might have been for Kamala. The match itself wasn't great, but fun enough to watch. It was essentially a brawl and BD helped Kamala sell the gimmick by being wary and selling his chops, before the match descended into a no contest brawl. Enjoy.
I love every single wrestler in this match so for me, this is spectacular. However, as an unbiased spectacle it's still a really good match, with a terrific blend of puroresu style wrestling which is common in Japan, and lucha libre, which is associated with Mexico, but also common in Japan.
This match makes me hate WWE. Taka is such a talent, and even though he's not WWE's idea of a superstar, he deserved to be more than the jobber they turned him in to. But that's WWE. Elsewhere, Taka is not only appreciated, but he's celebrated - and rightfully so. This is one of many great matches Taka has participated in (the same can also be said for the others). So, sit back and enjoy this one from the same year as Kurt Angle won the gold and grunge was coming to an end.
