 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Combat Zone Wrestling
" Extreme 8 "
June 28th, 2003 - Philadelphia, PA.
Running time - 2 hrs 25 minutes.
Available from - www.pickstapes.co.uk, www.smartmarkvideo.com, www.simania.co.uk,
and most other tape traders.
Footage Quality - Excellent.
My favourite promotion and it has been all year, CZW attempt to give the best of all worlds - high flying, mat wrestling; and crazy hardcore. This is a show that featured quite a lot of the IWA Mid South workers on it, which for some reason gives it a bit of a disjointed feel; but I feel there's enough on this tape to justify a purchase. One thing is for sure, there's certainly a crowd atmosphere....
*Backseat Boyz vs Sonjay Dutt & Ruckus*
No secret that the Boyz are my favourite tag team today, full stop. Trent Acid and Johnny Kashmere managed to rekindle my love of tag team wrestling, which is quite an achievement as WWE had managed to kill my passion totally for it. Indy tag teams can be a little awkward sometimes I feel, but these two manage to reverse that trend.
On the other side of the ring, is Ruckus (who I like as both a worker and a person, and had the pleasure of interviewing earlier in the year) and a man I'm very proud to call a friend of mine in Sonjay Dutt. So, with all that talent in the ring; do you get a decent bout? Actually, yes. This is possibly the best opening match on a CZW card this year. (*** 1/2 stars.)
*Jon Dahmer vs Z-Barr vs GQ vs Chris Cash*
Four way's don't really work well in my view, it's a concept that may well look good on paper but doesn't really cut it in reality. Granted, this is only my view. Mind you, I don't mind CZW 4 way matches as such; as it's usually in a good cause such as trying to get newer and younger talent over or giving guys who might not have made the show something to do - unlike some promotions who just do it to fill up a bit of space.
Jon Dahmer is the 'teacher', the trainer of the newer talent; and for some reason kind of reminds me of Bill DeMott but I can't place why. Z-Barr is a friend of mine, and is seriously under-rated by people who just see his gimmick and character (which I personally find amusing, but hey) and then dont pay any attention to the worker behind it. GQ is someone you can see has a lot of potential, and to me just needs one big match or spark and he could well take off and do really well. Chris Cash, you can tell CZW want him to succeed; and you can see that he most likely will as the talent is certainly there and just needs rounding a little.
Is it a good match? Well, to me it's perfectly respectable; and achieves what it sets out to. Any four way match that doesn't make me want to fast forward is a success in my eyes, and seeing as I didn't touch the remote control; consider this not too bad at all. (** 1/2 stars.)
*Adam Flash & Ian Knoxx vs Jude and Niles Young*
Now, I must admit to being a rather big Ian Knoxx fan. I love the drunk gimmick, and feel he has a lot of charisma and is also a decent worker. Adam Flash adopts the drunken state of mind for this match, and carries it off nicely; and both are certainly upper tier in CZW's work ethic chart in my view. Jude and Niles Young are younger talent brought up through the CZW training school, and are good for what they are and for how long they've been working.
This is another match that falls into perfectly respectable. Maybe it lacks a bit of edge, but there's certainly nothing wrong with it either. (** stars.)
*Corporal Robinson vs Deranged (Barbed Wire Board & Barbed Wire Table Match)*
Out come the hardcore guys now, and this sets the tone for the rest of the matches on the card. I must admit a liking of Corporal Robinson, not so much for his work but for his willingness to take SO much punishment and physical abuse in the name of wrestling. He's one of those people that may not be overly pretty to watch, but I personally respect a lot for what they do in the name of entertainment. Deranged I don't really know much about, in all honesty; and I wasn't particularly impressed. This marks the beginning of the CZW vs IWA M-S matches on the show, and it's all to get a place in ' John Zandig's Tournament of Death 2 ', which is the show the following month.
Any good? Well, barbed wire matches don't really float my boat as such; as too much is usually based around the stalling of which worker will go into it first. This isn't too bad really though, and could have been a lot worse. (** stars.)
* Bishop Slade, Van Hughes, Necro Butcher, Axl Rotten, 'Spyder' Nate Webb (Fans Bring The Weapons Gauntlet Match)*
Man, does Bishop Slade look small time indy or WHAT? He doesn't move too badly for a man his size, I will give him that. But although his entourage outside of the ring (names escape me, but I doubt you'd consider them important anyway in all reality) make a comparing reference to Abdullah The Butcher; there really is no comparison to make. Van Hughes is disturbingly nothing special, and I would question his inclusion in this match; and also if he'd ever be heard of again. Necro Butcher is like my view on Corporal Robinson, only tenfold. What this man does for your entertainment doesn't bear thinking about, and really borders on the lines of legal and illegal.
Necro Butcher seemingly has no fear of any thing, any bump or blade or sick and crazy idea; and I personally respect him a lot. You almost get the impression he could wrestle too, if he had the urge. Axl Rotten could learn from this, as to me he and his brother have a very inflated reputation and are really just below average workers who had a five minute hot spell in ECW. And finally, another man who is a friend of mine; 'Spyder' Nate Webb - who even outside of personal bias is the star of this match.
Not a bad one, as these things go; and improves as it progresses. Bishop Slade actually doesn't start too badly, but when it comes to selling and such like; it all gets a bit uninspiring. Necro does his usual, and manages to even make a viewing veteran like me cringe. This match works quite nicely when it gets into it's stride. (*** stars).
*'Mr Insanity' Toby Klein vs JC Bailey (Unlucky 13 Staple Gun Match)*
Ever seen a staple gun match? To win, you have to staple 13 dollar bills to the body of your opponent. It's certainly different, that's for sure. Toby Klein is an excellent worker, a great talent; and you sometimes feel he's wasted on the hardcore enviroment and he could do a lot better as a straight wrestler. JC Bailey is one of the top 3 IWA M-S workers in my opinion, and this is a rather good match considering the slightly constricting concept involved. (*** stars.)
*Ian Rotten vs 'Lowlife' Louie Ramos (Barbed Wire Bat, Thumbtack Bat Match)*
Ian Rotten was summed up when I described his brother Axl earlier. It's nothing personal on my part, I just don't feel they're as important as they think they are. IWA M-S, contrary to popular belief; DO have some decent workers but anyone who sees the Rotten's wrestling wouldn't believe you if you said it. I must admit to a lack of knowledge on Louie Ramos, but he comes across a half decent wrestler during this match and one I wouldn't mind seeing more of. I have to say, I can't see what this match was doing so far up the card though. (** stars.)
*John Zandig & Nick Gage vs The Messiah and Nate Hatred (Barbed Wire Rope & Barbed Wire Boards Match)*
Ladies and gents, your main event of the tape. John Zandig is the boss, the man with the plan of CZW, the owner, the big cheese (you get the gist!). I'm not saying anything else on Mr Zandig, as a current member of CZW's roster and close friend of mine wants me to play a practical joke on him which for now will go unmentioned here so it stays a surprise!.... Nick Gage is a good wrestler, and someone that I always like to watch.
On the opposite side of the ring, The Messiah. He may not be quite as
hot as he was, but he's still a very good worker and always entertaining.
Nate Hatred is always positive to watch, and does the 'monster' thing
really well in my view. This match is a good one, and delivers what it
promises to do. A decent end to what, overall; is a show that isn't quite
your typical CZW for reasons it's hard to quite put your finger on. Maybe
it's the IWA presence, maybe it's the slight lack of regular CZW workers
on the card. It could be the tension that you seem to sense from the crowd
and possibly the wrestlers too. But overall, I'd recommend it. *** star
show.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Staniforth.
Peter is an English based wrestling journalist for the following websites
: - www.prowrestlingdaily.com, www.wrestlingclothesline.com, and www.ukevents.net.
Peter writes press releases for http://wweeuroshop.com/?tid=ps101, the official WWE merchandise outlet for the UK & Europe.
Peter reviews video tapes for such wrestling tape traders as www.simania.co.uk, www.modtrom.com (the official video production team behind Jersey All Pro Wrestling), www.violentjtapes.com, www.a1wrestlingvideos.com, www.ruffneckwrestlingvideos.co.uk, www.mayfieldmayhem.com, and www.goldenboytapes.com.
Peter is an agent to the likes of CZW's Nick Berk (amongst others), and runs a wrestling bookings website for indy wrestlers - http://groups.msn.com/peterstaniforth/homepage. Peter was also mentioned on the credits of the cult PC wrestling simulation game EWR 4.0, by Adam Ryland.
