by Scotty Szanto-Nicodemus
Exclusive to OnlineOnslaught.com

OK, so here’s where I’m coming from: the last time I watched any first-run wrasslin’ program was December 18^th, the last NWA: TNA program of the year.  I haven’t purchased any TNA ppvs this year, haven’t tuned-in to Raw or Smackdown (or any of the affiliated shows), nor have I received any videotapes (although I just ordered my first ROH show…on dvd to include backstage footage and a bonus match).  I have not stopped watching or following the sport of kings, mind you, my fanaticism towards wrasslin’ is in a lull, though.  I do read most of what gets posted here at OO, and frankly, I have yet to be disappointed about missing any of the shows that I’ve read about…but that’s a different rant for a different time.

I have been watching wrasslin’ fairly regularly, even if only an hour or so a week spread over 20-minute intervals.  If you read my last column, (a review of The Best of AJ Styles from NWA Wildside), then you know that I was geeked to check-out the Mexican Death Match between Super Crazy and Tajiri from ECW on TNN…well, I combed through my tapes and found the episode before that match.  D’oh!  Anyway, I still haven’t watched that match, and now that I am typing this, I am getting anxious all over again.

This column isn’t about ECW, or any wrasslin’ that has been on TV, for that matter.  This column is about the tape that turned me on to the idea of collecting Indy wrasslin’ tapes in the first place, Best of the Independents 2001 from RF Video.  You see, about this time a year ago I bought this tape, and was blown away by what I saw.  Not coincidentally, most of the guys featured on this tape have gone on to NWA: TNA, including Low-Ki, The Amazing Red, The S.A.T., and The Briscoe Brothers among others.  But a year ago, I had never seen any of these guys before, and the floodgates opened, as I started buying-up tapes whenever I could…UPW, JCW, CZW, JAPW, some Best of collections from my beloved ECW, as well as the Y2K Brian Pillman Memorial Event (which includes the much-heralded Regal v. Benoit match, a tape that I plan to recap some time in the future).  I’m sure that there were a few purchases that I’m not remembering off the top of my head, but that gives you a good idea of where my wrasslin’ fan-hood is coming from.  As I started getting these tapes and getting more and more enthralled with the action, I offered to Rick to write a semi-regular Indy-tape recap for OO.  As it turns out, it was lucky that he passed at the time, because I stopped buying tapes all together when NWA: TNA debuted, and devoted my wrasslin’ dollar towards their weekly ppvs.  Rick eventually brought me on board of course, and I’m not going to go into much depth about why I quit recapping TNA except to simply say that it wasn’t entertaining me and tell you to check the archives if you need to know more.

So now here we are, and without wasting too much more time, please enjoy my (recycled) review of Best of the Independents 2001 from RF Video, which includes new commentary at the end of each match, which is in italics.

…For the record, now that I am not buying ppvs and have the opportunity to redirect my money towards buying tapes again, these recaps should become more regular, and the rumors of my leaving OO have been greatly exaggerated!

Briscoe Brothers & Ric Blade v. S.A.T.  (CZW 5/12/01)
Combat Zone Wrestling, visit: http://www.prowrestlingworld.com/czw/index2.shtml
6-Man Tag Team Match

Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark) enter first with their manager, followed by the Spanish Announce Team (Jose & Joel Maximo and The Amazing Red).  Facing a 3 on 2, the Briscoe’s announce that they have a partner in the back…“Ric f’n Blade!”  The Briscoe’s manager is less than thrilled, but the crowd is going nuts.  Apparently, by this choice, the Briscoes are essentially turning face, as they and Blade simultaneously flip the middle finger to the manager.  They continue the synchronized movements by throwing the S.A.T. out of the ring and hitting simultaneous top rope moonsaults from the apron to the floor.

Back in, and the match officially begins.  Some chain wrestling and quick tags by both teams to get started.  Eventually the S.A.T. have one of the Briscoes isolated, and work him over with a series of moves that remind me of Tajiri & Mikey at their best.  For the record, Mikey Whipwreck in fact trained the members of the S.A.T.

After the S.A.T. isolates Ric Blade and works him over, we move on to the point in the match that each competitor attempts (and misses) a top rope move…one of the Maximos misses a moonsault, one of the Briscoes misses a spinning senton, the other Maximo misses a 450 splash, Blade misses a spinning senton, Red misses a corkscrew splash, and finally the other Briscoe misses a regular senton.  Next, in succession, each man hits a high-impact move for a two-count.  This series inspires a “Fuck the Hardyz” chant from the crowd.

The train-wreck spot for this match is a 4-person suplex.  Basically, it worked like this: Red was on the top rope and one of the Briscoes climbed to the top for a superplex.  The other Briscoe got on the second rope, so that his brother was on his shoulders, and Blade stood on the mat with the second Briscoe on HIS shoulders.  They all basically just fell backwards, with Red being superplexed from the top.  The finish to the match comes when the Briscoes and Blade isolate one of the S.A.T. in the ring, and each of the faces hits a top rope move, ending with Blade hitting a corkscrew senton for the pin.

This was a fantastic match, with some decent psychology, and a great way to kick-off the tape, as I was easily pulled-into the match early even though I’d never seen or heard of any of the guys.  The crowd was crazy for this match as well, which is really important for a match without commentary.

Match time: 13:20, Total segment: 17:49.

Da Hit Squad v. Youth Gone Wild  (JAPW 7/7/01)
Jersey All Pro Wrestling, visit: http://www.japw.net/menu.html
TLC Match for the JAPW Tag Team Titles

During the introductions, one of the guys from Da Hit Squad grabs the ring announcer and yells, “Don’t you ever call us ‘former champs’ again!”  Of course the crowd takes their cue and chants “Former Champs! Former Champs! Former Champs!”  Nice.

Da Hit Squad is announced at a combined weight of over 500 pounds, while YGW weighs-in at just 320…do the math.  Dixie and Insane Dragon make-up Youth Gone Wild, and they both look like they are high school seniors…and Dixie is a bit stockier than Dragon, who probably weighs-in at less than 150.  Da Hit Squad is two huge black guys, and they are not announced individually, so I don’t know who is who.

Typical wild action to start, with a member of each team fighting on the outside, while their partners fight in the ring.  While Dragon tangles in the ring with one of DHS, Dixie uses a chair on the other until he crawls under the ring.  Dixie goes to the other side of the ring and waits on the apron until the DHS guy crawls from under the ring, and Dixie literally WAFFLES him with the chair.

Later, Dragon climbs the ladder in the middle of the ring, as one of DHS climbs the other side of the ladder.  They meet at the top, and the DHS member reaches for the belts, and WHACKS Dragon in the face with them!  Dragon falls to the mat in a nice spot.  Dragon later runs towards the DHS and eats a steel chair, bending it severely…the crowd chants “Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ!”  God bless those Jersey fans!

One of the members of DHS is on the apron at one point, and Dixie attempts a powerbomb, but the DHS member won’t let go of the rope.  Dragon sees this from within the ring, throws the ladder at him, and Dixie is able to hit the powerbomb from the apron to the floor.

Da Hit Squad’s finisher is a brainbuster/DDT maneuver starting from “The Rack” position.  After hitting their finisher, and thoroughly beating-down YGW, Da Hit Squad carry their opponents from the ring to the stage on the side of the auditorium.  There is a balcony or something about 10’ above the stage floor.  They stack two tables on the stage and lay Dixie out on the top table.  One of the DHS members then executes a running sit-out powerbomb with Dragon, onto Dixie and through both tables.

At that point, it is elementary for the other member of Da Hit Squad (the only man that didn’t go through the tables) to return to the ring, and climb the ladder to retrieve the belts.  We have new JAPW Tag-Team Champions, and their manager lets us know by getting in the camera and shouting, “My belts! I did it!”

This match was especially enjoyable for me because it was wrestled without a single tag from either team!  Having seen more of both Youth Gone Wild and Da Hit Squad, I now enjoy them much more than a year ago.  After watching the tape again recently, this match is one of my favorites on the tape.

Match time: 16:34, Total segment: 20:58.

Super Crazy v. Angel (IWA Puerto Rico 8/4/01)
IWA Isla, visit: http://members.tripod.com/iwaclub/ISLA/
Hardcore Title Match

Angel enters with one belt, which is the belt that is up for grabs, and Super Crazy enters carrying two belts.  The ring apron reads “IMPACTICO TOTAL”.  The ring is set up in a weird way, with the ring sitting in the center of a basketball court, but there are no fans seated on the floor, they are sitting in the stands on the sides of the court (probably a high school or small college gym).  This gives the wrasslers an entire basketball court worth of space to work with outside the ring, and trust me when I tell you that they use all of the space.  In fact, they almost immediately start outside, with Angel using a cart full of weapons.

            Most of the match is spent brawling outside the ring, then back in the ring and Crazy takes-over.  One of the ring corners is wrapped in barbed wire, and each wrestler avoids the corner once before Angel whips Crazy into the corner chest-first.  Angel then scrapes Crazy’s face in the barbed wire.

            Both men are bleeding at this point, and when Crazy is thrown down as Angel retrieves the shopping cart itself from outside the ring, we get a gratuitously close glimpse at Crazy’s crimson mask.  Crazy hits Angel with a series of four cookie trays, each of which is spray-painted with the initials “IWA”.  Angel falls onto the shopping cart, which is laying on its side, and Crazy is able to hit a senton from the top turnbuckle onto Angel on the cart for the 3-count.

            Apparently the IWA Hardcore Title is contested under the same 24/7 rules as the WWF(E) title used to be, as this is the point that the match gets interesting…Crazy holds the belt up for the crowd, and is attacked from behind by a guy in a red, blue & black singlet.  Crazy tosses him over the top rope, and then is attacked by a dude in a shiny shirt, who he hits with a sit-out powerbomb.  A masked wrestler enters, but is pulled out of the ring by the first two guys.  Crazy continues to be attacked by random wrestlers until there are at least 6-8 extra wrestlers around the ring, and they are all brawling with one another.

            At this point, a tag team enters with their manager, none other than Rob Feinstein (the RF in RF Video), who is screaming like a girly little fag.  The team is an indie version of Lenny & Lodi (or Billy & Chuck for you WWF-only readers), and after they hit Crazy with the Con-Chair-To, they begin to fight over the belt because they were both on top for the 3-count.

            While they continue fighting over the belt, Angel can be seen stalking them from the corner.  One of the guys eventually pins the other, and when he stands up with the belt, Angel hits him with the Diamondcutter for 3, and Angel leaves with his belt.

            This was a decent match, with a wonderfully booked finish!  Oh, how I miss having Super Crazy on my television every week!  When ECW was on TNN and I would try explaining what I liked about it to non-fans, I invariably would mention the 10-punch count-along with Super Crazy in the corner.

Match time: 11:34, Total segment: 13:07.

Red v. Jose Maximo v. Joel Maximo (ECWA 10/12/01)
East Coast Wrestling Association, visit: http://www.ecwaprowrestling.com/
S.A.T. 3-Way Dance

All three competitors enter together to the sounds of “Rap Superstar” by Cypress Hill, and the crowd is REALLY fired-up for this match.  It’s always a fun time watching a tag-team fight one another, and pitting the three members of S.A.T. against each other in a 3-Way dance puts a big smile on my face as the bell rings and we are underway. 

They shake hands, circle, hug, circle, pause for a deep breath, circle, and the action begins with a 3-way lock-up.  During the first few minutes of the match, there is lots of pushing one-another into the third guy’s move, which is nice.  Two guys will team-up to work over the other, only to see someone finally stabbed in the back.

            Red’s standing moonsault is a wonderful thing to watch, and it gets the first 2-count of the match.  We go outside, as the Maximo brothers brawl, and Red lands a suicide plancha over the top rope onto both of them!  When we go back in the ring, we get a submission-hold series that is going to be hard to describe…Joel puts Jose in a Standing Figure-4 (with Jose laying on his stomach on the canvas), and Red jumps up to put a headscissors on Joel, then he flips down (as in a huricanrana), and pulls up on Jose’s head with a chinlock.

            After releasing that move, the Maximos move immediately into another wild submission hold, this time double-teaming against Red.  Joel rolls Red into the inverted surfboard position, while Jose stands behind them and grabs Red’s head in a dragon sleeper.  Joel (still holding Red in the surfboard) then tells Jose to run off the opposite ropes and dropkick him.  Jose complies, but lands the dropkick right into Joel’s face!  After a little brawling, we come to a spot that sees Red jump onto Joel’s shoulders, and while standing on his shoulders, Jose leaps from the top turnbuckle for a Tornado-DDT on Red…a bit of a train-wreck spot, but with some practice, that could possibly be a nice bump.

            Out of nowhere, Jose hits a version of Nova’s finisher on Joel for two, and then lands a BIG clothesline on Red, again for 2.  The crowd is absolutely insane as we have Jose in the ring and Joel outside, as Red stands on the apron and leaps for a top rope moonsault onto Joel on the floor, but when he hits the rope, Jose pulls him into a Diamondcutter in the ring, and gets the 3-count.  The ring announcer states simply, “Your winner is Jose.”

            After the match the three of them raise one-another’s arms in the ring in a show of respect, before another team runs-in and tosses Jose & Joel to the floor and then commences to beat Red senseless.  This un-named team then tosses Red over the top rope onto the Maximo brothers on the floor, right in front of the ECWA announce table.  As the segment ends, we are left with the image of S.A.T. laying in a heap, beaten, on the floor…and now that it’s over, the members of the S.A.T. are together again, and it doesn’t matter why they were against each another in the first place, in fact it doesn’t even matter if ECWA offered no reason at all.  Just like at the end of a good Simpson’s episode, everything is back to normal in the end! 

This was a fantastic match, fantastic booking, and wonderfully wrestled match as well.  If the politics of pro wrestling weren’t against him (because he is smaller than Spike Dudley), if everything besides talent was completely equal, Red would have a HUGE future in front of him.  I’m talking he wrestles with the talent and charisma of a young, small (and admittedly green) RVD.  In the last year Red has achieved a great deal of success with TNA, and was often in the best matches on the undercard.  RVD, from what I’ve read, hasn’t exactly been setting the world on fire.

Match time: 9:32, Total segment: 13:10.

Steve Corino v. Jack Victory (PWF 5/10/01)
Premiere Wrestling Federation, visit: http://207.36.51.85/pwf/index.shtml
Good Old-Fashioned Grudge Match

RF Video keeps it real by showing us only Corino’s entrance, and Victory is already in the ring.  The match begins with your typical wrestler v. ex-manager story…with Victory attempting to shake hands with Corino a lot.  Probably the funniest instance is when Corino whips Victory into the corner, and Victory comes out with his hand extended, then falls face-first in a picture perfect Flair Flop.  Well done.

            After the handshake bit, they both go to the floor, and the brawling begins.  Corino dominates for the most part, and Victory’s head is introduced to the announce table.  Corino gets a 2-count on the floor, and I guess we’ve got ourselves a Falls Count Anywhere Match!

            Back to the action, and Victory’s head meets another table.  Uh oh, Victory’s busted open, and now Corino has a Singapore cane.  After the cane shot, the camera zooms-in on Victory’s developing crimson mask.  Incidentally, your referee for this match is Mike Keeter, whom I met at ECW’s last event ever taped for TNN at The Rave, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin…that’s sort of an amusing tale that I can’t really get into right now, but if you want to know the story, just email me.  (I hope that plug wasn’t too cheap for Scaia’s standards!)  This match is almost entirely an outside-the-ring brawl, so there’s very little to discuss, action-wise unless you want me to count the punches and kicks, which I won’t do.

            In lieu of in-ring action, let me call some of the Little Things© about the match: Corino’s T-shirt has a picture of himself in front of a red, white and blue background because he was the NEW American Dream even before 9/11…Jack Victory’s hair is black…Lou E. Dangerously (or Sign-Guy Dudley, if you prefer) appears mid-match, apparently he is Victory’s manager.

            Victory gets the upper hand eventually, and yells, “I taught you everything you know!”  They finally get back in the ring, so that must mean that the big finish is coming.  Victory lands some concrete-like right hands, but gets only a 2-count.  As Victory argues with the ref, Corino gets to his feet, and in the midst of Hulking-up, he pulls his shirt off…and to my surprise, he is wearing boxers (beneath a pair of denim shorts, that is!).  For some reason I just assumed that a guy couldn’t wrassle in boxers because they would ride-up just the way that Corino’s have!!  Anyway, Corino lands a few lefts, then hits the Dusty Rhodes elbow, into a superkick for the win.

A decent little brawl, although I probably would have preferred something with unknown guys if I wasn’t such a mark for Corino…but I am, so it’s all-good.  For the record, Corino did not blade during the match, he left the bleeding in the very capable hands of Jack Victory.  Speaking of ECW matches that I’m a mark for is the Corino v. Lynn match from Heatwave in Las Angeles…the one in which Lynn wrote “DIE” across his stomach in Corino’s blood.  It was around that time that I remarked to a friend that I considered myself “a mark for Steve Corino’s blood”!

Match time: 12:37, Total segment: 14:08.

Briscoe Brothers v. Youth Gone Wild (JAPW 6/15/01)
JAPW Tag Team Titles Match.

            Dixie and Insane Dragon are way over as tag champs, and will be playing the babyface role, the 21^st century equivalent of the Rock-n-Roll Express…they even come to the ring to Skid Row’s “Youth Gone Wild”.

The match starts cleanly, and surprisingly slowly.  I’m only surprised because I am so used to the WWF style that brings out the highspots right away.  These guys are going to go 20 minutes, not 4 and a half.

            For anyone that has seen the Bret Hart shoot interview from RF Video, these guys are demonstrating what Bret considers to be “real” pro wrestling; submission and leverage moves, lots of armbars and wristlocks, and reversals and mat-wrestling.  Fantastic stuff.  The Briscoes isolate Dixie in the ring for an extended period, and finally he gets the hot tag to Insane Dragon…to mild fanfare.  More mat wrestling until the Briscoes change without tagging, and the real action begins.  First, Dragon ranas one of the Briscoes onto the other from the apron to the floor.  Dragon is up right away, and lands a running shooting star press from the apron onto both Briscoes on the floor…quite possibly my favorite move on the whole tape!

            Back in the ring, and Youth Gone Wild finally take over for an extended period.  Dragon hits a drop toehold, and followed-up with a pretty standing moonsault.  Eventually, the heels are on the offensive again, and have Dragon isolated in their corner.  The Briscoes borrow a page from the book of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew, as one holds Insane Dragon in the backbreaker position as the other drops a knee from the middle rope.  Probably one of the more extreme spots in the match, which gets a “J-A-P! J-A-P! J-A-P!” chant is an over-the-top rope senton onto the floor.  For as crazy as the move is, I think its even more amazing that he is right back up afterwards.

            Back in the ring, and Dragon is still stranded in the Briscoes’ corner, held in a dragon sleeper, immediately into a DDT.  More chain wrestling until Dragon hits a tornado DDT, but the Briscoes stop him before he can make the tag.  The crowd is practically rabid by the time Dragon hits his next offensive move, a huricanrana, followed by a backdrop, and then both men run into a clothesline.  The ref counts, and both make the hot tag at 7.  Dragon takes one of the Briscoes outside, enabling Dixie to hit the Roaring Elbow for 3.

Youth Gone Wild retain the belts, and both teams hug in the middle of the ring, in a show of respect…which is broken up as Da Hit Squad hits the ring, beating-down both teams.  JAPW really had it goin’ on when they had these three teams feuding for their belts.  Top shelf material here.

Match time: 16:18, Total segment: 22:03.

Sabu w/Bill Alphonzo v. Sandman (MECW 8/11/01)
I was unable to find any info on a website for Main Event Championship Wrestling.
Ladder Match for the MECW Alternative Wrestling Title.

            Let me start off by saying that I miss Bill Alphonzo.  A lot.  Sandman is wearing an MECW shirt, and the back reads “Sports Entertainment My Ass”.  Sandman grabs the mic, and announces that he has someone to counter Fonzie’s interference.  He has someone who changed wrestling “right here in Philly”, so this must be at the ECW Arena.  He’s got Tod Gordon!  Gordon comes out to mild applause, and we are underway.

            I’m not exactly the biggest fan of either of these guys, but it’s good to see them again.  Sabu’s first scary-looking blown spot is a Triple-Jump Splash from the ring to the top rope to the floor, but Sandman ducks out of the way, and Sabu lands on the railing chin first.

            Gordon & Sandman set up a table on the floor, lay Sabu out on it, but as Sandman is climbing to the top rope Sabu stops him and hits a rana from the top inside.

            They repeat the same spot, reversing roles as Fonzie & Sabu lay Sandman out, and Sandman hits a rana on Sabu from the top turnbuckle inside.  After these two missed spots, two tables are left side-by-side outside the ring in the entryway…and the match continues.

            Sabu & Fonzie set up a table on the other side of the ring, and Sabu attempts another triple-jump move, but misses the second jump, so instead he grabs a chair and hits the Arabian Facebuster from the top turnbuckle onto Sandman through the table to the floor. 

Back in the ring, and the ladder is introduced into the match, laid diagonally in the corner.  Sandman is then whipped into the corner upside-down in his patented spot.  Sandman takes over eventually, and hits a senton splash onto the ladder.  Sabu roles out of the ring, enabling Sandman to set up the ladder and begin climbing for the belt.  Fonzie is in the ring to stop him, but Gordon is in, knocks Fonzie out with one punch, and turns to hold the ladder as the Sandman climbs.

Just in case you didn’t see it coming, Gordon turns on the Sandman by pushing the ladder over, and the Sandman goes flying over the top rope through the two tables that were set up earlier on the floor.  As in the ladder match earlier on the tape, the ending is academic at this point, and Sabu climbs the ladder to become the first MECW Alternative Wrestling Champion.

After the match, Sabu helps Sandman to his feet, raises his hand, and as the crowd applauds, Sabu hits him with a chair!!  Nice ending.  A nice nostalgia addition to the tape.

Match time: 9:40, Total segment: 17:47.

American Dragon v. Low-Ki v. Christopher Daniels v. Scoot Andrews (ECWA 9/22/01)
Four Corners Match for the ECWA Heavyweight Title.

            Scoot Andrews is your defending champion, and everyone else is already in the ring.  The Four-Corner match is one of my favorite gimmick matches, and this match tells one of my favorite stories…anyone that’s seen the Four Corners Match for the ECW TV Title (Chris Jericho v. 2Cold Scorpio v. Pitbull #2 v. Shane Douglas) from ECW’s Path of Destruction videotape already knows the story.  On this tape, “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels plays the cowardly heel role that Shane Douglas played…which is to say, of course, that Daniels is playing Ric Flair…Scoot Andrews plays the babyface champion, who will do just about anything (including put the belt on the line against three other men) just to be able to get his hands on Daniels.

            American Dragon and Low-Ki also have belts when they enter, and we are underway with Dragon and Low-Ki in the ring.  Both of these guys use a lot of stiff kicks, and some really incredible submission moves, the first by Dragon, a Reverse Figure-4, bridging backwards into a Double Chickenwing.

            Daniels tags in against Dragon, and taunts Andrews.  This distracts the referee, of course, because he has to restrain Andrews from coming in the ring.  The distraction backfires on Daniels however, as Low-Ki and Dragon are able to double-team against him!  Once Dragon leaves the ring Daniels is able to take over, and shoves Ki into Andrews’ corner so that he may quickly tag in…and when he does, Daniels runs across the ring and tags-in the (much winded) Dragon.  Daniels then stands on the apron and points to his head as the crowd boos.

            Your legal men are now Scoot Andrews and American Dragon, and all three guys stare down Daniels briefly before the action begins again.  Dragon hits a Double-Underhook Snap Suplex, and gets two.  Daniels and Low-Ki in later, and Daniels holds him in position for a neckbreaker, then hits his elbow on top of Ki’s throat, slamming him down to the mat…my description doesn’t do it justice, it was a nice spot.  Later it is Andrews in against Dragon again, and Andrews blurs the lines of face/heel by setting-up Dragon in the corner, and landing the “Shattered Dreams” kick.

            When Andrews misses a dropkick, Daniels finally tags in against him, and when Scoot starts to no-sell his punches, Daniels quickly tags back out!  The crowd boos loudly, as I laugh and applaud.  The match continues.

            Dragon has a cool hold that is a variation on both the wristlock and shoulderlock at the same time.  Daniels back in against Dragon, and he hits a Slingshot German Suplex…I’m a huge mark for the Slingshot-Suplex, and I don’t understand why it isn’t used more often.

Daniels and Dragon brawl outside briefly, then back-in and Daniels holds Dragon in a Reverse Chinlock…using his legs on the bottom, then middle ropes.  When Daniels finally must break the hold, he bends over to pick Dragon up, and Dragon, while lying on his back, lands a kick right between the eyes.  Dragon then lunges for the hot-tag to Andrews.  Daniels scrambles to the opposite corner, only to see Low-Ki jump down from the apron.  Andrews is finally isolated with Daniels, and immediately hits a Rock Bottom before Low-Ki and Dragon both come in the ring.

With all four men in the ring, we come to the match’s train wreck spot, a 4-Man German Suplex…Low-Ki is on the top turnbuckle, Dragon is behind him on the middle ropes, with Andrews behind him on the mat, and finally Daniels.  When they all flip backwards, Low-Ki is thrust ¾ the way across the ring, and lands mostly on his head.

Daniels throws Low-Ki out of the ring, sets up for a move…and we see a still-picture of Rob Feinstein (again, he is the RF in RF Video) standing next to Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins!  The photo appears for about two seconds, then we return to the match.  I guess there was something wrong with the master tape, and I further guess that if it was my video company I’d probably put a picture of myself in there to put myself over if the same thing happened!  It is really more funny than annoying, and the match is so good that it really doesn’t matter anyway.

Back to the action, and Daniels and Low-Ki are outside the ring, and Andrews lands a plancha on Daniels.  Dragon with a moonsault from the top turnbuckle to the floor onto all three of his opponents!  Low-Ki is the first one up, and he climbs to the top turnbuckle for a Corkscrew Plancha to the floor!

Daniels and Dragon back in, and Daniels hits a series of suplexes, but get only a 2-count.  Low-Ki in for a series against Andrews, ending in a Fisherman’s Sit-Out Brainbuster (coming down almost in a piledriver position)…I found out through NWA: TNA that the move is the Ki Krusher ’99.  Low-Ki has the match won, but Dragon breaks up the pin.  Dragon then has him in a Double Chickenwing submission move, but Daniels breaks it up.

Daniels lands a series of moves on the Dragon, and sets him up on the top turnbuckle.  Dragon reverses the move however, holding Daniels’ arm in a shoulderlock-type move over the top rope.  Dragon is hanging upside down over the ring apron, and Low-Ki takes advantage by dropkicking Dragon’s head beneath the bottom rope, Dragon falls to the floor.  Ki is still sitting on the top turnbuckle, and he takes Daniels’ finisher, a variation on Masato Tanaka’s “Diamond Dust”, flipping Ki over into a sit-out slam.  After a top rope moonsault, Andrews breaks-up the count at 2 and seven-eighths.

Christopher Daniels goes outside and grabs the belt from the announce table…being careful to grab the belt that is up for grabs in this match, naturally (I love this guy!).  Low-Ki goes for a tumbling kick on Daniels in the corner, but Daniels is able to get the belt up, hitting Ki in the ankle with it.  He throws the belt out, and grabs Ki in an ankle-lock.  Dragon breaks it up.  Low-Ki to the floor.

Andrews hits a Reverse Rock Bottom on Daniels, and Daniels rolls to the floor.  Dragon takes-over briefly, but Andrews is able to land his finisher, a Pumphandle pick-up into a Sit-Out Piledriver, for the 1,2,3.

Scoot Andrews retains, and leaves the ring to “Also Sprach Zarathustra” (the theme to 2001, Ric Flair’s music).  I think this match was fantastic, and the way it was booked leaves room for Daniels to claim that he never lost in his match for the title, and so he can challenge for a one-on-one match.  Absolutely one of my favorite matches in our video collection…I can’t wait to watch it again!  In the past year I have watched this match a couple more times, and while it might not get better each time, I certainly don’t like it any less!  Anyone that was raised watching Ric Flair cowardly avoiding face after face over the years will probably love this match.  Scoot Andrews is “The Black Nature Boy”, even.  Daniels has the Midas touch when it comes to sculpting a match from beginning to end, as everything that I’ve seen him in is pure gold.

Match time: 33:40, Total segment: 36:02.

Dusty & Dustin Rhodes v. C.W. Anderson & Big Ron Studd (TCW no date given)
Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling, visit: http://www.dustyrhodes.net/intro/index.html
Father-Son Tag Team Match

            OK, this is the only match on the tape that includes commentary.  Under normal circumstances that would be ok, but the announcer is Dusty Rhodes.  Granted, under some circumstances it would be ok if Dusty Rhodes was calling his own match, but in this case he is the ONLY announcer, which leaves huge commentary gaps BECAUSE THERE ISN’T A PLAY-BY-PLAY MAN!!

            Here’s what Dusty has to tell us during the opening moments of the match: the match takes place in Live Oaks, FL; it is a thrill for him to compete with his son in this match; Ron Studd is 7’2” and 420 lbs and was trained by Big John Studd; “Lone Star” Dustin Rhodes has headlined a Wrestlemania; and finally, Barry Windham is Dustin’s closest and only friend.  (Dusty repeated that last part excitedly over and over enough that I felt entitled to put it in bold print.)  Dusty goes on to tell us that this match is the culmination of the Anderson v. Rhodes family feud, and even though the Rhodes and Windham families have had their differences, Barry is on Dustin’s side.  Windham isn’t even ringside at all during the match, so the fact that Dusty keeps going on about him is almost creepy.

            Anderson attacks Dustin from behind “in true Horseman style”, followed-up by one of the nicest Spinebusters since Arn Anderson himself was in his prime.  When Dustin makes the hot tag to Dusty, he tells us “not a lot of energy by me, because I know that each move counts” as he hits the bionic elbow on each of his opponents.

            At this point, Steve Corino hits the ring and attacks Dustin, handcuffing him to the ring ropes in the corner.  Anderson gets the 3-count on Dusty as Corino continues to work over Dustin in the corner.  Barry Windham finally hits the ring, chasing off the team that Dusty has informed us is named The Extreme Horsemen.  After chasing them off with a chair, Windham unlocks the handcuffs, freeing Dustin, and then whacks him in the head with the chair!  The Horsemen (C.W. Anderson, Steve Corino, Barry Windham, and Big Ron Studd) proceed to break Dusty’s wrist before the locker room empties, chasing them off.

            Not the worst Dusty Rhodes match that I’ve ever seen, but again, I think the slot would’ve been better filled with a match involving Reckless Youth, or Trent Acid, or at least somebody that isn’t calling commentary for their own match.  This is the only dud match on the tape however, so I’m not going to complain too loudly.  Frankly, I fast-forwarded to the ending when watching this tape again recently, so I don’t have anything more to add.

Match time: 12:00, Total segment: 14:49.

Mark Briscoe v. Jay Briscoe (CZW 5/19/01)
Brother v. Brother

            Their manager tries to stop the match from happening, and gets banned from ringside for his trouble.  They start-off scientifically, as most of their matches do, and do a lot of reversals/chain wrestling.  I don’t know if these guys are really brothers or not (they look & dress alike, and they both have their head shaved), but they train together even if they’re not related, and some of the chain wrestling that they do is really innovative.  They are both quite talented, and even though they are wearing slightly different singlets, it is easier to tell heel from face than to visually tell them apart.  That’s quite a testament to their abilities.

            The crowd breaks into a “Fuck the Hardyz!” chant after a particularly fast-paced chain-wrestling segment.  Jay strikes first with a high impact move, hitting a snap suplex followed by a tombstone piledriver.  Mark is laying 4-5 feet from one of the corners, and Jay goes to the opposite corner, leaping from the top with a frogsplash ¾ the way across the ring!  Both of the Briscoes liberally utilize the double-underhook piledriver, and Mark falls victim to it here.

            Before long Mark takes over, landing a fisherman’s brainbuster, a huricanrana from the apron to the floor, and with Jay laid-out on the floor, Mark hits a frogsplash from the top turnbuckle to the floor!  This move elicits a “5 Star Match” chant.  Damn kids!!  Mark then lands my favorite suplex, the northern lights suplex, and this one is from the top turnbuckle!  He actually did land in the bridge position, but wasn’t able to hold it.  Too many moves like that, and I’m going to be a big fan of these guys.

            The ref starts to count after the Super-Northern Lights, and both men are up at 7, and they’re exchanging chops.  The crowd is absolutely RED HOT!  I mean, the crowd is practically rabid, not because the heel or face is winning or losing, but because they are witnessing one of the best pure wrestling matches that they will ever see.  On that note, I am going to jump straight to the finisher, which was from the top rope and started in the pedigree position, but wound-up as a suplex variation…and I’m left wondering if they’ve got a name for that move, or if they might have botched it.

Jay gets the win.  Now this match I have not watched again until just recently, and I am left regretting how NWA: TNA botched their opportunity with the Briscoes.  I used the Briscoe name to help guide some of my tape purchases, and I’ve got a minor Briscoe Brothers collection going on.

Match time: 14:48, Total segment: 17:59.

Low-Ki v. Red (UCW 9/14/01)
UCW, visit: http://www.expage.com/ucwdiscussion
UCW Heavyweight Title Match.

            This match takes place in the Hammerstein Ballroom, and you might remember hearing about this event because it was one of the first public events in New York City to go-ahead as scheduled after the 9/11 attacks.  Low-Ki enters wearing a karate shirt, and he removes it to reveal that he has an American flag draped over the Heavyweight belt around his waist.

            These guys start right off at 100 mph, flying around the ring, landing leaping kicks, and let me say it again, I absolutely LOVE Red’s standing moonsault!  The first highspot comes right away, as Red is attempting to springboard from the apron into the ring, Low-Ki jumps and kicks him in the head at the exact moment that he is standing on the top rope!  When Red takes over a few minutes later he returns the favor by hitting a running drop kick on Low-Ki as he is sitting against the bottom turnbuckle.  Red misses a twisting splash from the top, but Low-Ki sells it anyway.

            Ki holds Red in a Torture Rack-like maneuver, and hits a sit-out powerbomb out of it.  They have to try three different times for Low-Ki to finally get Red twisted into position for his finisher, which again, starts from a variation on the Torture Rack, and ends as a piledriver from the top turnbuckle.

            There were a few blown spots, which is understandable given the outside circumstances.  That being said, I think Low-Ki should think seriously about changing his finisher if it is so hard to get the other guy into position.  It really did hurt the match’s continuity, but as a whole it was still a good match.  Having seen some Low-Ki matches with commentary, I now know that his finisher is the Ki Krusher ’99.  Coming off the top turnbuckle, it is considerably harder to get into position in a believable way.  I’ve certainly got some better Low-Ki and/or Red matches than this one, but because of the context that makes this match really mean something, I enjoy having it in my collection.

Match time: 10:35, Total segment: 14:06.

Homicide v. Insane Dragon (JAPW 9/29/01)
JAPW Heavyweight Title Match.

            Homicide enters wearing fatigues and a Michael Meyers (from the Halloween movies) mask.  When he removes the mask, he looks like a small New Jack, but with Charles Barkley’s head…and fewer tattoos. 

The match begins with some fast back-and-forth action, and when Homicide whips Insane Dragon into the ropes, Dragon leaps through the ropes onto Homicide’s manager!  Dragon is on fire back in the ring, hitting a lionsault, followed by a springboard 450 splash from the middle rope!

            With nothing more than a reverse-whip, Homicide goes back on the offensive, landing another of my favorite moves, the Spicholi Driver, and after synching-in a Standing Figure 4, he pulls Dragon into a Front Facelock.  They trade 2-counts before Homicide’s manager brings in a table and sets it up in a corner.  Homicide goes through the table, of course, but they have to try twice because they miss the table the first time when Dragon hits him with a German suplex.  A regular suplex breaks the table.

            At this point we see Dixie ringside, who is hiding behind the ring post, trying to keep from being seen.  In the ring, Dragon signals “That’s it!” to the crowd, and hits a variation of the Acid Drop (a move that I refuse to call “Dudley Dog” because it is NOT a bulldog, it’s a diamond-cutter—I needed to get that off my chest).  Back to the match, and Dixie pulls the ref out of the ring to break-up the 3-count.  Dixie then attacks Dragon in the ring, but Dragon throws him out in short order.  The distraction was enough though, as Homicide reverses a whip to the corner, and sends Dragon flying over the top turnbuckle, and Dragon’s head hits the steel ring post.  Dragon blades, and Homicide hits his finisher, which I think he stole from E-Z Money, but I forget what E-Z called it.

            A contrast in styles, to be sure, but a very good match…even with a little bit of storytelling thrown-in at the end!  I haven’t seen any more of Dixie’s heel turn to tell you how that’s going, but as I have said many times, I’m always going to be a fan of tag team partners fighting against each other!

Match time: 14:55, Total segment: 16:23.

Christopher Daniels v. Johnny Kashmere (PWF 9/19/01)
Legacy Cup Finals

            I don’t know what the Legacy Cup is, but this takes place in the same place as the Corino/Victory match.  I would refer to it as the PWF Arena, except judging from the look of things, I think it might be a large circus/fair tent.

            Christopher Daniels is already in the ring, but we are treated to Johnny Kashmere’s entire entrance, which includes some boy-band song, because Kashmere is a part of the Backseat Boyz (w/Trent Acid). 

The match starts with some typical chain wrestling, and exchanging punches and chops.  Daniels is thrown out of the ring, and Kashmere hits a somersault plancha over the top rope to the floor.  Daniels takes-over back in the ring, dropkicking the knee, and Daniels uses ring-psychology then by working over the knee.  The first highspot is set up with two non-folding chairs positioned on the floor beneath one of the turnbuckles, and Kashmere eats the chairs as Daniels hits a bulldog from the top turnbuckle onto the chairs on the floor!

            Sliding Kashmere back into the ring, and Daniels immediately goes back to work on the knee.  Kashmere is whipped into the ropes, and as Daniels jumps up for the leapfrog, but Kashmere spears him while he is in the air!  Both men are down, and the ref begins to count…both men are up at 7.  Daniels hits a German suplex w/bridge, then holds on and attempts a regular suplex, but Kashmere rolls him into a small package.  Kashmere’s finisher starts in the jackhammer position, and is a combination slam/shoulder-breaker…basically, Daniels is body slammed onto Kashmere’s knee.

            Daniels stays down for 3, and Johnny Kashmere is the Legacy Cup 2001 champion.  Trent Acid joins his partner in the ring to celebrate.  This was a very good match, but I really don’t like Kashmere’s finisher, I think it would be too easy to botch the move and seriously hurt someone.  But on this night, Daniels is ok, so everything’s cool.  Now that I have seen the Backseat Boyz in action together a few times, I’m enjoying their shtick…not quite enough to buy a tape if they were the only people on it that I recognized, but enough that it helps sell a tape that contains other performers that I am in to.  One of my favorite moments from all of NWA: TNA was when Kashmere and Acid were forced to face-off in a six-man match, and they turned a rapid reversal sequence into a boy band dance routine!

Match time: 13:22, Total segment: 14:36.

I don’t want to over-sell this tape, but I definitely want to give it a most enthusiastic recommendation.  If you are like me, and don’t know hardly anything about the Indie’s, this is an awesome choice to use as an introduction to the Indie scene.  Based on what I saw here, I am excited to check-out CZW, and probably UCW, and JAPW.  Some of the wrestlers that I am going to try and find more of include the S.A.T., the Briscoe Brothers, Christopher Daniels, Low-Ki, and Scoot Andrews (who I wish would’ve been more prominently shown…just one match).

Hopefully, Scaia won’t mind having me visit periodically with a column, and if things work out, with any luck The Indie Scene (or whatever I finally decide to call it) will become a regular feature for ya’ll here at OO.  Next on my list…the Brian Pillman Memorial Show 2000, which I also got from RF Video.

OK, at this point, I kind of DO want to over-sell this tape.  Because it is a Best Of tape, there is no undercard…just 4 hours of Indy wrasslin’ excitement!  And now that I think about it, Dusty Rhodes is just reprising the oldest running feud in wrasslin’…a feud I was weaned on when I first started watching the NWA on Saturday mornings twenty years ago.  As for what’s next on my list, I’ll do the ROH show if it makes it here in time, but if not, then I’ve got the Pillman event for a back-up.  One way or the other, I will try and have it to Rick in two weeks!

PEACE

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