#11: Freelance

by Phil

2008 is a tough year to stand out as a highflyer. You can attend any podunk indy in any town in America and see random skinny dudes doing 450’s and Orihara moonsaults. If Flip Kendrick was around in 1998 he would be an indy legend who people would scour the earth trying to find tape of. Despite that awesome flying is still one of the coolest things to see, Freelance is the single most spectacular wrestler in the world. There are at least two jaw dropping moments in every match. There are a bunch of guys in Mexico who will twist and flip into the second row, but his gracefulness, speed and height is unmatched. He is also a tremendous rope runner, armdragger and ranaer, can work the mat and throw a great punch. Really a complete wrestler and a guy who should be more talked about amongst folks who like flashy shit.

Recommended 2008 Matches:

~w/ Fenix/Turbo vs. Fantasma de la Opera/Dr. Cerebro/Cerebro Negro (IWRG, 9/4/08)
~w/ Rey Cometa/Pegasso Extreme vs. Los Oficiales (IWRG, 10/2/08)
~w/ Rey Cometa/Pegasso Extreme vs. Los Oficiales (IWRG, 10/9/08)
~w/ Rey Cometa/Pegasso Extreme vs. Los Oficiales (IWRG, 10/17/08)

Career Recommended Matches:

~w Fantasma de la Opera/Multifacitico vs. Black Terry/Cerebro Negro/Yamato (IWRG, 12/1/07)
~w/ Tortugillo Ninjas 1 y 2 vs. Los Oficiales (IWRG, 10/11/07)
~vs. Avisman (IWRG, 1/21/07)

2009 Outlook:

He is probably going to drop a bit in 2009, has had some fun performances, but IWRG has really been focusing on other guys. He wasn’t even in the Rey Del Ring battle royal which he normally steals the show. It is possible that he gets a good program in the last third of the year, or his hair match with Dr. Cerebro surfaces, but I am guessing he falls out of the top 20.

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#12: Todd Morton

by Eric

If there's something that Todd Morton does badly, I haven't seen it. He does everything great! His punches are all incredible, and he has a bunch of varieties. The overhands look good, the straight jabs look good, the sneaky jabs look good, the MISSED punches look good! It's shocking how many workers make missed punches look bad, but they do. With Morton, you always know that if the guy didn't duck or back away, the punch would've hit and looked great. He get some mean height on his dropkicks, too.

His bumping is awesome. Knows how to absorb a hot tag, gets insane height on back drops, has perfected the Marty Jannetty "inside out" clothesline bump, knows how to eat finishers, etc.

His work when he's NOT wrestling is among the most compelling in wrestling. Just watching him on the apron is great. He's constantly getting into it with fans, yelling at the opposing team, holding counsel with teammates, hiding weapons, the bug-eyed panicky look he gets when things aren't going his way, tons of stuff.

And his cheating is some glorious stuff. Working crowds up in a tizzy by using and hiding weapons, doing the simplest little underhanded things but making it all work. To cheat, you must have the facials, and he knows exactly how to play to each crowd he works.

Dude can bump, sell, stooge, throws a mean punch, cheat, makes everything he does or receives look nasty. What more could you want out of a worker (aside from said wrestler working for more than one promotion so that we can see him more often against a wide array of opponents, naturally)?

Recommended 2008 Matches:

~w/ Bull Pain/Chris Michaels vs. Bill Dundee/PG-13 (XCW-Midwest, 3/4/08)
~vs. Ali Stevens (IWA-EC, 3/18/08)
~w/ Bull Pain vs. Jerry Lawler/Chris Michaels (XCW-Midwest, 8/9/08)
~vs. Mitch Ryder (XCW-Midwest, 11/4/08)

Recommended Career Matches:

~w/ Mitch Ryder vs. Colt Cabana/Cash Flo (IWA-MS, 2/1/02)
-w/ Bull Pain/Mitch Ryder vs. Ian Rotten/Mitch Page/Corporal Robinson (IWA-MS, 2/8/02)
~vs. Chris Hero (IWA-MS, 2/8/03)
~vs. Ian Rotten (Taped Fist Match, IWA-MS, 4/18/03)
~vs. Mitch Ryder (XCW-Wrestling, 8/7/07)
~w/ Bull Pain vs. Mitch Ryder/Rosey (XCW-Midwest, 9/11/07)

2009 Outlook:

High. He's had matches with Bull Pain and Bill Dundee and he's still Todd Morton. Also, thanks to all our praise the always cool Goodhelmet put 3 Morton matches on his '08 MOTYC comp, so that likely raised his awareness among some more people.

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