Ian Rotten Dropped His Last Dime Down a Wishing Well

Ian Rotten vs. Samoa Joe IWA-MS 4/8/05 -EPIC

JR:Have you ever seen Death Wish IV? The opening sequence, if I’m thinking of the right movie, is of a criminal doing heinous and criminal things, and then all of a sudden Charles Bronson shows up and fucking annihilates him. The criminal runs and hides and shoots desperately at him but Bronson just keeps coming, walking between the shadows in a dimly lit parking lot.

I think about this scene often, well, perhaps not often, but probably more often than anyone else. In it, Bronson, the ostensible hero, is filmed almost exactly like an 80s movie monster, this unstoppable and silent killing machine that we have been trained to fear. He is a grey haired Jason Vorhees. But we are rooting for him, because the actions of his victims are so awful.

There is something about Ian that reminds me of this. Not that his opponents are awful people or doing particularly dastardly things, but because he is positioned throughout these matches as a conquering hero, a dominant force, and yet the way he wrestles and works positions him as something other, something monstrous. He comes across as manically violent and almost inhuman in his disregard for safety, and yet there is something charming about him, with his tuft of blond hair and almost cherubic face, albeit one that is scarred heavily.

This match is somewhat uncharted territory thus far in this project, as this is the first time we are seeing a match in which the narrative is that Ian is essentially outmatched. The Hero match was in 2002 and before many of the matches that would make him well known nationally. The Tarek match was against Tarek. Here, we have Ian vs Samoa Joe in 2005, against a man at the height of his powers. It’s subtle, but the differences are noteworthy. Very early in the match, Ian opts for a slick counter into an arm drag, followed closely with a headstand escape. Perhaps I am projecting a bit too much upon the work itself, but I find these early earnest attempts almost heartwarming; for the first time, we see some effort from Ian to leave a positive impression upon his opponent. It’s as if he wants Joe to see him do things that most would think him incapable of. It’s an interesting choice narratively, as so much of Joe’s mystique is based in a practiced unflappability, but there is enough negative space after the sequence to make sure the crowd also notices the importance of it.

The early narrative is one of increasing desperation from Rotten, although he does it in such a way to come across as canny rather than outgunned. His earlier attempts at impressing Joe with his agility and creativity slowly and assuredly give way to things on the borderline of legality; dropkicks to a knee, a clear choke, a fishhook to break a hold. Each brings Ian a slight material advantage and a more than slight moral victory, as Joe is reduced to grabbing ropes for breaks, motioning for the referee to break the hold, and taking his time to shake out a limb or catch his breath. In some ways, Ian’s plan has worked: he knew what he was in for, while Joe did not.

We have talked at length about Ian’s matwork throughout this series, but I don’t think we have devoted as much space to his strikes, which are sublime. I’m going to work under the assumption that they look good because he is actually just hitting his opponent very hard, but holy lord everything lands perfectly. There is a matter of factness to them all, this immensely understated violence, as though by not commenting on the stiffness of the forearm, by not giving it room to breathe, it somehow becomes more pronounced.

The match ends with this extended exchange of strikes, as it pours over to the outside and both men are counted out. As the bell rings and they announce a double count out, Joe I still putting his hands up. Ian takes off his shirt, hands at his sides. There is probably ten feet between them and it may be the most violent image I’ve ever seen.

PAS: This was more Methlab Futen, then Methlab BattlArts, but man alive did they deliver what you want out of this match up. The match didn't have a ton of matwork, but the matwork it did have a bunch of small moments of innovation which are traditional in these Ian matches. Joe tries to roll over with an Indian Deathlock, and Ian blocks it twice, by pushing at Joe's knee. When Joe finally rolls it over, Ian grabs a neck crank so Joe can't really rip at the knee. It is those kind of little reactions which is missing from all but the best mat wrestling.

Most of this match was on the feet and they were really pasting each other. The headbutt battle was both really stupid and really awesome. Joe cracks Ian with a headbutt, and Ian fires back, does a bit of a glassy "I shouldn't have headbutted a Samoan" sell, and says fuck it and just starts ramming him until they both fall down.

I am two ways on the count out, it is sort of silly to have a double count out in a fed like IWA-MS which basically has no rules, and it was clearly not what the crowd wanted to see. Still if you are going to do a double count out, this kind of Godzilla vs. King Kong rumble is the way a count out should be done. I loved Joe cutting off the traditional Ian post match "Introducing a Shriner's luncheon speaker" speech and threateningly demanding a rematch. It was a real minor tragedy we never got that rematch, it was set up great and would have been epic, it is up there with some of the all time great teased but never delivered matches.