2020 Ongoing MOTY List: Black vs. Huckaby

1. William Huckaby vs. Joe Black SHW 1/10

PAS: This is a Dog Collar match between former tag partners. They open with a really great video package setting up the match with Black talking about how Huckaby was like a big brother who helped him when he was homeless, but Black got to be the bigger star and Huckaby couldn't stand it. This match was maximalist in a way that it didn't need to be, really all you need for a Dog Collar match is two guys hitting each other with chains, but this had cheese graters, poison mist, and table spots, and Huckaby ripping the padding off the ring and removing boards. I really liked this when it was simple, both guys were hitting each other really hard, and Huckaby has a great spinebuster and big right hand, and I liked both guys landing wrong on the chair. They lost me for a bit, with Huckaby spending a lot of time deconstructing the ring. Huckaby did take some nasty shots into holes in the ring and steel support beams. Then they decide to go all the way for it, with the last 10 minutes going Zona 23 outside in the parking lot where they destroy a car. Black hits multiple spears on Huckaby against a car door, Black smashes a window with a hammer, and they end up brawling on the roof finally ending with Black slamming Huckaby into the windshield and spider webbing it. I probably would have preferred this if it was simpler, but if you are going to go big, go fucking big.

ER: When I saw a dog collar match went nearly a half hour, I knew there were going to be unnecessary shenanigans. What surprised me was how well I thought they worked these unnecessary shenanigans into the story of the match. If this was 13 minutes and consisted solely of these two throwing out nasty suplexes, whipping each other with chains, and punching each other with chain wrapped fists, it would have been great. Suplexes in dog collar matches always get a big reaction from me, because you know that chain is unavoidable, and taking a snap suplex is bad enough when you don't also land shoulder blade first across a chain. And they were doing great at suplexing and punching and whipping! Huckaby had a great Black Moondog look, body shape and torn up shorts were Moondog to a T. Moondog Huck, baby!

But I thought all the unnecessary shenanigans were all integrated well, with the tables not requiring set up and only appearing when Black was getting put through one. Surprise table bumps will almost always add to a brawl like this, and I thought it was a big moment when they brawled into the aisle and Black gets powerbombed on the table. The table didn't break, so Huckaby gives him another for good measure, and the way the table broke was spectacular, both ends folding over and covering Black's face and body. Plus, since Huckaby decided to tear down the ring after this 2nd powerbomb, it actually made sense that Black had enough recovery time to go back on offense. The visual of Huckaby throwing ring boards into the crowd was awesome, and bumps across boards and support beams looked great, Huckaby eating a front suplex into the pit! I laughed my head up when Huckaby came up spraying mist, and suddenly I found myself loving the excess. This motherfucker is breaking out every damn gimmick he knows, just to destroy Black. Powerbomb through a table, ripping apart the ring, shoot my man if that don't work you better have some poison mist handy, just in case. But it isn't enough, because these two crazies brawl out to the parking lot, wrecking a car like they were in a bonus SFII stage. The best part was Black hitting two big spears on Huckaby with the car door open, Huckaby flying into the inside part of the door and bending it backwards on its hinge. In high school my friend Brigit backed her car into a spot with the door open, and the result looked the same as if somebody just got speared into her door. The hammer visuals were great, the slams on the car looked great, and the finish was right where this 27 minute gorgeous monstrosity should have ended: Black hitting another front suplex (the same one that dropped Huckaby into the dismantled ring), only this time from the top of the car into the windshield. Huckaby turns and bumps it on his back, not actually sure which is worse, but no matter: This was the right way to do unnecessary excess. It's possible to put logical psychology into illogical wrestling.


2020 MOTY MASTER LIST