New Footage Friday: Low-Ki~! Xavier~! K Kwick~! CHICKY STAR ~! FINLAY~!

Low-Ki vs. K-Kwik vs. Xavier UWF 3/9/02 - GREAT

MD: If you're going to have a three-way where one guy will end up laying around at times and with a bunch of imaginative but slightly contrived spots, keeping it to ten minutes makes that go down pretty smooth. Truth (the 2002 version) and Low Ki is a pretty unique pairing too, which helped, as did Ki's complete commitment to everything he did and Xavier looking great out there, first with getting clowned as he tried to intervene between Kwik and Ki and later on with the opportunism and some nice, aggressive offense. The biggest spot of the match was a triple submission where Ki had a dragon sleeper on Kwik and Xavier came in with a sort of flipping cattle mutilation and while the physics of it made no sense, it was fairly dramatic. I did think after that Kwik was laying around a bit too much, but it's not like Xavier and Ki didn't work well together. This was definitely of its time, but hey, it was an enjoyable time.

PAS: I am not a fan of three ways, and I think this would have worked better as any combination of these guys in a singles match, or a tag with a fourth guy. Still this had a lot to like in it, Ki was at the height of early prime, and Xavier was always one of his better opponents. I liked Ki's kicks versus X's nice looking plum clutch knees. Kwik was around to bump, and he took some nice ones, including a nasty one to the floor after a Ki springboard kick. I normally hate triple submissions too, but I have to admit that Xavier Cattle Mutilation on the Dragon Sleeper Ki put on looked cool, and looked like it crunched Kwik's neck. I have a lot of time for this era of indy wrestling and this was a fun unseen glimpse of it. 

Thunder & Lightning vs. Chicky Starr/Bronco #1 WWC 2003

MD: Quality island Memphis. You could see this being Hart and someone against two bruisers twenty years earlier. Chicky almost got real sympathy early on because he started off with a huge gusher and it looked like an inevitable mauling. Thankfully, that turned around with a bit of valet distraction and obvious weapon shots. From there they built plenty of heat using the object, other chicanery, and drawing the ref away to keep control, and their own necks, until they make the mistake of getting too close to Thunder and Lightning's corner and the weapon changes hands. Even then, there was another bit of heel miscommunication before it's over and the enjoyable post-match where it looks like they're going to turn on each other. You add these ingredients and mix it all together for heel comeuppance in the end and this will always work.

PAS: Chicky Star really does a Puerto Rico appropriate blade job here, and it is hard to root for Thunder and Lightning as their opponent is pulsing gore. The heels do some heel shit, but damn, I would use a foreign object too after an attempted murder.

Finlay vs. Ethan HD DOA 1/21/12-GREAT

MD: This was a Finlay indy tour match that we had as a HH but not proshot, if I'm not mistaken. We hadn't covered it previously. It's really good. A grounded match with Finlay spending the first half chaining together violent shots and punishing Ethan and a back half where he had to work from underneath for a few different holds. The crowd, maybe younger (Eric could probably confirm this), was patient and game for the comebacks. Ethan's cutoffs were actually really good: well-timed, varied, solid impact and believable. He was also more than eager to leap into Finlay's stuff. I would have liked the chair shot to link into another whip into the exposed corner to set up the finish, but that's nitpicking. I liked how they transitioned the outside star into an angle with one of their own guys post-match too. Good stuff.

PAS: The first part of this match had Finlay taking someone to the woodshed, and he is one of the great trip to the woodshed wrestlers ever. He beels Ethan by his chin, drop elbows on throats and forearms to the chin. Classic Finlay asskicking which is one of my all time favorite things to watch. Ethan on offense was a bit more of a mixed bag, and only occasionally delivers the receipts needed. I did like him forcing Fit to work out of a headscissors, and the business with the removed turnbuckles was nice, although overshadowed a bit with all of the chair nonsense. The final indy run Finlay maybe my favorite part of his career and this was a pleasure to watch.