A Brief History Of Velocity 10.04.05

On September 27, 2003, I began recapping Velocity for 411wrestling.com. But of course, it was more than that. Not only did I begin watching the show fervently on that date, but the action of writing about it allowed me to examine it differently. I took an approach to the show that was sometimes critical, sometimes odd, and sometimes funny (I hope), but was always bringing me closer to what felt like a very exclusive experience. And luckily, that will continue, as Velocity has been moved to WWE.com rather than given the boot. However, an era has ended, so let’s take a look back.

May 25, 2002 – September 20, 2003- A-Train won a bunch of squashes, and POKER FACE wrestled that one match!

Okay, I missed a lot of good stuff, but I saw a lot of good stuff, too. So let’s get to it. Some of our long-awaited FAKE TITLE HISTORIES, and of course Velocity’s TOP TEN MATCHES!

Velocity Titles-

Velocity Heavyweight Champion-

Rhyno*- 10.4.03
-defeated Billy Kidman- 11.1.03
-defeated Chris Kanyon- 11.16.03
Scotty 2 Hotty- 11.23.03
Title vacated**- 1.24.04
Sakoda- awarded belt 4.17.04
Billy Gunn- 5.29.04
Mark Jindrak- 7.17.04
-defeated Scotty 2 Hotty- 7.31.04
-defeated Wavell Starr- 8.21.04
-defeated Funaki- 8.28.04
-defeated Shannon Moore- 9.4.04
-defeated Scotty 2 Hotty- 9.11.04
-lost to Shannon Moore via DQ- 9.18.04
-defeated Spike Dudley- 3.19.05
-defeated Doug Basham- 3.26.05
-defeated Spike Dudley- 5.7.05
-defeated the SAT- 5.14.05
Orlando Jordan- 5.28.05
-defeated Shannon Moore- 6.4.05
-defeated Hardcore Holly- 6.11.05
-defeated Nunzio- 6.25.05
-lost to Hardcore Holly via DQ- 8.6.05

*- I awarded the title to Rhyno because, well, he’s cool.

**- After stripping Scotty 2 Hotty of the title for failure to defend, I did a “tournament” for the belt in which the wrestler who scored the most singles wins on Velocity in February of 2004 would be crowned champion. At the end of the month, A-Train, Sakoda, and Ultimo Dragon had two victories each, so we went into sudden death. Of course, none of the men appeared on Velocity for a while after that. After A-Train was drafted to Raw and Dragon announced he’d be going back to Japan, Sakoda was declared the champion. All in all, this took too long, and I’ll never strip the wrestler of a title for “failure to defend” ever again.

Velocity Tag Team Champions-

Ultimo Dragon and Funaki*- 9.27.03
The World’s Greatest Tag Team- 11.16.03
-defeated London and Spanky- 1.10.04
-defeated Scotty 2 Hotty and Rikishi- 1.24.04
-defeated Ultimo Dragon and Funaki- 2.7.04
-defeated Matt Cappotelli and John Hennigan- 2.28.04
Titles vacated- 3.22.04**
Gunn and Holly- 3.28.04
-defeated Eddie Craven and Russell Simpson- 4.10.04
-defeated The Basham Brothers- 4.24.04
-defeated The Basham Brothers- 5.22.04
-defeated Nunzio and Johnny Stamboli- 6.5.04
-defeated Kenn Phoenix and Jason Pacaro- 6.12.04
-defeated The Basham Brothers- 7.10.04
-defeated The Basham Brothers- 8.14.04
Titles vacated- 10.2.04***
The Basham Brothers- 10.2.04
-defeated Russell Simpson and Slam Shady- 11.13.04
-defeated Paul London and Funaki- 11.27.04
-defeated Holly and Haas- 1.29.05
-defeated Holly and Haas- 3.5.05
-defeated Holly and Haas- 3.12.05
-defeated Scotty 2 Hotty and Shannon Moore- 4.30.05
-defeated Nunzio and Funaki- 5.7.05
-defeated Nunzio and Funaki- 5.28.05
-defeated Teddy Hart and JD Michaels- 6.4.05
Titles vacated- 6.30.05****

*- Once again, Ultimo Dragon and Funaki earned the titles by ruling so hard.

**- When Shelton Benjamin was drafted to Raw, the titles were vacated. They were put on the line in the next tag match.

***- When Billy Gunn was removed from the active roster, the titles were vacated. They were put on the line in the next tag match.

****- I had actually stopped recognizing the belts around the end of 2004, just because I got lazy. I went through match results and added these up, so the reign of The Basham Brothers would never go forgotten. In any case, the titles were vacated when Danny Basham was traded to Raw.

The fake titles are all well and good, but those are the potatoes, and it’s time for the steak. And by steak, I mean metaphorical steak: the top 10 Velocity matches of the past two years- from the time I took over (September 27, 2003) to the last show on Spike TV (September 24, 2005). So let’s get to it!

Velocity’s Top Ten Matches

Number 10 on the list, by coincidence, is also the first match I recapped that truly “wowed” me. As I mentioned in the commentary, I was mostly taken aback by the end of the match, which still ranks among the best I’ve seen. So much going on at once, yet all of it was executed perfectly.

10

Nunzio versus Paul London – November 23, 2003

Ewww, Spanky’s wearing undies. You know, trunks. Nunzio starts off with a waistlock into a takedown, then smacks London’s head, and goes back into the headlock. The two start mat rasslin’, using wristlocks and those flipping reversals. Finally, London rolls Nunzio up with a sort of modified Victory Roll for two. The two get up, and Nunzio sweep kicks London and covers him for one. London extends his hand, and Nunzio takes it, attempts to pull London in for a move, but London is way ahead of him and pulls Nunzio in with a Northern Lights Suplex for two. London fires some forearms at Nunzio when the two get up, and then gets a back body drop for two. Nunzio eats an elbow when trying for a corner charge (after getting back up, duh), and London goes to the top, only to get pushed off by Stamboli. Nunzio covers, and gets two. Spanky’s pissed, and he goes after The Bull, but the referee calms both of them down. Meanwhile, London gets a rollup on Nunzio as the ref re-enters, and it gets two. Nunzio turns the tide with a clothesline, and then drops a knee on London. Nunzio snapmares Paul London, then applies a chinlock, but London gets up, elbows him off and sends him to the corner. London charges, but gets Nunzio’s knee in return, then takes a Sicilian Slice for two. The two brawl a little, and London gets the upper hand on Nunzio in the corner. The referee, however, is arguing with Spanky, and that allows Johnny The Bull to nail London. Nunzio snapmares Paul, then hits a double neck Karate chop. London, however, manages to get a rollup (cherry flavored?), but the referee is distracted by The Bull, and by the time he sees the cover, it’s too late- it only gets two. Nunzio then nails London with an awesome spinning slide slam for two, then re-applies the rear chinlock. They brawl a little more once London gets out, and then London nails an enziguri, followed by a hurricanrana and a dropsault for two. London sets Nunzio up for a Tiger Suplex, but slams him down stomach/face first (a Tiger Clash?). He covers, but Johnny puts Nunzio’s foot on the rope. Things are really getting good. London baseball slides Johnny The Bull, then gives Nunzio a Standing Shooting Star Press… for two? Wow. Nunzio gets up and goes to the corner, then backdrops a charging London. London manages to land on the apron, but The Bull starts giving him trouble. Spanky gets in the ring and somersaults over the ropes onto The Bull. London takes advantage of the opportunity, and jumps into the ring, to the ropes, and attempts a Lionsault, but to my shock, Nunzio gets his knees up. Paul is doubled over, and Nunzio goes to the second rope and nails London right in the head with the best non-Owen Hart missile dropkick I’ve ever seen. The three count follows.

Winner: Nunzio
Match Time: 6:51
Rating: ***1/2
Commentary: Started off kinda slow and cluttered, but without exaggeration, the last two minutes were *****. If they had more time to pace it, and less interference early on, the sky would’ve been the limit.

A year and a half ago, Paul London wasn’t a former Cruiserweight Champion… in fact, he hadn’t so much as won a televised match. Nevertheless, he was establishing himself as one of the company’s most consistent performers, and this was one of his finer matches… against a fine opponent, of course.

9

Jamie Noble versus Paul London – March 6, 2004

Will Paul London score his first televised WWE singles win? Not very likely, seeing as how he’s not even in the Cruiserweight open at WMXX, and how they use his theme in the commercial for that new Fox show starring Jason Schwartzman. Lockup to start, and London gets a waistlock. He wrestles Noble to the mat, but needs to break the hold when Noble gets the rope. Back up, and Noble gets wristlock, which London reverses. Noble rolls out, suplexes, and puts London in a wristlock on the mat, but London kips up and puts the lock back on Noble. Back up, and Noble with a top wristlock, and London reverses into a hammerlock. Noble gets a drop toe hold, and applies a front facelock. London tries to flip over, but Noble keeps the lock. The second time is London’s charm, as he reverses into a hammerlock. Both get up, and Noble reverses and applies a headscissors on the mat. London kips up and out, and Noble tries to get his hold back, but London applies an armlock. Noble tosses him into the corner, and thus begins the brawling sections of this match. London gets chops in the corner, then Spinal Taps Noble. He gets an inverted Hennig headsnap flip for two, and gets a flying knee to Noble’s head for another two. Bodyslam by London for two more. Noble backdrops London to the apron, London jumps to the top, but Noble pushes him WAY off the top rope, and London goes face first to the Rail of Pain. And… a commercial. Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. Good match, so far. Ummm… how’s it going? It’s getting warmer out, and not a moment too soon. So… uh… how ‘bout that Triple H? Guy wins a lot. Whew, it’s back, enough small talk. Noble has London in a chinlock, but London gets out of it. Noble tosses him over the top, and London skins the cat, but Noble dropkicks him, and London falls to the outside. Noble goes out after him, rolls him in, and covers for two. Noble with a short arm clothesline for another two count. Noble covers again for two, and gives a legdrop, a kneedrop (with pad pulled down), and applies a rear chinlock. London starts to break out, but Noble elbows him in the head and applies a reverse necklock. London’s up, but Noble throws him to the mat. Noble reapplies the reverse necklock, but London gets up, rolls around, and gets a DDT. Noble approaches London, but London gets a jawbreaker, a dropsault, and a sidekick for two. Tiger Clash by Noble for another two count. Charging forearm in the corner by London, but the ensuing London charge ends with a Noble powerslam for two. Noble goes up top, but London crotches him and gets a Frankensteiner. Noble rolls though on the cover, but only gets two. Noble goes for the Tiger Driver, but London lifts him up, allowing Noble to apply the Trailer Hitch. London reverses into a suplex, but Noble rolls back over, keeping the Trailer Hitch on. London taps out.

Winner: Jamie Noble
Match Time: 13:23 (including commercial)
Rating: ***1/2
Commentary: That was one hell of a match. I thought the Tiger Driver would be the finish, and I thought it seemed a little abrupt, but I turned out to be wrong, thankfully. A little more London offense would’ve made things even better.

Jamie Noble was a major player on Velocity, and it’s looking like he’ll be just that once again. In a rare Velocity appearance by Rey Mysterio, two of the top cruiserweights in the entire world showed what they could do, even under constraints.

8

Jamie Noble versus Rey Mysterio, Jr. – May 1, 2004

Lockup to start, with Noble getting a waistlock. He takes Rey down and covers, but Rey kicks out and holds the leg. He takes Noble down, but Noble reverses into a chinlock. Rey, however, grabs a hammerlock. He wrenches the arm of Noble, but Noble rolls out of the armlock and suplexes Rey over, then gets his own armlock. Bridge sequence by Rey, and Rey jumps onto Noble’s shoulders knees-first, and hurricanranas Noble. Noble grabs a wristlock, but Rey rolls out. Noble chops Rey, then whips him, but Rey slides under Noble’s legs, slides around a lot, and eventually gets a Lionsault for two. Rey applies a headlock. Noble tries a back suplex, but Rey takes him over. Noble pushes Rey off, and takes him down with a running forearm. INSANE wrist kick by Noble from the mat, and Noble sends Rey to the corner as we go to commercial. When we get back, Noble is stomping on Rey. He lifts Rey up, flips him over, legdrops his arm, and applies an armlock, which he turns into a top wristlock. Rey punches his way out, and rolls up Noble for two. Noble smashes into Rey, throws him to the corner, and dropkicks him against the turnbuckle for two. Legdrop by Noble, followed by a reverse hammerlock. Rey punches his way out, and tilt-a-whirls into an armlock. Noble gets up and throws Rey into the corner, then applies a hammerlock, but Rey snapmares Noble into the corner. Rey fires off numerous kicks to Noble’s chest, then goes to the second rope and springs off with a hurricanrana. He hits a spinning leg lariat, and reverses a pancake to a dropkick. Noble’s down in the corner, and Rey hits a sliding dropkick to Noble’s gut. Rey goes up top and hits a split legged-moonsault for two. Noble reverses a Rey whip, but Rey springboards into a crossbody. Noble, however, catches the arm and applies an armbar. Rey gets his foot to the rope, forcing a break. Rey goes to the apron and tries for a sunset flip, but Noble catches him and turns it into a Northern Lights Suplex for two. They trade kicks, and Noble lifts up Rey for a Tiger Driver, but Rey hurricanranas into 619 position. He hits the 619, then Drops the Dime for the win.

Winner: Rey Mysterio, Jr.
Match Time: 15:23 (including commercial)
Rating: ***1/2
Commentary: Terrific match, one of the best I’ve ever seen on Velocity. Someday, I should cut a paste a list of the top five or ten Velocity matches I’ve reviewed. Maybe on my one-year anniversary.

Well, it took long enough, but I did it.

The fourth encounter between Paul London and Akio is the first one to make this list. In an episode of Velocity taped in Japan, these two had a great match that saw a lot of back and forth action.

7

Paul London versus Akio – February 12, 2005

Akio is (not) from Japan, so it’s a big deal when he makes his entrance. Lockup to start, and Akio gets an armdrag. Lockup again, and they grapple until London backs Akio into the corner. Clean break, which draws applause. Lockup, and Akio gets a headlock. Lockup reverses into one of his own, but Akio escapes into a waistlock. Wrestling sequence on the mat, with Akio grabbing a leglock on London’s head. London springs out, and more clapping. Akio fakes a handshake with a kick, gets a headlock, and comes back with a shoulder. London grabs a front facelock, then a headlock, but Akio gets out with a top wristlock. London bridges back, but Akio tosses him down and gets a headlock on the mat. London whips Akio, and Akio flips over an attack, but London catches him with a kick to the stomach and gets him in the corner. London elbows a corner charge, then gets the Chun Li toe tap. Akio backdrops London to the outside, but London comes in with a headscissors. Akio gets knocked out and London goes for a plancha, but stops when Akio moves. Back in, Akio gets a standing Goku-Raku hold and London reverses into one of his own, but Akio escapes, hits the somersault kick, and gets a leg lariat as we go to a commercial. Back in, London’s getting the ten punch on Akio in the corner, but Akio escapes and throws him out of the ring, landing him on the steps. Akio goes out after him, tosses him back in, and covers for two. Akio hangs London in that over-the-ropes leg choke, then applies a sleeperhold. Akio gets a jumping rolling enziguri kick, but London kicks out. Akio chops in the corner, then whips London across the ring and gets a jumping fist in the corner. He comes off the top with an elbow, but London dodges. They get up and trade punches, then chops. London gets the upper hand, then hits a jawbreaker and a spinning heel kick. Two clotheslines by London, then a big backdrop. He gets the Dropsault for two, then catches an elbow but hits a leg lariat for two. Akio tosses London over the ropes, but London skins the cat and backdrops Akio out. London gets a flying somersault plancha, the rolls Akio back in. London gets up top and comes off with a double axe handle, but Akio counters with a spinning heel kick for two. Akio puts London on the top and goes for a Frankensteiner, but London pushes him off and gets the 450 Splash for the win.

Winner: Paul London
Match Time: 14:06 (including commercial)
Rating: ***3/4
Commentary: I liked it, though I wasn’t really excited enough throughout to boost it up to the **** level. Still, very good stuff all around, and if these guys wrestle again, I’ll be watching.

The first rematch on the list, and like most of these other matches, it was a great cruiserweight encounter. Though I initially criticized the length of this encounter, I’d change my tune a little later. For now, though, let’s focus on London-Nunzio II.

6

Nunzio versus Paul London – February 7, 2004

Chuck Palumbo is doing the old jeans-sans-shirt routine, making him look like he just came back from filming “Dude Ranch.” They lockup to start, with Nunzio going around for a waistlock, and London reversing into one of his own. Nunzio, however, gets to the ropes, forcing a break. Nunzio then gets down on his hands and knees, indicating that he wants to wrestle London from referee’s position, but London, remembering that this is pro wrestling, gives Nunzio an Oklahoma Roll for two. Oklahoma Roll- sounds like a kind of sushi made from wheat and dust. Nunzio shoves London when they get up, and then a headlock is applied by someone (alright, my notes aren’t perfect!). The headlock is broken and chops and strikes are traded. London goes up top, Nunzio charges to the corner, but London actually jumps off, does the Chun Li toe tap to Nunzio’s back, and lands on his feet. This guy is awesome, and I think he’s only 23. The sky would be the limit for him if he was working for a fair booker. He rolls Nunzio up, but only gets two. London goes back upstairs, but Nunzio grabs his leg and Dragon Screws him from the top (that sounds like something Ultimo Dragon would do for you if you took him out to a nice dinner). Nunzio then applies a leglock. London gets to the ropes, but Nunzio stomps on him, then applies a foot twist hold. London manages to roll, flip, and snapmare out of it, which gets a two count, but then Nunzio kicks London’s leg and covers him for two. He slams London’s leg on the mat, but London rolls him up for two. Both men are up, but Nunzio takes Paul London down with a chop block. Nunzio snapmares London and applies a kneelock, but London flips out of it, kicks Nunzio, scores an enziguri for two, and nails a reverse Tiger Suplex. He then backdrops Nunzio and hits the Dropsault, but only gets two. Nunzio whips him to the corner, and London handsprings over the charging Nunzio, but his knee goes out when he hits the ground. Nunzio goes up to the second turnbuckle and connects with the same Missile Dropkick he used to beat London in their first encounter. It does the trick once again.

Winner: Nunzio
Match Time: 6:40
Rating: ***3/4
Commentary: I couldn’t give this **** in good conscience, as it just wasn’t long enough. However, the match did rule. If Velocity matches were graded on their own scale, this would be a ****3/4 affair, or even *****.

For the second (but not the last) time, Paul London and Akio make the list. This match was for number one contendership to the Cruiserweight Title, and champion Chavo Guerrero was at ringside. That, plus a bunch of innovative spots and ideas, helped make this match unique.

5

Paul London versus Akio – March 12, 2005

Chavo Guerrero heads out first in order to do some commentary. Akio quickly rolls up London to start, but no dice. Akio gets a waistlock into a fireman’s carry into a cover, but only gets two. London then gets a waistlock. Akio escapes, but London grabs a front facelock. Akio gets a wristlock, but London reverses into one of his own and grabs a headlock. Akio tries to suplex, but London flips and regains the headlock. Akio pushes him off, but London gets a shoulder and once again applies the headlock. London whips Akio, but Akio slides out of the ring to regain his bearings. Back in, Akio fakes a lockup and gets a back suplex for two. He kicks London in the back of the neck, then whips him to the corner. London dodges the flip kick, Akio dodges the toe tap, London dodges the spin kick and hits the Dropsault for two. He smashes Akio’s head on all the turnbuckles, then hits a jumping headbutt for two. London clotheslines Akio out of the ring, then stomps around. He climbs to the top turnbuckle and takes Akio out with the frog crossbody as we go to commercial. Back on the show, London whips Akio to the corner and catches him with an overhead belly to belly for two. London hits a charging fist in the corner, then another in the opposite corner. He goes for a third, but Akio dropkicks his knee, sending him flying over. Akio goes to work on that leg, wrenching it and then stretching it. Akio kicks away on the knee, then slams it into the mat. He drops a leg on the knee, then applies a modified Figure Four as London writhes in agony. They trade chops while in the hold and London knocks Akio off. Akio goes back to the knee, knocking London down with a kick. He lays London’s leg on the bottom rope and slams down on it, then puts on a Stretch Muffler. London gets to the rope, forcing Akio to break. However, he pulls off London’s boot fringe and whips him with it, then applies an Indian Deathlock. Akio then covers for two. London dodges a kick and tries to fight, hitting a desperation Dropsault. Both men are down, and London elbows a corner charge. London smashes Akio on the head with his legs, then hits another elbow and a clothesline. He follows up with a backdrop, then hits a crisp leg lariat on Akio for two. London goes up to the top rope, but Chavo taunts him, allowing Akio to kick his leg out. Akio seats London on the top and hits a Frankensteiner, but as they hit the mat, London rolls through into a cover for the win.

Winner: Paul London
Match Time: 14:13 (including commercials)
Rating: ***3/4
Commentary: Great stuff here, with Akio’s work on London’s leg being notably brilliant. The ending sequence seemed a bit stalled at points, but aside from that, no real complaints. Let these men wrestle 1000 more times.

The only tag-team match on the list is also the first Velocity match I ever rated as ****. At the time, London and Chavo were feuding, and based on London’s perma-competition with Akio and Funaki’s Velocity residence, this one just made sense. As good as these four are, even I was surprised by the quality of the product.

4

Paul London and Funaki versus Chavo Guerrero and Akio – March 5, 2005

London gets Funaki to run to the ring with him, but thankfully, he only has one furry jacket. London wants to start with Chavo, but he gets Akio. They lock up to start, with London shoving Akio down. London continues to ask for Chavo, but Akio won’t comply, so London gets an armlock and tags Funaki, who comes in off the top with a double axe handle. He gets a headscissor takedown for two, then tags London back in. He continues to work on the arm until Akio escapes with an elbow. London hits the Chun Li toe tap, but Chavo grabs him and Akio hits him with a spinning kick. Chavo pulls London to the outside and works on him, then tosses him back in for Akio. Akio tags Chavo, who works over the damaged London. He slams London to the corner and tags Akio back, who suplexes London for two. Akio keeps the stomps going, then tags Chavo, who kicks London in the ribs. Chavo gets a European Uppercut, but London hits a spinning heel kick. London tags Funaki, who gets a forearm on Chavo. Akio runs in, but Funaki takes care of him, too. He goes for an enziguri on Chavo, but Chavo ducks and hits a wheelbarrow suplex as they go to a commercial. Very good stuff, so far. When we get back, Funaki is fighting his way out of the heel corner, but Chavo drags him back and tags Akio, who applies a bow and arrow hold. Funaki breaks out into a quick cover, but Akio escapes and whips him into the turnbuckle. He tags Chavo, and the two hit a double suplex for two. Chavo applies a head and arm lock. Funaki escapes, but Chavo hits a kitchen sink for two. Tag to Akio, who hits a Russian Legsweep, which he turns right into a leg-around-the-head hold. Akio tags Chavo, whom Funaki takes down before tagging London. London hits a hurricanrana and a back body drop on Akio, then a dropsault on Chavo into a landing on Akio for two. London drags Akio to the corner and goes to the top, but Chavo shoves him off. The heels double team Funaki, but London pulls Chavo out of the ring and Funaki hits an enziguri on Akio. He takes Chavo down with a plancha. London then goes up top and hits the 450 on Akio for the win.

Winners: Paul London and Funaki
Match Time: 11:53 (including commercial)
Rating: ****
Commentary: Damn right, four stars. Started off slow (the good, methodical way, not the bad boring way), built up well, became really exciting at the end… just a stellar tag match with excellence from all parties. Extra credit to Akio, because it seemed like he logged the most in-ring time by a decent amount.

Unlike other gems on this list, which came and went with little fanfare, this was one of the more heralded matches in Velocity’s history. Of course, that pretty much just refers to internet buzz, but that’s how it works in the weird world of Velocity. Anyhow, this 20-minute classic pitted two of WWE’s premiere technicians against one another, and the results were must-see.

3

William Regal versus Chris Benoit – July 16, 2005

Circling to start, and the two lock up. Benoit backs Regal into the corner, and jabs are traded. Another lockup, and Regal gets a headlock. Benoit escapes, applying a top wristlock. Regal goes for a hammerlock, but Benoit gets a regular wristlock. Regal rolls out of it, then snapmares Benoit, but Benoit gets a hammerlock on the mat. Regal gets up and reverses into a front facelock, but Benoit wrings him down to the mat by his arm as we go to a commercial. When we get back, Regal and Benoit are in a test of strength, with Benoit getting bridged back against the canvas. Regal knees him in the gut, but Benoit keeps the bridge. He gets up, then forces Regal into a bridge. Regal goes down, then kicks Benoit in the head. Nevertheless, Benoit doesn’t break the hold. Regal gets back up and headbutts are traded, with Benoit’s drawing blood from Regal. Benoit takes Regal down and punches away at him. Back up Regal goes for a full nelson. Benoit reverses into one of his own, but Regal blocks it by grabbing his leg. Regal reverses, but Benoit reverses again and hits a Dragon Suplex. Back up, he backs Regal into the corner and chops Regal’s head. Benoit drives his knee into Regal, then rakes his forehead and attacks it with his knee. Benoit hits a release German Suplex, and both men are down. Both get up, and Regal hits his running knee to Benoit’s head for two. Regal covers four more times without scoring a pin, then applies a shoulder lock. Benoit escapes, but Regal attempts the Regal Stretch. However, Benoit grabs the ropes before Regal can hook his head. Benoit gets to the corner, and Regal hits a high kick. He applies a Crossface Chicken Wing, taking Benoit down to a knee. Regal then applies a surfboard, finally grabbing and hooking Benoit’s head. Benoit breaks the hold with a couple of elbows, and we go to another commercial. When we get back, Regal gets a schoolboy roll-up for two. Regal follows with a backslide for two. Benoit takes Regal down and applies the Sharpshooter, but after a while, Regal manages to get to the bottom rope. Back up, Regal kicks away at Benoit, hits a snapmare, and kicks him in the chest for two. Regal applies a side chinlock, then elbows Benoit in the face. Regal attempts a Butterfly Suplex, but Benoit counters with a backdrop. From his position on the mat, Regal hooks Benoit’s arms. Both men get up, and after a few knees, Regal hits the Butterfly. Regal only gets two, so he covers another four times. Regal hits a standing dropkick for two. He lifts Benoit for a Tombstone, but Benoit reverses into a shoulderbreaker. He slaps on the Crossface, to which Regal taps quickly.

Winner: Chris Benoit
Match Time: 18:57 (including commercials)
Rating: ****
Commentary: Great, great match, really. Not that that’s a surprise, considering the talent level involved, but that sort of thing is always appreciated. I’m really loving Benoit; he’s probably my favorite wrestler these days.

The number two match on the list is a bonus for the both of us. I had, regrettably, missed this match during it’s initial airing, for which I kicked myself, as it soon gained a measure of cult status. Thankfully, a buddy of mine managed to hook me up with it, and as such, I present my first-ever, brand new, original write-up of the following match:

2

Paul London versus Akio – December 4, 2004

Man, I miss Akio’s long hair… and Akio. Lockup to start, and they roll to the mat. Back up, Akio backs London into the corner. London shoves, then gets a headlock back in the center of the ring. He turns it to a hammerlock, but London runs him out of the ring. Akio heads back in, where London stomps and gets a wristlock. Akio grabs the top rope and backflips out, then grabs a headlock on the mat. Akio gets a shoulder tackle, but London takes him down by the leg and grabs a front facelock. Akio gets up, whips London to the rope, and telegraphs, allowing London to hit a standing Chun Li Toe Tap. London dropkicks Akio out of the ring, then follows with a somersault plancha. Back in, Akio catches London’s foot and backflips him, but London’s foot catches the rope on the way over and he lands on his head in a scary visual. London gets up and heads to the corner, where Akio hits the leg lariat and skins the cat back in. Akio gets a chinlock. London gets up, but Akio hits a big Enziguri for two. London tries to fight back with gut punches, but no dice. Akio boots a corner charge, but London hits a leg lariat of his own. London and Akio trade chops, then punch simultaneously twice. Kicks are traded, as are shouts. London gets the better of the exchange, ducks a spin kick, then hits the dropsault, knocking Akio to the turnbuckle. Akio elbows a corner charge and hits a moonsault press for two. London knocks Akio off of a waistlock, then hits a jumping kick. London goes up top, but Akio crotches him. Akio hits punches, then goes up, but London knocks him off and gets a jumping DDT for the win.

Winner: Paul London
Match Time: 5:52
Rating: ****
Commentary: Terrific match between these two. I’m glad I finally got to see it, as it was everything I heard it was and more. Truly, the crown jewel of a wonderful series.

And of course, we come down to the big daddy… the best match Velocity has presented me. I criticized an earlier London-Nunzio as too short to reach ****, but in all fairness, this one was four seconds longer. In any event, this match was non-stop action (totally), and it just worked on every level.

1

Paul London versus Nunzio – July 30, 2005

Seems to be non-title, not that it matters. Hand slap to start, and Nunzio gets a waistlock. London reverses to a wristlock, but Nunzio switches it up. Locks are exchanged, London whips and gets a Japanese armdrag. London with an armdrag into an armlock, but Nunzio gets the ropes. Lockup, Nunzio gets a hammerlock. London rolls out and applies one of his own, but Nunzio reverses. London tries to roll out, but Nunzio pushes him into a pin for two. The action is fast, and, well, good. London with a front facelock, but Nunzio breaks. London to the corner, jumps to the apron, springboards in with the Chun Li toe tap. Nunzio rolls out, London follows, attacks, back in, gets a slingshot Oklahoma roll. Back in, Nunzio dodges a springboard kick, kicks London in the ribs, and gets a suplex. Nunzio slows things down with a chinlock, but London gets up, trips Nunzio and bridges for two. Nunzio hammers London on the mat, then slams his head on the canvas for two. Nunzio snapmares and gets another chinlock. London reverses a headlock with a shinbreaker, and both men are down. London scores forearms, then gets a Northern Lights Suplex for two. London gets a Last Call (with bridge) for two, then puts Nunzio back-out in the corner. Dropsault to Nunzio’s back, and he rolls out. London gets a hands-free springboard crossbody, then covers for two back inside. Nunzio gets a rollup for two, then goes up for the Sicilian Slice. London pulls him off, then goes up and hits the SSP for the win.

Winner: Paul London
Match Time: 6:44
Rating: ****1/4
Commentary: I’m officially blown away. This was the perhaps the most incredible match of this length that I’ve ever seen. Even the chinlocks were exciting! Better than Benoit-Regal two weeks back. Stick Heidenreich in a 30 minute Ironman match next, and this is still a must-watch show.

And there you have it. Ten matches, and “Mr. Velocity” Paul London wrestled in eight of them. Of course, if you’ve been watching avidly, that shouldn’t surprise you. In any case, I’m glad I got to encapsulate Velocity in this manner. It’s been a great ride, and it ain’t over, baby! So let’s keep it up, and I’ll see you next Saturday!