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The Enlightenment: AWF Wrestling — International Assault II (06.02.07)

February 17, 2008 | Posted by J.D. Dunn
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The Enlightenment: AWF Wrestling — International Assault II (06.02.07)  

AWF Wrestling — International Assault II (06.02.07)
by J.D. Dunn

  • June 2, 2007
  • From Melbourne, Australia.

  • Bryan Danielson opens the show, thanking everyone for their hospitality. He says he ran down Sydney last night and said that Melbourne was so much better, but now he knows he was wrong because Melbourne is also a big shithole. He thinks Nigel McGuinness doesn’t deserve a second chance at him. He wants to defend it against a guy dressed up as a kangaroo or a koala bear, whatever the best Australia has to offer is. Nigel McGuinness comes out and plays the “chicken” card. Danielson *has* to agree to a match after that.
  • Opening Match, Young Lion’s Championship, Three Way: Powerhouse Theo vs. Flyswat vs. Blood.
    Blood looks like dead meat because even Flyswat is more ripped than he is. Not only that, but Flyswat and Theo team up against him. He does have two things going for him, though: 1) a hot chick in his corner, and 2) a willingness to kill himself and/or his opponent with high flying moves. They work in a cool spot where Theo tries for an O’Connor Roll, but Blood ducks between the ropes, and Flyswat launches himself in with a sunset flip. He takes Theo over, but Theo holds on to Blood and German Suplexes him at the same time. Yeah, I know it happens in a lot of Indy and TNA matches, but it still looks cool. They mess up a double pin spot, and Flyswat clotheslines Theo over. Blood does a Papi Chulo-ish top-rope flying neckbreaker on Flyswat, but that allows Theo to return and Gore Blood. He stops to choke Blood out, drawing the ire of Blood’s hot valet. Blood goes for something that may or may not have been a top-rope reverse huracanrana. Theo sneaks in and turns it into a tower of doom powerbomb spot for the win at 10:03. This had some good spots and some action that resembled a train wreck. Mostly the latter. *1/2

  • Billy Kidman delivers a promo on Mark Hilton. The sound is way down on this, which is probably for the better.
  • Kid Kash endears himself to the Australian wrestling fans. Best line: See that’s the difference. You’re from Australia, you got a “dick.” I’m from America. I’ve got a “cock.” I’m not even sure how that’s supposed to be an insult, but it *sounds* funny.
  • Kid Kash vs. Mad Dog McCrea.
    McCrea looks like Jay Briscoe doing Necro Butcher’s gimmick. He actually uses a couple of wrestling moves, though, which is more than I can say for Necro. He gets no respect from Kash who just dismantles him in between arguing with the crowd. He works the leg like he owns it and is thinking of putting a little red hotel on it. McCrea comes back with a sunset flip for two. Kash kicks him in the face for his insolence. Even the crowd is starting to chant “This is awesome” for the sheer squashery nature of the match. Kash turns his indignation on the ref for not counting fast enough. Kash and McCrea trade backslides until Kash comes up with the Moneymaker (Tiger Driver ’91/Jaydriller) at 13:35. This was unadulterated slaughter, which is fine because Kash is a heat machine, making this very entertaining for a squash. **

  • The Surf Club vs. The Bastard Bros.
    You know, I was just saying the other day that I missed the Dynamic Dudes. Okay, no I wasn’t. But if I was, I’d say, “Hey, why can’t Dr. Waxhead and Scotty Club team up and redo that gimmick?” And that’s just what they’ve done, only with surfboards instead of skateboards. They have a much better-looking manager, even if she’s not present here. ::sad:: The Bastard Brothers are Logan & Krackerjack. I’m going to assume “Logan” is a Wolverine reference and not a Bill & Ted reference. The mockery is in full force tonight as Logan overpowers Club early, and Krackerjack quips that Logan is not heavy, he’s just his brother. Waxhead doesn’t fare much better, getting brutalized by the big man. He hits Krackerjack with a nice 619-ish move in the corner and then headscissors him off the apron. The Bastards set up for a catapult into a spear, but it only gets two. Waxhead backflips out of a chokeslam and hits an enzuigiri. Sweeeeet. Club gets the got tag and hits Logan with a coast-to-coast diving headbutt. He finishes Krackerjack with a flying splash at 10:50. I’d have to call that a mild upset. Some matches are a nice porterhouse steak; some matches are a toasted cheese sandwich. This was the latter, but sometimes you need a good toasted cheese sandwich. Fun stuff. ***

  • AWF Australiasian Title: TNT vs. Austin Aries.
    Hometown boy TNT is forced into a heel role because Aries is so over from his ROH work. He calls for a test of strength, but it doesn’t quite work out like he planned. Aries hits his suicida and a slingshot senton. TNT comes back with a necksnap, and they chop it out. TNT grounds him with a triangle headscissors, so apparently you CAN headscissor Austin Aries if you just throw him a curveball like that. TNA misses a corkscrew moonsault, allowing Aries to come back with the quebrada. The fans want the Brainbuster, but TNA counters to the Argentine Airplane Spin. Aries blocks the Detonator and rocks him with an elbow. That sets up the Finlay Roll and a frogsplash for two. TNT blocks another Brianbuster attempt and DDTs Aries for two. Aries reverses the Detonator again, this time to the shinbreaker/backdrop combo. That sets up the corner dropkick for two. He goes up, but TNT cuts him off and delivers the huracanrana. Big boos for that. Aries punts him in the face and goes for the Brainbuster again, but TNT counters to a small package for the successful defense at 14:30. Nice to see Aries working with someone new and still being able to adapt his moveset to theirs. The fans still want a Brainbuster, so TNT tries to double-cross Aries, giving Austin an excuse to defend himself with the Brianbuster. Total pro move by TNT there. Good for him. ***1/4

  • Bryan Danielson is sick of Nigel McGuinness’ rematch clauses.
  • Billy Kidman vs. Mark Hilton.
    Kidman gets Cena-esque heat from the crowd as the adult males in the audience make fun of him while the women and children root for him. Hilton gets an early advantage off a satellite headscissors, but it’s not long before Kidman has the advantage. He hits a pescado as his lone highspot of the match. He also works in Milano Collection AT’s spiffy dropkick from the floor to the apron. Hilton comes back with an enzuigiri, but Kidman hits a sliding lowblow in the corner. Hilton comes back with the Pélé. IT JUST COMES OUT OF NOWHERE! Kidman hits a dropkick and goes up for the SSP, but Hilton crotches him and goes for his own SSP. No water in the pool. Kidman finishes with a press gutbuster at 9:58. That’s an odd finisher. They didn’t quite mesh well out there. In fact, Hilton looked pretty unsure of himself. Kidman held it together, though. **

  • AWF Tag Team Titles: The Platinum Players vs. Spike Steele & Mike Burr.
    The Players are JT Robinson and Kid Dynamite. Steve Ravenous is part of the group too, but he’s busy, I guess. Burr blocks a Fisherman’s Buster but gets ridden down into an armbar. Burr slips out of a headscissors, prompting the crowd to start an “Austin Aries” chant. Steele tags in and outwrestles Robinson. He rides him down into the STF, but Robinson makes the ropes. Steele and Burr lock in a double STF. I should note that the crowd is all over this match, chanting “boring” and occasionally yelling, “do something exciting.” The match itself is not bad, but it feels like a total WWE dark match where the wrestlers are trying so hard not to screw up their moves that the match has no flow – it just moves from move to move. Robinson actually hits the POUNCE! That sets up a flying elbowdrop for two. The Players hit a Demolition Decapitation for two. Dynamite gets two off the Tiger Suplex. Steele tags in and gives Robinson ROLLING GERMANS, stopping briefly to backdrop Kid Dynamite. Finally, the crowd gives the match some respect as Steele suplexes Robinson from the ring to the floor. Now they chant “This is awesome!” Fickle bunch. Burr hits a tope, but he gets clocked by the Players’ evil manager. That allows the Players to hit the Doomsday Blockbuster, which I’ll assume is the Platinum Pyramid at 15:07. Like the opener, this constantly teetered on the edge of spilling over into looking like an amateurish indy match, but they held things together down the stretch. *1/2

  • WSW Title: Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness.
    Funny moment as Dragon gets a streamer thrown at him, so he picks it up and throws it at a little kid in the audience. Danielson waits until Nigel’s back is turned and attacks him before the intros can even get underway. Nigel armdrags him and gives him a forearm uppercut dedicated to that kid in the audience. Finally, Dragon is able to buy some time to take off his ring jacket. He chokes Nigel with it and then drags his eyes across the ropes. They trade forearm uppercuts, and Nigel ROCKS Dragon with a lariat. He goes to work on Dragon’s arm with a Hammerlock DDT and a Japanese armdrag. That leads to another short lariat for two. Dragon catches Nigel’s foot and kicks him in the hamstrings to turn the tide. He works over Nigel’s legs with an Indian Deathlock and pulls the old “I can’t break the hold” trick. He locks in the figure-four to a chorus of “Wooos!” Nigel powers him over and reverses the hold, though. Nigel avoids a Stinger Splash and hits a running uppercut in the corner. Nigel catches Danielson’s foot this time and spins him around into another lariat. Danielson blocks the Tower of London and goes for a missile dropkick, but Nigel catches him in the Boston Crab. Dragon reverses to a rollup for two and then drops the Swandive Headbutt. ONE, TWO, THR-NO! Dragon pounces immediately with the Crossface Chickenwing. Nigel makes the ropes, but Dragon stays on top with a superplex. ONE, TWO, TH-NO! Dragon floats over into Cattle Mutilation. That’s not working, so he tries the trapped elbows, and those doesn’t work either. He goes up, but Nigel catches him on the top and hits the Tower of London. ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! That sets up the crotched lariat for two more. They trade forearm shots, and Nigel bounces back for the Jawbreaker Lariat. Dragon ducks it, and Nigel nearly wipes out the ref. That gives Dragon the opening to kick Nigel in the nads and trap him with the small package at 20:42. Dragon was more overtly heelish here, which may appeal to a lot of viewers. I slightly prefer their match from the night before, but you really can’t go wrong either way. ****
  • The 411: As with most indy promotions, when they bring in guys like Danielson, Aries, and McGuinness, it totally exposes the local guys. It's not that any of them are horrible wrestlers, but everything from the ROH guys and even, to a lesser extent, Kidman and Kash just looks so crisp and sharp by comparison. It's worth a look for Danielson vs. McGuinness and the TNT/Aries match.

    Mild thumbs up.

     
    Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]  legend

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