The Furious Flashbacks – 3PW Three Men and a Bodybag

The Furious Flashbacks – 3PW Three Men and a Bodybag

The promotion may be dead and gone but the DVD’s remain

Interesting question from a previous review…

I’d love to hear the reasoning for not putting tag matches back-to-back. It’s one of those things everyone says, but I’m not sure if anyone understands why it’s not a great idea.

Because honestly, I don’t care if I watch two tag team matches in a row. Just as I don’t care if I see two straight singles matches.

So an explanation, please?

Posted By: Sam! (Guest) on October 03, 2010 at 02:51 AM

Certainly.

The theory is that you shouldn’t put two matches back to back that will be similar in content. This especially applies to the classic tag team match as generally it’ll follow formula (as the two tag matches in that TNA review in question did). You’ll get a long spell with one wrestler isolated followed by the hot tag and the finish. You can blame the bookers for putting two tag matches together or you could blame the wrestlers for not communicating about the content of their match. Say there ARE two tag matches together on the running order then you can go and ask what they’re doing in the other match. If they’re running formula you can change your match to be different.

Singles matches tend to be more varied (although in theory they shouldn’t be but they are) so nobody really notices if two of them run back to back. It doesn’t help that tag team wrestling has been run into the ground by the WWE over the years and that’s still seen as the trend-setter for how cards are put together. Look at how TNA often opens with a hot match featuring X division wrestlers. The same way the WWE did when they had a cruiser division. A lot of Indy shows don’t have the hot opener and the crowd reactions are effected by it. Ultimately bookers can choose to run whatever the hell they like but they’ll find that by following the (unwritten) format rules and not booking similar matches together they can generally get the crowd reactions they want. If you book two tag matches together, as a rule, the second one has less heat. Which isn’t ideal because the aim should be to get the crowd more excited as the show progresses.

Case study: Wrestlemania X-Seven.

Opening match: Jericho over Regal. Jericho was a fan-friendly babyface at the time and was hugely popular. Putting him on first got the crowd going right away. Moreover it was an IC title match. Often the WWE gets the crowd excited by putting a title on the line in the opening match.

Second: Tazz/APA over Right to Censor. The first of two tag matches although neither followed traditional formula because the WWE hates tag team wrestling. Again the babyfaces win to get the crowd into a nice happy mindset during this largely unimportant contest.

Third: Kane over Raven & Big Show to win hardcore title. This was a crazy brawl of a match, which is a marked contrast to the opening matches, which were more conventional. There’s a belt change here as well as the show gathers pace. Of course the belt means nothing but the fans feel like they’ve gotten something out of the experience already. Hardcore matches are interesting because a lot of companies overuse them and thus burn the fans out and ruin the set up for their hardcore main events. CZW learned from this and switched to booking calmer undercards to embellish the violent nature of their main event. Changing to different high spots during the card as to not overdo the blood and barbwire.

Fourth: Eddie Guerrero over Test. Another belt switch with Eddie winning the European title. This is pretty much filler and a way of getting a big talent like Eddie onto a crowded card. Throwing out a filler match is risky, which is why big companies often plan out 8 match cards for every PPV where everything is a pay off of something.

Fifth: Angle over Benoit. The technical masterpiece. You’ll notice very little technical wrestling prior to this in an attempt to make it mean more when it shows up. Throwing two technical matches together can also kill the crowd. Especially in a big promotion like the WWE, which has a wider fanbase.

Sixth: Chyna over Ivory. The women’s match. Again, this is the “something for everyone” approach. It sometimes gets a little scattershot. Throw everything into the board and see what sticks. See what the fans react to. By this stage the WWE knew the crowd liked a varied show so they sneak this out here too.

Seventh: Shane McMahon over Vince McMahon. This is the smartest booking decision of all. They give Shane his revenge and do a lot of heavy booking in the middle of the show. The crowd are getting into the mentality of the main events due to the talent involved and yet this doesn’t overshadow the later main events because of its positioning on the card. There are two schools of thought here. That the main events should be split up (one in the middle of the card) so that the crowd doesn’t get burned out on back to back big matches (see Wrestlemania VII). The other being that main events go on last regardless. The danger of that being that the fans get tired just waiting for something important to happen. The WWE often has a fine balance between the two.

Eighth: TLC tag. They knew this was going to be the spotfest so they left the matches before it relatively free of big spots. Note there are no real big spots in matches 4-7. They’re starving the crowd so they pop the shit out of all the big spots in this match. You’ll also notice its nowhere near the other tag match and the chaotic nature means the crowd need a breather.

Ninth: Gimmick Battle Royal. This is one of the WWE’s favourite tricks; the buffer match. The one where you catch your breath after something spectacular. Its there so you can lower your guard a bit and possibly even tune it out. They keep it short and sweet and it doesn’t overstay its welcome. The women’s match the year after went on as a buffer between Rock-Hogan & HHH-Jericho.

Tenth: Undertaker over HHH. While its never a main event and shouldn’t go last this is high up the card for a reason. Look at the big names involved. When you’ve got big names in big matches they should logically be high up the card. Or in the middle if its also a big match with a lot on the line. You don’t want to burn out your fanbase. Like Taker-Flair the year after this. Or HBK-Jericho the year after that. This doesn’t have a lot on the line but it does have big names. Hence its positioning.

Eleventh: Austin over Rock. The main event is the most important match on the card. It should be the one the majority of the crowd came to see. On this show I’m reviewing here its Sandman-Sabu-New Jack. The three biggest names the company has booked. Austin-Rock was a perfect main event. The crowd were ready for it but hadn’t been burned out by a long show because of the varied booking patterns.

There are plenty of examples of where a pattern of booking during a show just kills a crowd. WCW used to book too many gimmick matches specifically during Russo’s reign. So you’d burn the crowd out to the gimmick to the point where they’d just want to see a normal match. TNA has a habit of booking too many complicated matches grouped together. Any match where you have to explain the rules to the audience before it starts needs to be left alone with nothing else complicated around it. This isn’t rocket science. And many Indy companies tend to make the mistake of booking similar matches together. Like garbage brawls (XPW) or comedy matches (Chikara) or too many purist matches (ROH). Shit like that burns out the average fan. There are wrestling fans who’ll watch any show regardless of content and not notice any of this. Then there are people who’ll sit there and get bored because every match feels the same to them. Which is why a lot of people have jumped ship from WWE because they do tend to showcase a very similar style of wrestling in every match. For some people its too samey.

Anyway, hope that helps. I feel I’ve gone and rambled on too long. Let’s get on with this show.

I figured I’d diversify a bit and check out this promotion, yet another that debuted in 2002, out of Philadelphia. After the closure of ECW (and WCW) in 2001 there were a lot of workers who found themselves short on places to go. Not only were there former ECW and WCW talent but also talent from the Indies that were now all battling for a slot in the WWE. TNA didn’t debut until May 2002. 3PW was one of the first companies to sprout up and try to fill that Indy void.

They ran their first show in February 2002. The show was a mixture of local talent, Indy darlings (CM Punk & Colt Cabana were in the main event) and former ECW talent. Steve Corino, Sandman, York & Matthews, Chris Hamrick, Billy Wiles and Little Guido all appeared. The aim of the first show seemed to be one of determining how big the market was for Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling. Whether they could draw a substantial enough crowd in to book bigger names. For their second show they hired Sabu, New Jack and Public Enemy.

The shows were run by former ECW midcard comedy talent the Blue Meanie and bankrolled by his girlfriend Jasmine St Claire. Jasmine had worked for ECW but was perhaps better known as a porn star. Look her up; its filthy.

May 18th 2002. 3PW’s second show. We’re in Philadelphia at the old ECW Arena, which at this point in time was called Viking Hall. There are no hosts as, according to the DVD, this is “raw footage, no commentary!” I like the use of the exclamation mark as if to say, yeah, this rocks! Like its some sort of bonus feature.

Christian York/Joey Matthews v Dylan Knight/Rapidfire Maldonado w/Allison Danger/Candi

York & Matthews used to team up in ECW although Joey has perhaps become better known for his run in the WWE as half of MNM. At the time of ECW’s closure York & Matthews were on the cusp of greatness. Knight & Maldonado have less fame. I’ve seen Maldonado wrestle before and he was one of the dudes that trained Allison Danger (ROH mainstay and Steve Corino’s sister). Crowd seem quite happy to cheer everyone until Matthews screams “Philadelphia sucks”. I’d have made the scrub team the heels personally. That way Y&M could have done their fun offence instead of stalling. Matthews is still way more fun busting out a cocky strut and the moonwalk to celebrate the most mundane of achievements; connecting with a single punch. Knight tries to strut and immediately shows us why he’s never made it anywhere. Maldonado is the talented one on their team. He has a better sense of fun and a better moveset. That doesn’t mean he’s good or anything. Just better than Dylan Knight. Its almost embarrassing seeing York and Matthews bouncing around, like they did for ECW’s bigger stars, for these two scrubs. They run an unbelievably bad spot where Matthews ‘accidentally’ Tombstones his tag team partner. Matthews eventually has to hold Knight’s leg down from outside the ring while York falls on top for the pin. ¼*. Almost completely useless. 3PW kick-start the show by making their best tag team look like idiots and booking the worst talent, Dylan Knight, to look the strongest. And why do the babyfaces have two valets? Nothing about this match made any sense. The crowd generously applaud Knight as Candi holds his hand up on the way out. This is NOT the ECW crowd I know and love.

POST MATCH Jim Molineaux gets a round of applause just because he used to be a referee in ECW.

Robert Pigeon v Tank Toland

Toland has been in several major companies since this but this is pre-WWE training so he’s a little rough. Pigeon is nobody and Toland treats him like a jobber. Crowd shits all over this chanting “boring” and referring to Pigeon as a faggot. Pigeon is quite spectacularly awful. His bumps look ridiculous. I know Meanie didn’t have a lot of money but come on! His offence is even worse. Is this a rib on poor Tank Toland? Tank is fun on offence and throws Pigeon around the ring so that he doesn’t have to bring his own goofy looking bumps. Toland however is not the guy to carry a match against anyone. He’s a 2 year pro at this point and looks really green. Pigeon looks like he’s never wrestled before. Crowd rags on them again with another “boring” chant. Then, as if this match can’t get any worse, Pigeon wins with an implant DDT. Hahaha, what, seriously? Hahaha. -**. I’m assuming nobody had seen this kid wrestle before booking him to go over. Toland could have legitimately had a better match with a mannequin.

Chris Hero v Colt Cabana

Say, booking two good wrestlers in the same match; who would have thought of it? Colt endears himself to the ringside fans by coming on to their girlfriends and calling someone a “homo” for looking at him doing it. He has an air of disdain for the ECW Arena too. The mat wrestling in this is *light years* ahead of the first two matches. Its all holds and counter holds and the crowd aren’t shouting “boring” anymore because its just not, which is the difference between mat wrestling and good mat wrestling. Even Colt gets popped for a tasty tilt-a-whirl armdrag. Like a good heel he spends too long celebrating and gets a forearm across the jaw for his troubles. They kinda screw up going over the ropes so they get their shit back together and re-do the spot with Hero adding a tope this time. Colt really goes full on lucha at times here showing his variety of styles. At one headscissoring Hero over the top. Colt then teases going full lucha with a plancha only to shout “screw you all”, getting down and just stomping on his opponent instead. HEEEL! Hero decides its about time he won this and gets a variety of cheeky roll up’s for near falls. The crowd has certainly changed since the opening match and now pick on even the smallest error. Maybe they could forgive York & Matthews because they used to work for ECW, which makes them “hardcore”. The crowd start into the “boring” chants again, which Colt mocks them for. They take it as a sign they need to switch it up a bit though and Hero even goes for his finish only to get countered. They run the Hogan sleeper spot and the crowd gets smarky with a “hulk up” chant. Hero attempts a comeback but Colt cuts him off and hits the double spring moonsault for the win! I don’t think I’ve ever seen him use that let alone as a finish. ***. Solid Indy match with the usual back and forth on the mat before switching up the pace a little. Both guys showed a lot of talent technically but Colt was the star with some excellent heel mannerisms. The crowd actually took an interest in the match because of that although they should have taken an interest in the match because it was good. Not enough chair shots for this audience methinks.

Unlike the gents in the earlier matches you can see how Colt earned his spot during this match. Everyone had the same opportunity but he took his.

POST MATCH They bring out Tod Gordon, the former ECW owner, who booked 3PW. I did email the old 3PW contact address to see when exactly he started booking but got no response. To be fair they’ve been out of business for 5 years. The ring announcer turns himself heel so Tod can knock him out with a chair. The referees, being impartial, stuff him in a bodybag. Gordon then brings in Bob Artese to take over the ring announcing duties. His first duty being to announce the dog collar match, which he does wrong. E-C-Dub! E-C-Dub! E-C-Dub!

Dog Collar match: Rockin’ Rebel v “Pitbull” Gary Wolfe

Rebel used to be in ECW before it become popular or good. He left in 1994. He’s probably better known to Indy fans for his work in CZW. Rebel brings the ECW spirit by calling the fans gay and fat “motherfuckers”. Wolfe’s response is to attack him and force him into the dog collar. Wolfe knows what the fans want and spends most his match fighting around ringside and trying to bust Rebel open. To call the pacing on this one methodical would be polite. The collar adds nothing to the match. Wolfe tries to do the Raven drop toehold onto the chair but Rebel dodges the bump so he just chair shots him instead. They both blade with Wolfe having the decency to do it properly, albeit really obviously. The collar finally comes into play with Rebel choking Wolfe with it over the ropes. The table comes in but Rapidfire Maldonado runs in and Wolfe escapes to suplex Rebel onto the table. It doesn’t break. They repeat the spot and it doesn’t break again, this time with Wolfe opting to go for the pin before he breaks Rebel’s legs or back. *. At least they gave the fans what they wanted. Or tried anyway. Wolfe’s committed bladejob showed his enthusiasm for the promotion. Not sure why he needed help to win the match though. My guess being an attempt to get Maldonado over by association. They’d later pull the same trick with Mike Kruel.

Billy Wiles v Blue Meanie w/Jasmine St. Claire

Meanie is still thin-ish after dropping weight in the later days of ECW. These guys know they’re not great in the wrestling stakes and go for an assortment of crowd interaction to compensate and waste time. Wiles nearly gets counted out before we even start. Then he bails after taking one chop and hides behind Jasmine. Meanie cons him into running the ropes by himself ahead of the “hey, what’s that” look up and get punched spot that I’ve seen in a thousand Indy matches. Basically they’re trying every trick in the book to cover for the fact they both suck. The weird thing is; the match is pretty good because they know their limitations and work to them. Which is a lesson to absolutely any worker. The worst matches usually occur when the wrestlers try things that are beyond them. When they go into the wrestling segment of this match it gets notably worse and slower. Meanie outsmarts his opponent at practically every turn until Billy goes after Jasmine again. Jasmine can look after herself. She kicks him in the balls and hits the Stunner! MEANIESAULT finishes. **. The wrestling wasn’t very good but this is a prime example of how wrestling within your limitations makes for a better match. We know Meanie & Wiles weren’t going to go and tear the house down but what they did do was fun and I went away from it with positive memories.

POST MATCH with Jasmine celebrating her win Candi runs out here to attack her. Meanie then kicks her in the stomach and strips her to her underwear. That’s kinda nasty. Dylan Knight, now a heel it seems, runs in to chair shot him and pieface Jasmine. He strips her to her underwear and the crowd seems to enjoy the antics. Meanie then takes a huge chair shot off Knight. This would lead to a match at the next show, which will probably suck but I’ll have to review it regardless. Nice to see Jasmine’s dedication to the project continue as she’s reduced to her undies one show in. Plus Meanie is keeping himself away from his own main events, which is the best way to book himself. I’m really not sure I agree with any promoter booking the title onto himself unless they’re the best choice.

Public Enemy v York & Matthews

Y&M need to pull double duty to fill the card out. Its not like they even broke a sweat in the opener though. Tragically both of Public Enemy are now dead and this is pretty much their last push in any company. In fact just 4 months after this show Rocco Rock died. Public Enemy were always at their most over in Philly. They’re a garbage team at heart with Rocco Rock providing the excitement while Grunge brings the plunder. They enjoyed their best years in ECW from 1993 to 1996 wrestling that style. They should probably have gone to the WWF after that where Flyboy would surely have become a star but opted instead for WCW where they weren’t used right. There’s a shock. By the time they ended up in the WWF time had passed them by and they were run out of town by the APA. York and Matthews are more fun here; mercilessly mocking their opponents. York is especially good and I always figured he’d be the star of the team but an ankle injury later in 2002 put pay to that. This match works to the strengths of Public Enemy seeing as working it the other way around would be impractical. The crowd brawling is very ECW as is the fighting onto the stage and announce area. Its up there that Grunge elbow drops York through a table. Who’d have thought Grunge would bring the high spot? Matthews suffers too; getting a trashcan put over his head while PE assault it with punches from the outside. York hits a chair shot and gets “weak” chanted at him by the ruthless Philly crowd. Rocco then chair shots his ankle, which in retrospect is really bad news for Christian York. Matthews has probably had it worse with his addictions outside of the ring threatening to kill him let alone his career. He’s overdosed and crashed cars and was fired by the WWE in 2007 because of drug addiction. Interesting to see him return with the Straightedge Society given his history. Anyway, after they’re done having fun PE finish with the Drive By. It’s a little bit concerning that 3PW only really have two teams and the faces have vanquished the heels after 2 shows but there was potential in both teams to have fun matches in this environment. **1/2. 3PW would go on to use York & Matthews as singles performers and brought in Bad Breed to face Public Enemy.

POST MATCH Flyboy gets his high spot in by sentoning onto the table, which doesn’t break so he repeats the spot getting the job done at the second attempt. I think York took both table spots, which is harsh.

Sandman v Sabu v New Jack

Tod Gordon is the referee. Nice to see three genuine ECW legends getting to main event the first DVD release of what is essentially an ECW tribute promotion. They obviously can’t afford the lawsuit of New Jack’s music, which is copyrighted, and as a result pump in bad crowd reaction to cover for it. Fuck it, I can’t watch a New Jack match without the music…

See, its already better! You can just imagine what’s happening. New Jack gets out his staple gun and staples everything in sight. Sandman and Sabu both blade although both look hard-way from Sabu’s spike. Sandman v Sabu is the typical sloppy mess that it usually is. Sabu blades New Jack with his spike. Say Jerome, you ain’t bleedin’ brotha! This is the archetypal ECW carnage match with a ladder coming play, which Sabu gets suplexed onto. New Jack is about to go staple crazy when Sabu THROWS A CHAIR AT HIM. I don’t think he even saw that coming. Arabian facebuster and Sabu staples a dollar bill to New Jack’s head. DOLLAR, DOLLAR BILL Y’ALL! New Jack with a suplex. What the fuck? “I know how to do a wrestling move” – New Jack. Haha, outstanding. Sandman’s turn to take a bump onto the ladder. He must be drunk because he isn’t even stopping to think about the bumps. New Jack, having learned one wrestling move, decides it’d be better if he used a ladder instead and suplexes that onto both opponents. The problem with calling a match like this is that there is very little psychology involved. There are just three guys hitting each other with shit. And while that’s kinda fun that’s where the match begins and ends. They all keep turning on each other thus preventing the elimination of anyone to make it into a more interesting one on one. Sabu’s madness is what sets him apart (yes, even with these two) and he ends up with an Arabian facebuster on New Jack and the referees have to body-bag him for the elimination because Sandman is too stupid or drunk to realise the rules. But New Jack has a fucking KNIFE and cuts his way out of the bag. I can see Sabu talking and I think he’s telling Sandman to stop fucking around. Triple jump moonsault on New Jack and he’s bodybagged again. Better check him for weapons! New Jack is eliminated.

And FONZIE is here! CHAIR THROW AT SABU!! Tod Gordon then canes Sandman! What the fuck is going on? Seriously? Sabu then canes Sandman and those cane shots must have stung; six or seven totally unprotected cane shots mostly to the face. Sabu hits the Super Arabian facebuster through a table on Sandman for the “OH SHIT” finish even if none of this makes sense. **. Lots of cool spots even if the match was a clusterfuck but I honestly have no idea what they were going for on the finish.

That said how can you trust any of these guys to really tell a story. You’ve got Sabu whose gimmick is insanity. And he’s so extreme he used to crazy glue his wounds shut when he was torn up by barbwire. He desperately needs someone grounded in reality to tell a coherent storyline. Sandman is permanently drunk and has trouble wrestling lucid matches because of that. Finally there’s New Jack; a perennial bullshitter who claims to have killed four people and has a bad habit of shooting on 70 year olds.

POST MATCH Fonzie asks for a beer and they come RAINING INTO THE RING, which is a nice visual to end the show on.

The 411: Most of the show is garbage but some of the garbage is fun to watch. So its thumbs in the middle. It felt like an average Indy promotion for the opening three matches until Tod Gordon showed up but you could argue that every booking decision on this show is wrong. Why have Fonzie come in just to turn on Sabu? Why have Gordon turn on Sandman? Why book no finish in a freakin’ bodybag match? At least have Sabu go over so when they book the inevitable nonsensical tag match between the two “teams” someone will be after more revenge than the other. For those craving the old ECW this doesn’t feel far off. Its not a tribute show (like One Night Stand or Hardcore Homecoming) and there are intentions of long term booking. I like the idea more than the execution but there’s enough here for me to watch another show.

Final Score:  5.0   [ Not So Good ]