wrestling / Video Reviews
Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Big Rig – The Brodie Lee Story
Loading...My friend sent me a handful of DVDs from the Smart Mark Video “Best on the Indies” collection. I will eventually take a look at all of them.
The Interview
This interview immediately stands out from the typical shoot because Eddie Kingston actually conducted it. The interview could be most easily described as fun but unsubstantial. Brodie comes across as incredibly likeable, and it’s obvious why so many people put him over as a great guy. His interplay with Eddie Kingston really makes this conversation a breeze to watch (I’ve actually watched it twice!). They taped it on the eve of Brodie’s last Chikara match, which was of course against Eddie Kingston for the Grand Championship. I left the interview thinking I could easily see myself paying to watch these two talk some more. However, while Kingston being the interviewer is one of the main strengths of the DVD, it’s also somewhat of a weakness.
Like any job, being an interviewer is something you get better at as you acquire more experience. Based on this, I would guess that Eddie Kingston has never interviewed anyone before. The structure of the interview was just Eddie reading topics off a list that the SMV staff gave him, which makes the interview come across like an awkward first date at times. Luckily, Brodie and Kingston are such engaging personalities that this negative does not overwhelm the interview in any way. It’s certainly notable though.
The interview left me satisfied in the moment, but as I thought about it more, I couldn’t help but be disappointed by how unsubstantial the discussions revolving around some of the biggest aspects of Brodie’s career were. His time in Dragon Gate (Japan) is discussed in just a few sentences. His time in WNN is mentioned mostly in passing. Chikara was discussed in a bit more detail at times, but it left me wanting more as well. I’m not certain that it would have been more entertaining, but I wished there was an alternative interview with Brodie going more in depth on his time on the indies.
The Matches
Chikara
May 26, 2007
Brodie Lee vs. Equinox
Brodie attacked Equinox as soon as the latter got into the ring and dominated the match for a while. This was so early in Brodie’s Chikara run that he didn’t even have the “Big Rig” character yet. He wore shorts and had TASSLES on his boots. Brodie eventually finished Equinox with a Liger Bomb.
This was just a squash match. I appreciated being able to see Brodie before the Big Rig gimmick, but the match itself was not really notable in any other way.
Chikara
November 16, 2007
Brodie Lee vs. Passion Hasegawa
Passion wanted to dance. Brodie did not. Brodie cut him off with a big boot and then worked Passion over. Hasegawa made a comeback after a 619. Well, that actually did not last long at all. Brodie hit a lariat, a yakuza, and then a Liger Bomb: 1…2…3
I now know what it was like to watch a Brodie squash when he had short hair. That’s what I got out of this one.
IWA-MS
May 3, 2008
Brodie Lee vs. Chris Hero
This was a first round match in a one night tournament to crown the IWA-MS Heavyweight Champion.
This immediately started as a brawl on the floor. They got back in the ring, and the match officially started. Hero was in control. This match had no atmosphere to speak of. Brodie eventually made a comeback. He got a nearfall with the sky high. Hero hit a couple of elbows and finished Brodie with the rolling elbow.
This was not much at all. Brodie working babyface against Hero does not sound appealing on paper, and it did not work out too well in reality.
Match Rating: *
Chikara
June 15, 2008
Brodie Lee vs. Drake Younger
They brawled on the floor to before the match before the bell. The eventually got into the ring, and the match officially started. Brodie cut Drake off with a chokeslam on the apron, and he worked Drake over after that. Drake no-sold a pumphandle suplex and then made a comeback. Brodie came back with a Truck Stop and a falling powerbomb: 1…2…no. Drake avoided the yakuza, and Brodie avoided Drake’s Landing. Yakuza from Brodie: 1…2…3
This was similar to the Hero match, but it had a bit more energy to make up for the lack of atmosphere. Drake no-selling a move to start his comeback is basically why I do not enjoy Drake Younger as a performer. As always though, he was over so what do I know?
Match Rating: *1/2
Chikara
September 7, 2008
Brodie Lee vs. Claudio Castagnoli [Steel Cage Match]
This was a big feud for Chikara in 2008.
They brawled on the floor before the match started. It looked to be getting into the ring, but Claudio hit a tope suicida. Brodie cut Claudio off in the ring and worked him over. Brodie mocked Claudio with an uppercut, and Claudio then made a comeback after that moveset infringement. Brodie’s head was busted open. Claudio press slammed Brodie into the cage for a nearfall. That was super impressive. Brodie hit a yakuza and the Liger Bomb, but Claudio kicked out. Claudio hit a pop-up European for a nearfall. There was a ref bump…in a cage match. Claudio got a phantom pinfall after a bicycle kick. Ricola Bomb: 1…2…NO! Brodie used the cage for a rebound powerbomb for a nearfall. Claudio also kicked out of a yakuza. Buck Hawke went to give Brodie a chain, but Larry Sweeney prevented the transaction. Brodie could have escaped, but he just awkward climbed back in. Claudio went to climb out, but he decided to hit a diving uppercut from the top of the cage! Ricola Bomb: 1…2…3!
Well, that is how you finish a match strong. I was pretty surprised at how underwhelming this was at points when they were in the actual cage. The match just did not feel important at all until the closing minutes. I guess that it should not be entirely surprising given that it took place in Philadelphia. They were working really hard, but the crowd could be best described as politely invested.
With the negativity out of the way, I really want to put over the closing minutes for being as awesome as they ended up being. The dive off the cage was perfectly executed, and Cesaro even put a little something extra into his Ricola Bomb. Overall, this was a great effort.
Watch this match here.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Chikara
October 18, 2008
Brodie Lee vs. Daisuke Sekimoto
Well, hello there. You look wonderful.
Sekimoto hit an early tope suicida. Brodie cut Sekimoto off in the ring and then worked him over. Sekimoto fought back and took Brodie down with a lariat. Brodie came back with a yakuza, a superkick, and a Truck Stop. Sekimoto fought back again and hit the deadlift German: 1…2…3!
Yes! This was super fun. It showed why Brodie could eventually thrive in the WWE setting. It was worked at a very fan-friendly pace, and it emphasized grabbing the audience by establishing roles. Daisuke Sekimoto always worked out great in Chikara. I hope he returns one day.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Chikara
November 15, 2008
Brodie Lee vs. Hallowicked
Brodie cut Wicked off on the floor and then worked him over. Wicked eventually hit a big boot and then made a comeback. Brodie tried to come back with a diving attack, but Wicked hit Go-2-Sleepy Hollow. Brodie avoided a yakuza and then hit two big boots: 1…2…3
I thought this was just okay. It showed Brodie’s progress in controlling a match that was not a squash, but it was not particularly exciting. I’ve also never found Hallowicked to be all that entertaining (especially in singles matches).
Match Rating: **
IWS
January 10, 2009
Brodie Lee vs. Green Phantom
There was a Christmas tree in one of the corners. They ended up on the floor quickly enough. They went inside another room, and we heard gunfire. Brodie got control of the match and worked Phantom over. Phantom eventually came back by sending Brodie into the tree. He then used the tree as a weapon. He tried to use some light tubes, but Brodie sent him into the tubes, head first. Phantom came back with a Phantasm into the tree: 1…2…3
Well, this was a poorly executed match. Phantom seemed like an awful wrestler, and Brodie could not drag much out of him. You do not need to see this one.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Chikara
February 21, 2009
The Roughnecks (Brodie Lee, Eddie Kingston, & Grizzly Redwood) vs. The Neo-Solar Temple (UltraMantis Black & Crossbones) & Sami Callihan
The winning team got an automatic bid into the 2009 King of Trios. Sami was getting a tryout in the Neo Solar Temple.
Grizzly got worked over for a while. Mantis then got worked over. Mantis avoided a splash from Grizzly, and Sami then made a hot tag. Grizzly ate a triple team lungblower. That was cool. The Roughnecks then destroyed Mantis with a series of movez. The Temple came back, but Sami got hit with the Backfist from Eddie and the yakuza from Brodie: 1…2…3
This was the typically solid trios match from Chikara. Not much about it needs to be discussed, but it showed Brodie’s potential to become an excellent tag team wrestler.
Match Rating: ***
Chikara
April 26, 2009
The Roughnecks (Brodie Lee, Eddie Kingston, & Grizzly Redwood) vs. Incoherence (Delirious, Hallowicked, & Frightmare)
Frightmare was eventually cut off and worked over. Frightmare had a real goofy selling moment. He settled down and tagged out to Delirious who made a great comeback. The teams started going back and forth, and it was tremendous. Brodie saved Kingston from defeat, but Incoherence attacked him. There was a labored setup for a Frightmare hurricanrana on Brodie: 1…2…3!
If the last match was a standard Chikara trios affair, this matched emphasized the potential these matches have. Everything they did after the Frightmare beatdown was over big time, and the action was exciting as heck. Brodie is a natural tag team wrestler.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Chikara
April 24, 2010
Brodie Lee vs. Grizzly Redwood
Grizzly answered an open challenge and took it to Brodie early. Brodie obviously cut Grizzly off and then worked him over. Grizzly fought back with a tope suicida. Back in the ring, Grizzly went for a diving attack, but Brodie caught him with an awesome Truck Stop. Yakuza: 1…2…3!
This ruled, and it honestly would be high on my (imaginary) list of best matches under five minutes that I’ve ever seen. It’s hard to produce such a quality contest in such a short period of times, but these two absolutely maximized the time they had. Big thumbs up!
Match Rating: ***
wXw Germany
September 12, 2010
Brodie Lee vs. Bad Bones
Brodie got control early and worked him over. They got into a punch exchange that Bad Bones won. He then made a comeback. They started going back and forth. I feel like this is the kind of match that Brodie would have had in PWG if he ever had gotten booked there. There were a bunch of nearfalls. They hit lots of movez. Bad Bones does not interest me much, but he’s over with the crowd. He eventually kicked out of the Truck Stop and hit an Ace Crusher: 1…2…3!
wXw has such a great crowd that everything is basically elevated as a result. Brodie and Bad Bones worked a PWG match, and it was very easy on the eyes. Bad Bones does not do much for me, but there was nothing wrong with this match.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Force 1
May 10, 2010
Brodie Lee vs. Nick Gage
The match immediately started as a brawl on the floor. Brodie got control, and the match settled down. Gage came back after a fallaway slam. Brodie cut him off again after a big boot and went back to work. Brodie avoided a face wash and then hit two yakuzas to get a nearfall. Gage hit a DDT on a chair but then missed a diving headbutt. SHOTGUN YAKUZA KICK FROM BRODIE: 1…2…3!
Um, where the fuck did this match come from? I definitely did not see it at the time, but this set really emphasizes how ideal Brodie was for the WWE. He excels at tag team wrestling and controlling short singles matches. This match was a ton of fun. The timing of Gage’s comebacks was perfect, and the crowd got really into it.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Chikara
February 19, 2001
Brodie Lee vs. Sugar Dunkerton
Brodie got control pretty much immediately and worked Sugar over. Sugar got back in the match by going after the right leg of Brodie. I guess you can say Sugar went after both knees. Brodie was selling the left knee even though the right received the majority of the damage. Brodie came back with a Truck Stop. Sugar then applied a submission on the left knee. Brodie came back with a superkick and a half-nelson suplex. They traded punches. MASSIVE lariat from Sugar: 1…2…NO! Brodie blocked a Togo senton. Sugar avoided a powerbomb onto some chairs. Sugar fought back, but Brodie gave him a yakuza. Sugar then lost via countout.
I enjoyed this much more than I expected. It does not seem like a great matchup on paper, but they worked a smart match and got the crowd invested. Good stuff!
Match Rating: **3/4
PWO
August 6, 2011
Brodie Lee (w/ Marion Fontaine) vs. Johnny Gargano
They eased themselves into this match. Brodie got control quickly and then dominated the match. Gargano came back with tope suicidas on Brodie and Fontaine. A masked man came to the ring, but Gargano superkicked him.Josh Prohibition attacked Gargano, and M-Dogg 20 then got involved. The match was thrown out.
Blahhhhhhhhhhh. This “match” being advertised on the set was very misleading.
Match Rating: DUD
PWO
August 7, 2011
Brodie Lee & Marion Fontaine vs. Kevin Nash & Aaron Draven
Yes, THAT Kevin Nash.
Draven started the match for his team. Brodie continuously taunted Nash. Nash tagged in and attacked Fontaine. Brodie attacked Nash from behind. They actually got the heat on Kevin Nash. I would have bet a lot of money that that would not have happened. Draven eventually tagged in and made a comeback. Nash gave Brodie a chokeslam. Nash then set up Fontaine for a one man Spanish Fly from Draven. Draven took out Brodie. Nash hit Fontaine with the Jackknife after someone prevented interference from someone else. Draven jumped off Nash’s shoulder for a splash: 1…2…3
The most notable thing about the match was that Kevin Nash did not act like a jerk and make this about himself at all. He doesn’t move around all that well, but he took some offense from Brodie and just generally did the right things to make this about Draven. So, I guess I am giving this match credit for the old veteran not being an asshole when he could have been. I do not know anymore.
Match Rating: *1/2
Chikara
February 25, 2012
Brodie Lee vs. Jigsaw
Brodie missed most of the 12 Large Summit in 2011 after a bad knee injury. He made up those matches in late 2011 and in 2012 though before he went off to WWE developmental.
Brodie gave Jigsaw a chokeslam on the apron to get control of the match. Brodie completely dominated this for a while. Brodie showed off his athletic abilities at times. Jigsaw fought back after a tope suicida. Brodie came back and hit a half-nelson suplex for a nearfall. Superkick/bridging German combo by Jigsaw got him a nearfall. Brodie came back with the Truck Stop, yakuza kick, and a Liger Bomb: 1…2…3
Short-ish Brodie matches against flippy guys in Chikara are pretty much an automatic win every time. These two had great chemistry and executed that formula really well.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Chikara
March 25, 2012
Eddie Kingston(c) vs. Brodie Lee [Chikara Grand Championship]
Brodie started the match by kicking Gavin Loudspeaker. Kingston hit an early tope suicida, and then they started brawling. Brodie came back with a tope suicida of his own. Brodie was in control after that. Kingston fought back a few times, but he couldn’t make a comeback until after he hit an exploder. They went back and forth some. Brodie kicked Eddie in the balls after a ref bump. Liger Bomb: 1…2…NO! Kingston came back with a Saito, a backfist, a lariat, and the Sliding D: 1…2…3!
Kingston actually left the ring first so that the crowd could give Brodie some love before he went to the WWE. This was Brodie’s last match in Chikara.
They didn’t have a great crowd to work for, but they made up for it with some compelling wrestling. I think Brodie worked better as a somewhat likeable rudo than the cheating rudo that he was down the stretch here, but it did not take away from the match all that much.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Check out some Luke Harper/Brodie Lee matches for free!
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brodie Lee (Cage Match)
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brodie Lee
PAC vs. Rich Swann vs. Brodie Lee vs. Sami Callihan
UltraMantis Black vs. Brodie Lee
The Hillbilly Wrecking Crew (Brodie Lee & Necro Butcher) vs. Up in Smoke (Cheech & Cloudy)
Thanks everybody for reading! You can send feedback to my Twitter or to my email address: [email protected]. Also, feel free to check out my own wrestling website, FreeProWrestling.com. Also, check out my Best of Chikara blog and an archive of all my 411 video reviews.
