*SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU'RE HERE FOR THE REVIEWS NOT ME*
I've decided that five reviews a week just isn't doable. So I shall be taking more of a Monday/Wednesday/Friday approach to it for a while. I'm going to take the rest of this week off to get some reviews prepared and get them close to the publish mark. Going down (or sideways in some eras) from the Big 3 in the Monday Night Wars, I'm going to pick a match from 3 companies that have American Television deals and/or pay per views. These three companies will be TNA/Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. If I can get myself up to 100 Twitter followers I shall also put polls out on my personal twitter for what you guys want to see next on this blog.
PSICOSIS VS. REY MYSTERIO JR. (2 OUT OF 3 FALLS MATCH)
Hardcore TV, Episode #130 (18th October 1995)
These two men both debuted at Gangstas Paradise back in September. At the time of that match they shared the two belts Psicosis is holding. Already in their careers these two men are synomynous with each other. That wouldn't change for another decade. This match is available on youtube here it is also an extra on the second disc of WWE's DVD release “The Rise and Fall of ECW”. Joey Styles handles commentary.
Rey Mysterio enters for the match and the music is so obviously post-production it's almost laughable. Both men get a very good reaction to their entrance and they look intense and ready for the match. Rey backflips into the ring getting a great reaction. We get in-ring introductions and Joel Gertner does them in Spanish, due to this match being contested under Lucha Libre rules. Rey rushes at the bell, Psicosis avoids it so Rey runs up the turnbuckles and backflips back in again. Psicosis shoulder blocks Rey back and picks up speed himself, but Rey slides him out of the ring. Rey picks ups speed this time and flips himself over the top rope. Plancha off the apron sends Psicosis over the guard rail! Rey back in the ring and he clears the top rope and the guard rial in a suicide dive onto Psicosis! Psicosis throws a chair in frustration, but the “E-C-Dub” chant tells me he's the only one in the building that didn't like that move. Both men get back in the ring and already they look worse for wear. Rey sends Psicosis into the ropes and hits a standing hurricanrana for the first fall.
REY 1 – 0 PSICOSIS
Not much to say on this yet, they got some cheap pops from the crowd for the new (at the time) style of wrestling and got some flashy moves in. Not the worst introduction to Lucha Libre for what it was.
Rey celebrates his victory before we get a commercial break and the bell rings for the second fall as we come back. This time Psicosis charges, and Rey dodges him, sending him face first into the corner. Rey grabs a headlock as Psicosis gets up, but Psicosis quickly shoves him off, Rey goes up for a headscissors, but instead keeps rotating, landing on his feet. We get a split-second stand-off before Rey knocks Psicosis down with a spinning heel kick. Psicosis gets back to his feet in the corner. Rey charges but Psicosis sends him over the top rope. Rey lands on the apron and brings Psicosis down by his hair before ascending the turnbuckles. Flying hurricanrana sends Psicosis out of the ring. Rey hits a running hurricanrana off the apron sending Psicosis up the entranceway. Rey back in the ring, with loud “Mysterio” chants throughout the arena. Psicosis has a bottle thrown at him whilst he's down on the ground, he eventually gets in the ring I think at about 5.
Psicosis offers a handshake to Mysterio but Mysterio declines. Psicosis drops to one knee, so Mysterio thinks about it. Mysterio tries to cheap shot Psicosis, but Psicosis grabs his arm, getting a wristlock. Enziguri sends Mysterio down, adding another kick for good measure. Psicosis taunts the crowd and sends Rey across the ring, hitting the turnbuckles upside down. Psicosis picks Mysterio up and charges him ribs first into the corner, leaving him draping there. Psicosis makes a beeline for Rey from across the ring, shoulder barging him right in the kidneys. Rey drops to the mat. Psicosis sets Rey up in the corner and hits a running bronco buster. Psicosis doesn't let up and he hits a falling powerbomb in the middle of the ring. Psicosis covers, but Rey kicks out at 2. Psicosis brings Rey to his feet, and slams him back down to the mat. Psicosis locks in a sharpshooter, but Rey refuses to give it up. Psicosis releases the hold out of frustration, allowing Rey a chance to slide out of the ring. Psicosis quickly follows Rey out and sends him into the guard rail. Psicosis grabs a chair, and drives it into Mysterio's ankle. Psicosis slams Rey on the timekeeper's table and rolls him in the ring. Psicosis hits a slingshot legdrop but doesn't cover.
Psicosis sends Rey across the ring, but a running shoulder block finds the ringpost. Rey not able to follow up, as Psicosis uses his weight advantage to knock Rey off balance into the ropes. Rey comes back with a hurricanrana, and decides to go again, Psicosis catches a moonsault attempt in a tombstone piledriver to even the match up.
REY – 1 – 1 PSICOSIS
Rey Mysterio's early confidence, thinking he had Psicosis beaten enough after the hurricanrana on concrete and trying to take the count out victory cost him, not only did Rey have a chance to rest, but so did Psicosis. Rey's attempt at a cheapshot also backfired and from there it was all Psicosis. Rey failed to capitalise on a mistake and Psicosis countered a big move to get the fall. Looking forward to the third.
Rey still not fully recovered from the last fall, sliding out of the ring as soon as the bell goes. Psicosis makes chase and powerbombs Rey on the table, Rey's head hit the guard rail on the way down, ouch. Psicosis dumps Rey in the crowd and brings the guard rail nearer the ring. Psicosis picks up to full speed and CLEARS the top rope before landing on Mysterio. Both men are slow to get up, with Rey conserving energy by crawling under the guard rail. Rey Mysterio Jr. is able to make some distance. Rey back in the ring first, but he's barely on his feet before Psicosis launches himself at Rey! Nobody home for that and Psicosis' own momentum sends him tumbling to the arena floor. Rey leaps from inside to out with a springboard senton sending Psicosis down. High risk move might have used up the last Rey has in his tank for now, as both men boot at each orher on the floor. Psicosis tries to get some punches in but Rey shoves him off. Psicosis launches a chair at Rey and gets back on the apron. Rey grabs the chair and brings Psicosis back out to the floor, launching the chair at his head. Another chair meets Psicosis' face and he swings at midair before falling to the floor.
Rey grabs the chair and wraps it over Psicosis neck before sending him into the ring post. Second ring post for Psicosis and his new necklace. Rey celebrates with the fans as Psicosis rolls in the ring. Rey climbs to the top rope and hits a Frankensteiner! Rey covers but only gets a nearfall. (He went for a hurricanrana but didn't get all of it, Psicosis landing on his head counts it as a Frankensteiner to me.) Both men get to their feet, neither wanting to break the others' gaze. Psicosis reverses an irish whip but gets caught with a spinning headscissors sending him out of the ring. Rey hits a triangle somersault senton to the floor! The referee's telling them to bring it back in the ring but I don't think they know where they are. Rey turns his back on Psicosis and pays for it, getting sent into the guard rail. Rey sent into another guard rail from across the arena and Psicosis sets up a table on the outside. Psicosis plants Rey on the table and hits him in the ribs with a chair shot. Psicosis flies from the top rope with a leg drop through the table! Third ECW chant of this fall as Psicosis rolls Rey back in the ring. Psicosis hits a powerbomb in the ring and again lays into Mysterio with a chair shot. Psicosis climbs to the top and rotates from a moonsault to a senton! Psicosis pins Rey and that's all she wrote.
WINNER: PSICOSIS (2 – 1)
The third fall they really picked it up. They showed the bloodthirsty ECW fans the extreme action they came to see with their own lucha twist. Every move was a big spot, but the selling spaced them out nicely and they still seemed to flow into each other, which can be the problem with a match (or in this case fall) layout of big move – big move – bigger move – peak – finish. They seemed to keep it to a good rhythm and showed why they would be booked together years to come. As a match on the whole it built up nicely, making use of the time they had without dragging it out too much. The breaks between falls helped to show the intensity, with the loser of the last fall not quite being 100% for the next. The match shows the chemistry they had and why they would be rivals for years to come. It left us wanting more and I don't recall a time they disappointed. – Rating: 8.4/10
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