[1997-10-21-IWA-MS-KOTDM] Ian Rotten vs Axl Rotten (No Rope Barbed Wire Electrified Light Bulbs Lights Out)

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Something is going on with Doug Gilbert before the match, but there's an echo in the building that makes the audio really hard to make out so I have no idea. I give these guys credit for trying to bring FMW to the U.S. indy scene, but this match made me appreciate Onita's guys so much more. This works and needed to be on the yearbook, but I don't need to see it again.

[FLIK]

I give these guys credit for trying to bring FMW to the U.S. indy scene,

Wrong death match fed, FMW never did light tubes.

 

This was the finals of the 1st ever IWA MS King of the Death which was them trying to re-create IWA Japan's version

 

Something is going on with Doug Gilbert before the match

Match was supposed to be a 3 way but he pulled out for some reason i'm forgetting

[Loss]

I meant in the working style, not in death match tournaments specifically.

[Kevin Ridge]

These aren’t the light bulbs I think of when it comes to wrestling matches as not the long tube versions. They have them lit up too with the building lights turned off. I don’t think I’ve seen a barbed wire match where action mostly takes place in middle of the ring. Barbed wire and light bulbs and neither gimmick is used much at all. Poor match.

[FLIK]

These aren’t the light bulbs I think of when it comes to wrestling matches as not the long tube versions. They have them lit up too with the building lights turned off.

Light Tubes were never used as a gimmick until mid - late 98 with I think Honma/Shadow WX being the 1st to use them and they didn't become really common until the 2000's.

 

Light Bulbs like they used here had been done a few times and the gimmick was more that they were super hot after they'd been plugged in for a while so you could burn your opponent with them. Not too much you could do with them other then that. Kinda similar to bed of nails in that in theory it's cool but in reality it's just super limiting.

[soup23]

No idea what the Doug Gilbert thing is about.

 

I liked the early portion of this a good deal with the hints to mat work, psychology, and payback spots with the barbed wire and lights. Then from when Ian retrieves the Barbed wire board on this became a cluster with Doug Gilbert beating both guys up and Axl actually sacrificing himself for Ian.

 

This didn't seem like the right place to put over a big heel as the start to your first death match tournament.

[Robert S]

That ring mat looks so horrible that I feel that I might have caught Hep B or HIV just by watching this match.

[PeteF3]

I can't quite decipher everything Gilbert said but it looks like this was supposed to be a triple threat and Gilbert was begging off. Ian cuts an awful promo in response. Do I seriously have to watch these two again? Some stuff happens and some guys gingerly unscrew light bulbs before using them as unconvincing weapons and then Doug Gilbert runs in a bunch for a dumbass finish and this is outdated Memphis bullshit in an environment where that simply doesn't work.