Necro Butcher

[Phil Schneider]

Sangre is a better comparison. Although I am not sure that criticism of  Necro really applies. He basically did retire, he has had five matches since 2016. I mean pretty much every wrestler ever who didn't die young would show up occasionally for old man nostalgia matches. 

[Kadaveri]

I don't understand why you'd penalise a candidate for being bad late in their career when there was zero expectation they'd be good anyway. Are we holding Bret Hart's 2010 run against him? That SHLAK match was only a few months before Necro was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, he was likely already seriously ill.

[Matt D]

7 minutes ago, Kadaveri said:

Are we holding Bret Hart's 2010 run against him?

I'm the exception but I'll probably look at it at least. It's not about holding something against him either, just another inch towards the attempt at a total and absolute understanding of a wrestler that I need for my top 40 or whatever. I don't hold anyone else to my standards.

[Boss Rock]

Early 2000's Necro is awesome, such a unique beast. Just so good at getting beat up and making things feel chaotic. There hasn't been anyone like him since. But how much is there to consider him for? Like obviously he's tremendous in 2005 and 2006, but what are his best years apart from those two?

[NotJayTabb]

I should highlight, I'm not counting the SHLAK match against him, it's just a strange anomaly at the end of his career. I just think it's a shame that it's the final in ring image we have of a guy who was such a force in his prime

[Suplex-12]

On 4/27/2021 at 5:55 PM, Matt D said:

I'm the exception but I'll probably look at it at least. It's not about holding something against him either, just another inch towards the attempt at a total and absolute understanding of a wrestler that I need for my top 40 or whatever. I don't hold anyone else to my standards.

I know it's been a while but I found this match from 2010 that Matt might want a little look at. Bret does a bit more in this match than anything I have seen from this 2010 run. It's not really new footage but no one else has really seen this to my knowledge.

[Phil Schneider]

Since we were talking about Necro's SHLAK match hurting him, just an FYI that he is back, recovered from cancer and basically looking like Necro Butcher again. He had two pretty rad deathmatches in XPW, I wrote up the Hoodfoot match for the Ringer, the Big Joe match was two minutes long, but a fun two minutes. His other two matches against Blaine Evans and Travis Dykes were normal brawls which Necro looked good but his opponents were pretty low rate, both are on youtube and fun watches

 

https://www.theringer.com/2022/4/11/23019761/bron-breakker-gunther-jon-moxley-wheeler-yuta-necro-butcher-hoodfoot-best-matches

[Phil Schneider]

Necro Butcher vs. Low-Ki from JAPW floated up on the internet the other day and it is on the level of the other two 2007 Ki vs. Necro match, just an awesome asstomping

Here is our SC review

http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2022/06/found-footage-friday-ki-necro-lawler.html

 

 

[Phil Schneider]

I watched Necro vs. Gypsy Joe from IWA-EC for an upcoming Ringer piece, and it is another feather in Necro's cap. An awesome carry job, where he bumps all over the arena to make a 72 year man look like a killer. Joe has an aura that he brings to a match, but was still 72. One of the better "wrestle a broom" matches you are going to see

[brockobama]

In every mockup I've done so far Necro's wound up in my top 20 or just outside of it. Doubt that's gonna change. There's no way that a guy who's had a handful of matches I'd seriously consider for the greatest match ever could wind up anywhere else, let alone miss my list. Great punches, great bumps, great selling, great personality, all that's missing is more longevity--and I'd argue that his longevity rivals all but the best Japanese deathmatch workers and blows almost all the other Americans out of the water. The style naturally results in a shorter shelf life than basically any other kind of wrestler and I think the guy going as long as he has (including on the other end of a cancer diagnosis) should count for something. But his greatest strength is the intangible aura. Dylan said it best, his work achieves a transcendence few others can equal. The best Necro Butcher matches feel like a life or death experience, whether for being literally dangerous or for being so wholly absorbing.

Would also suggest that his scuzzy appearance is his charm. In an indie scene chock full of superior athletes and polished professionals, Necro is the everyman brawler just fighting to survive. As with a guy like Mick Foley, it's this mortal fallibility that helps to heighten his superhuman struggles and prevent them from wading into self-conscious Shawn Michaels territory. Maybe his work doesn't hit you in that way but discounting the guy for his flabby frame (or even his "bad" move execution) should get you laughed out of the room.

I'll recommend some more matches that haven't been mentioned yet. His PWG title four-way with Chris Hero, Low Ki, and Eddie Kingston from August '08 is maybe my favorite match in that promotion's history, even over Necro/SD. Another great example of what he can do in a non-deathmatch environment and how his rugged naturalism disrupts the wider US indie style, even among fellow heavy hitters. It's also just fun as fuck. Would also recommend his British Rounds match with Hero on IWA Mid-South's January '06 show, a great bit of bullshit with this country bumpkin getting the best of the cocky, world-traveled technician. As far as hardcore stuff goes, Necro/Hero/SD vs Joe/Whitmer/Pearce from ROH's 100th Show in April of that same year isn't nearly so good as the Cage of Death a few months later but is a terribly enjoyable match more in the mode of a classic crowd brawl. On the same day as the famous Samoa Joe match Necro has a tag with Toby Klein against the H8 Club that is incredibly impressive if nothing else, illustrating how the guy can carry a lesser team through a fun falls count anywhere affair a few hours after a legendarily grueling match. (The tag title switch the following month isn't of the same quality but shows how great Necro is in a feel-good win.) Finally I'd point to his first round meeting with Matt Tremont in Tournament of Death X as a prime example of Necro elevating a promising youngster that would basically go on to supplant his role as the hometown hero of the American deathmatch proletariat.

[Rah]

Anyone else seen the two Necro Butcher vs Abdullah the Butcher matches? Their first one is wild. Necro's like 2 years into his career if that (2000) and takes one of the worst beatings of his career. Glass, forks etc to the face. Unreal. 

Pity the video cuts before the post match brawl but the story goes it got so out of control that they were tripping all sorts of alarms with rescue services arriving to carnage. 

 

https://youtu.be/cbAI3aBjo28

[Phil Schneider]

Is anyone rating Brody but not rating Necro at this point? I really can't think of a single thing Brody did that was better. Including have a brawl with Abdullah

[brockobama]

Hear, hear

[KB8]

I guess Brody had better boots, if only by virtue of Necro not even bothering with such frivolousness in the first place.

[brockobama]

I will concede that he had nicer hair too

[Ma Stump Puller]

Necro isn't particularly my cup of tea but he's had some pretty solid outings. I would particularly suggest his stint in IGF where he's getting thrown into random as fuck matches against Bob Sapp, Minowaman and random Inoki-Ism MMA goons. He turns what could've been just some quick paydays with minimal effort into some surprisingly fun outings as he has to adapt to a more shoot-style way of wrestling while keeping all of his usual antics intact. Lots of fun.

 

[CheapPop1999]

I just finished Necro's 2006 as a part of my watchthrough of that year and while conventional wisdom has awarded Bryan Danielson the WOTY in 2006, I think Necro has just as good of a claim to that title as the American Dragon.

Where Danielson makes his case is the sheer number of great matches he has that year, which is one of the virtues of being the top champion in the best promotion of the year. However, Necro exists at the margins and finds a way to make every moment as great as it possibly can be for the whole year.

He's an awesome hobo babyface in IWA Mid-South and affiliates; the aforementioned European Rules match with Hero is a tremendous piece of wrestling TV in which the shoeless fella hangs tight with the supposed grapple wunderkind and gets his penance, the rematch with Joe (while lesser than the first match, but every match in wrestling history is, so that's fine) is another great stiff monster fight that transitions perfectly into the two matches with Low Ki (the Tap Out or Knock Out one from December being my personal favorite).

He's a great monster in both the CZW/ROH feud and in CZW at large, providing great obstacles for the middling ROH guys like Whitmer and Pearce to overcome, but also a great hurdle for guys like Hero or Eddie Kingston to fight through in title defenses. He comes to the West Coast for the all-time sicko match with Super Dragon, but gets a genuinely great match out of Joey Ryan while he's there, carving up the pervert with a busted beer can from the trash to raucous applause.

Port him over to the deathmatch world, and he's still got it! His run in Double Death with Toby Klein scratches the exact kind of itch you want from a big spotty American deathmatch, full of chaotic bumps and crazy weapon shots. The match against Chuey Martinez and Hugh Rogue sees Our Hero throw a dart into one of the poor guys' backs and it just sticks there and dangles in a perfect bit of disgusting chicanery.

All of this is without mentioning his role in two of the best matches of the year and matches that I would consider perfect, in the Cage of Death and the big brawl with Homicide from 5/13. Without Zandig or Gage or some of those more established top guys from CZW's history, Necro really feels like the most dangerous man that ROH needs to overcome in that feud. He's a nasty punching machine who can't be killed, in a lot of respects, and without him being so dangerous, Homicide standing up to him wouldn't feel near as impactful into the end of the year with his giant push to the top of the mountain.

If you are discounting the Necro Butcher because he's a "garbage wrestler" or you think he solely exists in the deathmatch space, you are missing out on the best brawler of the millennium. If I was able to find so many gems in 2006, almost all of which were outside of the deathmatch bubble, I can imagine that for the rest of his peak of 2002-2009ish, there are tons of gems floating around out there where he's an awesome puncher in regular matches.

Truly a one of a kind wrestling talent.

[Mr JMML]

On 2/20/2023 at 8:34 PM, CheapPop1999 said:

I just finished Necro's 2006 as a part of my watchthrough of that year and while conventional wisdom has awarded Bryan Danielson the WOTY in 2006, I think Necro has just as good of a claim to that title as the American Dragon.

Where Danielson makes his case is the sheer number of great matches he has that year, which is one of the virtues of being the top champion in the best promotion of the year. However, Necro exists at the margins and finds a way to make every moment as great as it possibly can be for the whole year.

He's an awesome hobo babyface in IWA Mid-South and affiliates; the aforementioned European Rules match with Hero is a tremendous piece of wrestling TV in which the shoeless fella hangs tight with the supposed grapple wunderkind and gets his penance, the rematch with Joe (while lesser than the first match, but every match in wrestling history is, so that's fine) is another great stiff monster fight that transitions perfectly into the two matches with Low Ki (the Tap Out or Knock Out one from December being my personal favorite).

He's a great monster in both the CZW/ROH feud and in CZW at large, providing great obstacles for the middling ROH guys like Whitmer and Pearce to overcome, but also a great hurdle for guys like Hero or Eddie Kingston to fight through in title defenses. He comes to the West Coast for the all-time sicko match with Super Dragon, but gets a genuinely great match out of Joey Ryan while he's there, carving up the pervert with a busted beer can from the trash to raucous applause.

Port him over to the deathmatch world, and he's still got it! His run in Double Death with Toby Klein scratches the exact kind of itch you want from a big spotty American deathmatch, full of chaotic bumps and crazy weapon shots. The match against Chuey Martinez and Hugh Rogue sees Our Hero throw a dart into one of the poor guys' backs and it just sticks there and dangles in a perfect bit of disgusting chicanery.

All of this is without mentioning his role in two of the best matches of the year and matches that I would consider perfect, in the Cage of Death and the big brawl with Homicide from 5/13. Without Zandig or Gage or some of those more established top guys from CZW's history, Necro really feels like the most dangerous man that ROH needs to overcome in that feud. He's a nasty punching machine who can't be killed, in a lot of respects, and without him being so dangerous, Homicide standing up to him wouldn't feel near as impactful into the end of the year with his giant push to the top of the mountain.

If you are discounting the Necro Butcher because he's a "garbage wrestler" or you think he solely exists in the deathmatch space, you are missing out on the best brawler of the millennium. If I was able to find so many gems in 2006, almost all of which were outside of the deathmatch bubble, I can imagine that for the rest of his peak of 2002-2009ish, there are tons of gems floating around out there where he's an awesome puncher in regular matches.

Truly a one of a kind wrestling talent.

I completely agree but I understand why he's so divisive, Necro isn't what you picture when you think of great wrestlers, some people will be turned of by the nature of most of his work. He was the best wrestler in the world in 2006, Necro Butcher was the most important character in one of the greatest feuds ever. A top 70 in my opinion.