[2000-01-21-ECW-Baton Rouge, LA] Masato Tanaka vs Lance Storm

[soup23]

I was happy to see Lance take it to the Tanaka as on paper he looked like someone that might let Masato steamroll him and the match will be awkward overall. This also didn’t overstay it’s welcome making it a welcome addition to a house show if you are attending. There was too much your turn, my turn for it to reach very good levels, but I enjoyed myself. ***

[Loss]

I thought this was pretty substandard. Nothing wrong with the action, but it didn't have much heat, and the second was overly physically involved. Neither guy really controlled the match for very long either.

[Migs]

We appear to be in a hotel ballroom? Not the hippest venue ECW ran, for sure.

 

Interesting matchup on paper, but only decent in the ring. Never quite got a proper flow. Maybe a bit of a style clash. Crowd also felt sort of dead - there's no energy when they get to the near falls.

[Kronos]

It's a Lance Storm match.

 

That means it's technically solid, has one or two really cool spots, and makes the crowd care exactly 00%.

[GSR]

Storm is accompanied by Dawn Marie and Jason Knight and quips to Feinstein (on seeing Tanaka in the ring) that he’s going to take bumps tonight! The two trade holds and counters early as they both jockey for position. Tanaka with a modified powerbomb and Storm takes to the floor. Masato follows him out there, whips him into the guard rail only to get attacked from behind by Jason. The attack has zero effect and Tanaka goes to whip him into Storm, but he reverses it (huh?), Storm gets a foot up and Tanaka runs head first into it. Back in the ring they exchange knife edge chops in the corner, and a variation of the Ace Crusher brings a two for Tanaka. Storm takes the Flair bump into the corner and onto the apron, ducks a right and a springboard dropkick for a two of his own. Jason throws Storm a chair, he rams Tanaka’s head into it and drops a leg across the back of his neck. He tosses him to the floor and then into the front row. Tanaka blocks the suplex attempt and drops Storm chest first across the guard rail. Suicideplex by Tanaka and I swear the crowd are chanting ‘please bend over’ at Dawn Marie instead of watching the match! Storm kicks out, Death Valley Driver, and that’s still not enough to put him away as he kicks out again. Lance reverses the Irish whip and transitions into a lovely half crab that Tanaka can only break by grabbing the ropes. Thrust kick, but Tanaka catches his foot and fires back with a ‘roaring elbow’. That looks to have done it, only for Jason to pull Jim Molineux out the ring at the count of two. As Tanaka is distracted by what’s going on outside, Dawn slides Storm his tag title belt and he nails Masato. Two count near fall gets no reaction whatsoever from the crowd. Storm sets up a couple of chairs on the canvas, Tanaka blocks the superplex attempt and a tornado DDT onto the chairs. Another near fall kick out and again no reaction. Tanaka comes off the top with a chair, but Storm thrust kicks the chair into his face. Near fall number three and some minimal response this time and Tanaka finally picks up the win after a Buff Blockbuster.

 

I think the two of them worked really well together here and this wasn’t bad at all, hindered only by a dreadful crowd who seemed more interested in chanting for Dawn Marie to bend over. They should’ve been popping pretty big for those near falls at the end of the match, but it was just silence. The thing that garnered the biggest response was when Storm bought those chairs into the ring for the tornado DDT spot, which backs up what I wrote about in the Sabu/Spike match that this lot a more concerned with chairs and tables as opposed to good wrestling. Nice to see Tanaka in a straight(ish) wrestling match and giving those brain cells the night off from taking those hideous unprotected chair shots.