[2000-03-08-MCW Maryland] Joey Matthews & Christian York vs Earl the Pearl & Rich Myers

[soup23]

Pearl and Myers are really going all in with the early 2000’s motif. Good solid indy action. I do feel like Matthews and York really should have been signed earlier as they feel ready to mix it up with the young WWF tag teams. The heel duo here doesn’t do much for me but are cronies throughout the match so at least they have their role work down. Match ends in bullshit which was disappointing but perhaps they will have a blowoff soon. **

[Loss]

I thought this was just awesome! I think this may be the March match where we end up the farthest apart. Less than 10 minutes in total, but wow did they deliver, cutting a breakneck pace and doing a fully fleshed out shine, FIP, hot tag, restart, big false finish and actual screwy finish, which I enjoyed as a way to set up a rematch. There were times I wish they'd slowed down just a tad or done moves a little less try hard (hint: less moves whose names end in "driver", "buster" or "plex"), but those are small issues. This was tremendous fun and a total adrenaline rush -- a superb mix of modern, all-action style with an old school layout. Looking forward to more matches. ***3/4

[Moonsault Marvin]

The match was competently worked, but nothing really stood out. The disqualification seemed obvious after it was changed to no count out. Average match.

[Tim Evans]

I just don't understand how Matthews and York were so hyped in 2000. I guess it's cause the look and they were doing high flying moves. I thought the Holy Rollers look better of the two teams. So I think the ref blew the finish the first time so they had to restart the match. Then they do another screwy finish. Gotta love indie wrestling.

[GSR]

Always nice to see Earl and his epileptic dancing! York and Matthews pull the Holy Rollers to the outside before they get in the ring and this one begins at ringside. Myers with an Irish whip, Matthews ducks the clothesline and comes back with a headscissors that spikes Myers right on his head. Double suplex from York and Matthews, and while the referee tries to regain some order, Earl is in and throws York to the floor. Myers slides out after him, he backdrops York into the ring ropes and he rebounds off with a reverse spinning DDT (or a spinning gator breaker). ETP comes around to help his partner, York ducks under the lariat and Matthews with a plancha from the top turnbuckle out onto them. Face first suplex on Earl, Myers distracts Matthews as he climbs the turnbuckles slowing him down and Earl with a Russian legsweep off the middle. Nice ‘ETP’ chant from the crowd! The Rollers go to work on Matthews utilising their teamwork and quick tags. Myers misses a top rope elbow and Joey’s able to make the tag to his partner. Superkick to Myers, pancake to Earl and York nails the Rollers’ manager (who was up on the apron) for good measure too. Double hiptoss into a double powerbomb on Ramblin’ Rich and Earl is in to break up the pin. York and Matthews with their top rope frankensteiner/big splash finisher and Earl is again back in to break up the pin (although he was a touch late and the official had to dealy his count waiting for him). The Rollers have had enough, collect their titles and head down the aisle to the back. The MCW commissioner cuts them off, decrees that this is now a ‘no count-out match’ and York and Matthews drag their opponents back to the ring. Matthews clotheslines Earl over the top rope to the floor, York with an attempted reverse suplex to Myers, however he flips over and holds him so their manager can nail him with something (the ref is dealing with Earl and Joey at this point). York doesn’t really duck or anything, but the manager hits his own man with the item and York then slugs him. Cover, Earl dives in to stop the official’s hand hitting the mat for the third time before decking him for the DQ.

 

Blimey that finish was horrible! After the commissioner changed the rules to ‘no count-out’, I was convinced he was going to come back out after the DQ and change it to ‘no DQ’, but nope, lousy DQ finish to the match after Earl had hit the referee. I thought York and Matthews looked better here than they did in January and I can see why they got a fair bit of hype (Joey Matthews looks a notch above Christian York mind, as the latter does have spots where he still looks green). The action up until the Rollers walked out was good as they’re a capable hand, and I preferred this to the multi-team match from January.

[Stiva]

I enjoyed this, not as much as Loss but I really think this was an excellent opening tag match (if it was, I have no idea). As alluded to, the pace they cut was impressive but it breathed when it had to and I actually enjoyed the finish in a vacuum. The heels have had one avenue closed so they exploit another one. It's not something that you can do all the time because it brings up the logical fallacy of "Why doesn't the heel just always get intentionally DQ'd?" but I do think it works from time to time as a way to get heat. The ref even took a nice bump on the finish too! I have a standing belief that Joey Matthews is one of the lost or underrated workers of the 2000s so I hope PWO2K sees that be true.