[2000-05-01-WWF-Raw Dark] Joey Matthews & Christian York vs The Dupps

[soup23]

Really weird seeing WWF in this setting with no commentary as I guess this was pulled from the satellite feed. Nice opportunity for York and Matthews. They run through their signature offense and are pleading with the crowd to show some support even though the crowd isn’t really getting into them being an unknown commodity. The Dupps take over on Matthews and do a decent job on top with violence and cut off spots. Hot tag is made to York who hits some superkicks and back body drops. A good looking tornado ddt has to be broken up. Matthews gets shoved to the outside and the Dupps hit a double Alabama slam to pick up the win. For a go out there and impress us match, this was effective. **1/2

[Loss]

The crowd didn't get into this dark match since everyone involved was an unknown, but this was really good, and Matthews and York look very ready for prime time. A step above the average TV fare for either company at this point. ***

[AstroBoy]

Matthews looked great here. He really went out of his way to sell the Dupps sort of mild offense during the heat and he also hit a really nice dive out of nowhere and then took a crazy bump being tossed off the turnbuckle to the floor before the finish. He shined in this big time.

 

The opening portion is awesome with Matthews and York outquicking and outsmarting bigger opponents and hitting them with quick dropkicks and good tag offense. Honestly the Dupps did a good job feeding into this and especially taking headscissors well from both guys.

 

**3/4

[Migs]

Given how ready for prime time all these guys look here, and the WWF focus on tag teams at the time, interesting that neither team got a shot with the WWF after this. Maybe the feeling was the existing tag team depth was more than necessary. Pretty entertaining little match.

[GSR]

Joey Matthews struggles with Jack Dupp’s size in the early goings. He ducks under a clothesline, satellite headscissors and a Japanese arm drag. York with the blind tag and a double suplex on their larger opponent. Double hip toss on Bo, and a pair of dropkicks sends the Dupps tumbling to the outside. Jack avoids the baseball slide and then backdrops Christian into the ropes, who rebounds with a headscissors to the floor. Bo is around to help his partner, but Matthews with a plancha off the top to them both. Back in the ring, and a charging headbutt to the chest of Joey by Bo after Jack had caused a distraction on the apron. Double shoulder tackle by the Dupps for two. Scoop powerslam and Matthews is able to kick out of the cover. Bo telegraphs a backdrop, but before Joey can take advantage, he grabs him by the hair and slams him backwards to the canvas. Double team behind the officials back as they continue to take it to him. Abdominal stretch, but Joey ducks under the short lariat and a release German suplex on Jack. Hot tag, and York with a superkick apiece to both Dupps. A nice looking tornado DDT on Bo, and Jack is there to break up the pin in time. Stereo punches in the corner, but Jack just dumps Joey and he takes a crazy chest first bump over the top and to the arena floor. Double slam on York and the Dupps come out on top.

 

I’m pretty sure the Dupps were already under contract to the WWF at this point as they’d regularly been doing Raw and Smackdown dark matches, whilst this is the first recorded match for York and Matthews that I could find there. If you’ve never seen the Dupps, they’re a couple of big, burly, bruiser types and there’s certainly nothing flash about them, unlike their opponents. A simply structured match (shine, heat, looks like the faces are going to win but the heels pull it out in the end), however sometimes simple is all you need. Joey Matthews took a couple of crazy bumps, the Dupps were perfect bases for York and Matthews’ flying and it’s the best the latter has looked so far this year. Kinda surprised that this didn’t really lead to something for them, unless they were just considered too similar to the Hardyz.