[2000-05-13-IWA-MS] Suicide Kid vs American Kickboxer (Falls Count Anywhere, 2/3 falls)

[soup23]

I was afraid of this, May had been so good up to this point that a disappointment was inevitable. I feel bad critiquing these guys because both had to retire because of how banged up their bodies are. That being said, in rewatching all the IWA-MS stuff I have seen, these two along with Pondo and Rollin’ Hard are my least favorite regulars on the IWA roster. They seem to bring out the worst in indy spot fu action and this was heavy on display here. A long and meandering match with Benoit/Guerrero tribute spots interspersed with lackluster brawling through the crowd. This didn’t have some of the horrendous botches their matches can have but it also didn’t have much meaning. Finally when the match is over, they do the big promo that feels very self-aware. Blah overall. **

[Tim Evans]

If I never hear the words "Go Kid Go" again it will be fine with me. Gotta agree with Chad that this wasn't much. Not sure why it was 2/3 falls but it would have been perfectly fine as just one fall. Kickboxer looks like he gets injured after the first fall when they go outside the building.

[GSR]

For the IWA-MS Light Heavyweight title which the challenger, the American Kickboxer, is a former 13 time champion of. Mid-way through the introductions the ring announcer all of a sudden says that this is a ‘falls count anywhere’ match. Kickboxer cuts a pre-match promo over the house mic; which is a typical, IWA-MS heel promo, in that they just cuss and hurl insults at the fans! After Kid backs Kickboxer into the corner, he complains to the ref about something, which results in them exchanging shoves and Suicide schoolboying him for an early two. Kid ducks under a clothesline, and as Kickboxer approaches the official, he hip tosses him, much to the amusement of the crowd. Some nice work around a wristlock, before Kickboxer grapevines the leg and looks to the audience for some acknowledgement. Kid reverses it and locks on a ‘rocking horse’ submission, although you can clearly see Kickboxer feeding him his arms. They botch an armdrag, and Kid with a dropkick sending his opponent under the bottom rope and to the outside. Pescado, but Kickboxer just walks away and Kid crashes and burns on the concrete floor. Kickboxer then grabs him by the nipples and tosses him into the chairs sending them everywhere. They fight into the parking lot, but with just the one hard camera filming this we don’t see any of the action that takes place out there. The video cuts to all the fans returning to the building after following them outside, while the two combatants are in the ring. Springboard legdrop to the back of the neck by Kickboxer for two. Irish whip, but Kid with the Tajiri handspring elbow followed by a Falcon Arrow. He heads to the top turnbuckle, but Kickboxer is up, swipes his legs out and hits a ‘Ki Krusher’. Brainbuster and first fall to the American Kickboxer. The camera zooms in on him at this point and he got busted open at some point as he’s bleeding from the forehead. When Kid returns to his feet, Kickboxer immediately takes him off them again with a clothesline and applies the figure four. He uses the ropes for leverage, and the hold is only broken when the official catches him. There’s no-one home on the ‘bronco buster’ and now Kid is running and jumping around not selling that leglock in the slightest. Cradle piledriver, split legged moonsault, but Kickboxer kicks out. Low blow and an Arabian moonsault, however Kid gets his knees up and ties the bout at one fall apiece with a Tim Horner roll up and bridge. Kid starts the final fall with a backdrop driver, before a baseball slide dropkick sends Kickboxer to the arena floor. Springboard double axe handle to the outside. Kid grabs a couple of chairs and lays them in the ring. He’s looking for the top rope rana, but Kickboxer shoves him backwards and he lands flush on those chairs. Kickboxer misses the legdrop off the middle, only for Kid to then miss a moonsault and hurt his knee in the process. Kickboxer targets the leg with a series of kicks as Kid collapses in the corner. Superplex, but Kid cradles the legs on landing for the third and deciding fall. The two of them have a mutual love in after and set up a 30 minute Iron Man match for the show next week.

 

For two guys who I remember getting so much praise, I didn’t think much of this and actually though it was quite bad at times. We may have been hindered by what happened outside the building in the parking lot, but that first fall seemed to come from nowhere. I also couldn’t work out what story they were trying to tell either. Kickboxer gets the first fall after a brainbuster, and then starts the second with an attempted figure four? It was so disjointed. Plenty of MOVEZ~ and not much else. Suicide’s selling was non-existent after being trapped in the figure four, running around and jumping on it (even a springboard double axe handle to the floor), while they blew a couple of spots and you could even see them co-operating on stuff. I also hated the involvement of the referee right at the start when he gives Kickboxer a hip toss. Just stick to officiating the match! Kickboxer and Kid do try, but yeah, not the best.

[Moonsault Marvin]

This started off like it was a comedy match with the spots involving the referee. American Kickboxer liked to smack talk the crowd and had a funny spot where he grabbed the Suicide Kid's nipples and dragged him into the chairs. They went into the parking lot, which wasn't captured by the cameras. The match went downhill from there as Suicide Kid didn't sell much, and the roll up after being superplexed was a bad ending.