[2000-05-27-MAW-Hardcore Cup 2000] Corporal Robinson vs Mitch Page (Barbed Wire Chain Death)

[soup23]

These guys will have a long rivalry in IWA-MS in 2001 and this is a pretty good launching point as the work here was simple and nothing look too contrived. The chain was utilized and the strikes were brutal looking. I appreciated the lack of each person just grinding a sharp object into the other. The finish is the one “big” spot of the match and is Corp hitting the boot camp from the apron through a barbed wire table on the floor. This was more in the style of a thinking man’s deathmatch and not just a hack and slash gore fest. ***

[GSR]

These two are attached by the wrist to the chain. They start by playing ‘tug of war’, trying to drag their opponent over to them. Mitch is coming out on top of that, when Corp dropkicks him in the legs. He gets some punches in, until Page returns the favour after a low blow. Corp rolls to the floor, but they’re on the opposite side to the camera so we don’t get the best view of things. ‘Mean Mitch’ whips Corp with the chain, before using it to choke him with. A trusty low turns the tide on Robinson’s favour, and he grinds the barbed wire into Page’s forehead opening him up. He goes to work on that cut, before yet another low blow. Short clothesline by Mitch, he then ties Corp up against the ring post using the chain and splashes him against it. ‘Rock Bottom’ for two, with Page barely getting Corp up off the canvas. He throws him over the top rope to the outside, but not sure he thought that one through properly as big Mitch has to clamber over it himself! Page grabs a table and pulls it over to the ring, but that eventually works against him as Corp gets the win with the ‘boot camp’ off the apron and through the table (guessing this was also a falls count anywhere match as the pin takes place on the arena floor).

 

Page, like Pondo, is someone I just flat out struggle with. This was okay as it didn’t overstay its welcome (like a lot of the ‘hardcore’ matches I’ve watched), there was no sitting around arranging furniture and setting up spots (just that one table bump) and there was some good stuff in here such as Page whipping Corp with the belt and also using the chain to tie him against the ring post. My main criticism would be the over reliance on ‘low blows’, not the first time I’ve said that this year and it probably won’t be the last. I’m not in any hurry to see any more of ‘Mean Mitch’, but for what it was, this wasn’t bad.