[2000-05-27-MAW-Hardcore Cup 2000] Corporal Robinson vs Madman Pondo (Light Bulb Tubes & Barbed Wire Board Death)

[soup23]

Whereas the previous match was praised for building to the big spot and not overstaying its welcome, this was a big offender of that motif. It also began a theme we will see throughout the decade of deathmatch finales where everything seems like it has been done before and now the finale becomes a game of “can you top this” with a ton of winded setup and usually some flat results. This condensed to a highlight package of 5-6 spots would show some brutal stuff and it started off well with Corp using the beer bottle and breaking the first table with a great spot. If the match would have ended right there, bravo. Unfortunately, the match goes about 20 minutes past that point. The finish shows interference stacking the deck against Pondo but him rolling Corp up and we getting a fast count pin for Pondo to win the tournament. Will we get a good Pondo match in the 2000’s? **

[Tim Evans]

I found it funny that Pondo took most of the bumps into the tables. This was mostly brutal spot, set up sport, another brutal spot and so on. I like Pondo more that Chad but this wasn't much. Finish was awful which seems to be a theme in 2000.

[GSR]

Pondo has his ribs all taped, selling an injury from an earlier round, although he has them taped over his T-shirt! He tells the crowd that he’s defying doctor’s orders to wrestle, and promises Corporal Robinson “a good old fashioned Milwaukee ass whipping!” Corp targets those ribs immediately with a kick and some punches. They take their toll immediately and Corp steps outside to grab a couple of chairs from under the ring before breaking a beer bottle over Pondo’s head. Furniture arrangement time, and with Dave Prazak’s help, he lays one of the barbed wire boards between the two chairs and powerbombs Pondo through it. ‘Rude Awakening’ neckbreaker followed by a slingshot legdrop onto a chair which he’d placed over Pondo’s face. Top rope frankensteiner as the Madman crashes through a second barbed wire board. After Corp and Prazak bring the third and final board into the ring, Pondo gets in one of his first offensive moves of the match, a low blow! He digs a broken light tube into his forehead and then wallops him with the ‘stop’ sign. The Madman disappears to the dressing room, only to return with a big bundle of light tubes all taped together. He places them between two chairs (although has a bit of trouble in doing so) and puts Corp through them with a spinning cutter. Pondo breaks a couple of light tubes over him, but a Robinson low blow looks like it’s killed him the way he’s just lay there. That gives Corp the chance to position that last barbed wire board where he wants it (between two chairs obviously!) and he’s found himself a crowbar from somewhere which he then uses on those injured ribs. A second top rope rana is blocked, and Pondo counters with a terrible looking face first suplex where Corp goes feet first through the board as he can’t lift him all the way up. Pondo makes the cover, but Prazak is on the apron distracting the referee. Someone runs out, drops a leg to the back of the neck of Pondo, hits a reverse DDT and drags Corp on top. No idea who he is and he’s not even attempting to get out of the ring, just standing on the turnbuckles giving the finger to the fans! Super slow count by the official, when at two, Pondo reverses the pin cradling Corp and the ref fast counts his shoulders to the mat. Pondo is then presented with the ‘Hardcore Cup’ trophy by the promoter of MAW.

 

I liked the start of this with Corp targeting Pondo’s ribs and potentially setting the story for the match. Although not a huge fan of setting up furniture, I actually thought it looked totally plausible here when Robinson was doing it, much better than that match they had in IWA-MS earlier in the month. Heck, you’ve just broken a beer bottle over someone’s head, of course he’s going to be KO’d and out of things for a bit! Unfortunately it was a different matter completely when Pondo took control, as with him spots seemed to take an eternity to set up. You had Pondo leaving the match to go to the dressing room, and then he made a complete mess of setting the light tubes on the chairs, to the point the crowd chant “you f*cked up” at him, so he stops wrestling and joins in with the chant before returning to the match at hand! All while Corp has to sell and act as though he’s out of it. Talking of the IWA-MS match, some very similar spots here such as the top rope rana through the light tubes and the spinning cutter. The face first suplex looked awful and that finish was atrocious, even more than usual with this being the final of a tournament. This started out promising, but the second half of the match was dire.