[2000-07-07-Revolution Pro] Super Dragon vs Ultra Taro Jr

[soup23]

Our first look at Super Dragon and now we have Super Dragon,Low Ki, Danielson, Hero, Punk & Styles to look at for the year. Dragon seems in the upper echelon with Ki as far as polish so far. His stiff style helps play into this as he brutalizes TARO in the early going with chops and at one point putting him in the pendulum swing and slamming his head into the wall. The venue here has a warehouse vibe with elevated seating that looks different but kind of cool. TARO is a good sympathetic underdog and the finishing run has a bit too much high spot and kickout finishes that really show the template and inspiration for current day PWG. Dragon does gain the win but it looks like the big faction warfare between him and Excalibur’s group is far from over. A strong debut for Dragon in 2000. ***1/2 (6.8)

[AstroBoy]

Excalibur oozes personality as a second in this. Super Dragon's offense is very crisp and honed at this stage and pretty much consistently brutal looking. The pendulum spot comes off great and so do his other high impact moves including the finisher. TARO was able to hang here too and came off pretty gutsy. They definitely ran through a lot of high end stuff and really went for the jugular with huge dives onto the floor. It's very easy to see the foundation for PWG here just with a more serious and ambitious bent. I'm very excited to see the development of this group over the months.

 

***

[Phil Schneider]

This was the earliest Super Dragon match I could find and I was surprised at how well it held up. Dragon had mostly developed all of the traits I liked about him, even as a babyface he is still a crowbarring asskicking motherfucker. TARO is a stick skinny dude in a lucha match, he looks like he has DJ Qualls physique, but he can take a hellacious ass whipping. SD dumps him on his head, slaps cheek tissue out of his mouth and even rocking chairs his head into a wall. The Psycho Driver SD lands to finish the match was grotesque. TARO gets most of his offense off by cheating and outside interference, but I did like some of his reversals including a snap rana out of a Tiger Driver. Might have gone a bit too long, and it was hard to buy TARO near falls, but this was damn fun stuff, and I am excited to revisit more pre PWG Dragon.

[Tim Evans]

That is one sleazy building. I guess Rev pro was basically a backyard indie at the time. Anyways, This was good even with the interference. Dragon gave TARO a beating. I especially liked when he did the wheelbarrow and slammed TARO's head into the wall. It's good to know Super Dragon was always awesome even back in 2000.

[GSR]

I’ve already watched a couple of Revolution Pro events from 2001 so was aware of where they held their shows, but the venue really is like nothing else we’ve seen.  Excalibur, Disco Machine and Rising Son are seconding Taro and Dragon tonight.  A couple of vein busting chops to the chest right from the get go by Dragon.  Back heel trip into a variation of the Indian deathlock and the official is checking with Taro to see whether he wants to give.  He doesn’t and crawls over to the ropes for the break.  A kick to the back and I wouldn’t be surprised if you can make out the design of Dragon’s boot on Taro’s back it was that stiff.  Dragon’s just destroying him here.  Nice counter of the hip toss and a flying headscissors sends Dragon rolling out the ring to the floor.  Disco and Excalibur grab hold of him, however he frees himself from their grasp and Taro takes out his own men with the slingshot senton.  Corkscrew plancha onto all three by Dragon.  Still on the outside he locks Taro in a ‘rocking horse’ hold and repeatedly swings his head into the wall of the building.  Springboard missile dropkick for a two.  Taro blocks a right and tries to fire back but is dropped after one open hand slap.  Excalibur has seen enough, climbs up to the apron, grabs Dragon from behind and gives him a neckbreaker over the top rope.  Maybe Taro will stand some sort of chance now!  Nice Hangman’s neckbreaker out of him, while at the same time there are some shenanigans going on at ringside involving the seconds.  After whipping Dragon into the corner Taro runs into an elbow, he ducks the clothesline but as he celebrates doing so gets absolutely creamed by a rolling koppu kick.  A quick change of video tape and we return as Taro counters the powerbomb with a ‘Rocker dropper’.  Flying clothesline off the top for a near fall.  Dragon blocks the tornado DDT, but Taro with a great counter of the Tiger Driver into a huracanrana.  He can’t capitalize though and Dragon with a brainbuster into a double underhook DDT. Corkscrew moonsault misses.  Taro heads upstairs himself but is too slow and is caught by his opponent.  He does however manage to reverse his position on the top rope belly to back, landing on top of Dragon.  Leaping tornado DDT and that’s pretty much every variation of that move in the match!  Dragon kicks out of the middle rope Hangman’s neckbreaker and this is bordering on overkill now with all these kick outs.  He blocks the Dragon suplex and counters with a couple of rolling Germans.  ‘Psycho Driver’ and we finally have something that puts one of these down for the count.  Excalibur and Disco jump Dragon and Son after the match with Mr Excitement making the save and setting up the six-man for the next show.

If anyone thinks kicking out of a whole host of finishers is something new, not so, the Revolution Pro guys were doing it twenty years ago.  The finish was too much for my liking, but up to then this was a strong debut match for the company and a strong debut for Super Dragon who comes across as one nasty, ass kicking bastard.  Taro must be some kind of sadist to be regularly taking this kind of abuse from him!  Have to agree with Chad’s comments in that on first look Dragon is right up there with Low Ki at the very top of the Indy tree of guys who first really came to prominence in 2000.