[2000-08-13-WCW-New Blood Rising] Chris Kanyon vs Buff Bagwell (Judy Bagwell on a Pole)

[soup23]

Judy Bagwell on a forklift, need I say more? I will say that the match in itself is worked the right way with Buff coming out pissed off and looking for a vendetta and Kanyon controlling things with his good offensive arsenal. Finish gets goofy with Buff kicking out of the Kanyon cutter and Arquette coming out and turning heel. Arquettes outfit is hideous and they keep calling him a former world champion. Judy Bagwell yelling down doesn’t help things either. Buff attacks both men and sort of gives a double blockbuster before pinning Kanyon. Again, the actual work wasn’t as bad as you might think but what a ginormous plate of absurdity for all of this. *1/2

[AstroBoy]

Kanyon deserved better than this. I will never understand who saw anything in Buff Bagwell as he absolutely sucks. He was okay as a young tag worker but I just personally despise his Buff incarnation. There are a few fun moments of misdirection and intrigue thrown in here and the Arquette stuff is kind of a fun fan service in the middle of something so obviously horseshit. It's the right finish too.

 

*1/2

[GSR]

Bagwell is scouring backstage trying to find his mother, but clearly hasn’t been looking hard enough as she’s on a forklift being driven to ringside by Kanyon! He explains that this was meant to be a ‘Judy Bagwell on a Pole’ match, however he couldn’t find a pole in all of Canada that would support her weight so it is now a ‘Judy Bagwell on a Forklift’ match. Buff finally stumbles upon a monitor backstage, sees what’s going on and takes off for the ring. The fight commences on the floor where Buff whips Kanyon into the guard rail and he goes sailing over it into the front row. They eventually make it into the ring and referee Slick Johnson calls for the bell to get this officially under way. Spinning neckbreaker by Buff as Mama shouts encouragement from a top that forklift. Kanyon counters the ‘ten punches in the corner’ with a low blow and then hits a Russian legsweep off the middle ‘Alabama slam’ into a powerbomb for two. Cobra clutch, or as Mark Madden renames it, the ‘Kanyon clutch’. Bagwell’s arm drops twice, but not for the third time. Kanyon looks for the ‘Diamond cutter’ when Buff shoves him into the turnbuckle, from where earlier he had removed the turnbuckle pad, before ‘snake eyes’ onto the exposed metal. Great near fall after PCK lands a ‘Kanyon cutter’ only for Buff to kick out at the last moment. David Arquette runs out and Madden is ungodly annoying, calling him “one of the legends of the pro wrestling game”. As Buff climbs the turnbuckles for a blockbuster, Arquette nails him in the back with a construction worker’s hard hat, although he kicks out of that too. Arquette gets flipped into the ring and Buff with a double clothesline to both. What should’ve been a double ‘Buff blockbuster’, but Bagwell completely misses grabbing Arquette and he has to bump himself. Cover on Kanyon and Judy Bagwell won’t be becoming his Kimberly! Post-match ‘Kanyon cutter’ on Arquette, presumably for screwing up and costing him the match.

 

I’m just completely cold when it comes to Bagwell. Kanyon tried, but his opponent is the worst. It’s laughable that after eight years in the company that this guy can’t throw a decent clothesline, his are so weak and feeble looking. To add to my disdain for the guy he manages to blow the finish too! I liked that Russian leg sweep off the middle and always enjoy that ‘Alabama slam’ powerbomb Kanyon does. Wherever I end up ranking this is all down to him.