[2000-09-07-ECW-Cleveland, OH] Balls Mahoney vs E.Z. Money

[soup23]

Balls is always someone that doesn’t get enough credit as a worker IMO and this was a perfect match for that. He works to put over EZ here by bleeding and being in position to make EZ’s offense look good. They had one botch but covered it well enough by selling and didn’t go right back to it which gets points for me. EZ also earns points by working the cut off the ring bell shot and really breaking out some neck focused offense including a good looking piledriver. Balls has a nice comeback including a good looking spinebuster for two. Balls also really utilized an aerial offense more in this match missing a legdrop from the top and being superplexed by Money in the ending stretch. Finish was abrupt with Balls hitting the Nutcracker Suite for the win. Good match overall. *** (5.8)

[Migs]

Pretty fun little undercard match other than the one blown spot. Money's someone who never quite got beyond being a MOVEZ~! guy in ECW, but that's fine for the length of this one.

[AstroBoy]

I liked Money more than Mahoney in this one. I thought Balls' offense looked really light and thought he went to the well one too many times with the "balls" punch combo. Money looked to be working pretty hard and I really liked him pulling Balls down by the hair when he tried to start his comeback. Pretty good match.

 

**1/2

[GSR]

No Julio Dinero, ‘Confederate Currency’ or Elektra in Money’s corner this evening.  E.Z. spots Balls’ chair and tells the crowd that nobodies hitting him with that tonight.  Balls blocks the hip toss and comes back with one of his own followed by a nice arm drag.  After being dropped by a right hand he manages to avoid a charging Balls who goes careering over the top rope to the outside.  E.Z. follows him to the floor, busting him open with the time keeper’s bell, before tossing him back inside.  ‘Money Clip’ for a two count.  Balls reverses the Irish whip and catches E.Z. with a powerslam.  He fails to connect on the ‘New Jersey Jam’ leg drop and Money floors him with a superkick.  E.Z. lands the moonsault however that’s not enough to put his opponent away.  There’s a cool set up for ‘Money in the Bank’ but E.Z. can’t hold Balls’ weight and they fall into the ropes.  What else would you expect from an ECW crowd after that except “you fucked up!”  Balls ducks a punch and goes back to throwing jabs that they can join in with.  Sit out spinebuster for a near fall.  He heads up top but is caught by Money and it sounds like the ring damn near breaks on the superplex.  Balls with a float over, ‘Nutcracker Suite’ and that’s all she wrote.

This was alright although I’m not seeing what everyone else is and there were a couple of blown spots in there, one pretty bad.  You expect Balls to juice whilst doing the hardcore stuff but not in a random house show match against E.Z. Money.