[2000-10-19-IWA-CW] Steve Corino & Rapid Fire Maldonado vs Dylan Knight & J.D. Powers

[soup23]

Maldonado has a mystery partner that turns out to be Corino when the lights go out. This is a pretty fun venue in that there isn’t probably more than 100 people in the building but it has a lot of character when they do the brawl around ringside at the beginning. Dylan Night is someone that I am only familiar with from the 4 way with Hashimoto and Corino at the end of 2001. Alison Danger is Maldonado’s manager so that makes sense that Corino is in with her. Maldonado strikes me as a Tommy Dreamer esque worker through this and he is pretty fun at spots. JD Powers is the least experienced and worst portion of the match but he isn’t embarrassing by 2000 indie standards. The transition to the heat segment on Maldonado was weak with a bad looking swinging neckbreaker by Night. I will be interested to see when indie commentary shifts from the traditional PBP/heel color guy format as this is pretty generic and the heel commentator in particular sounds like a John House knockoff. JD’s heat segment attack consists of headbutts to the balls, kicks and choking. Hot tag to Corino is good but heels take back over and you have Candi entering the ring. Even though it results in man on woman violence involving Night hitting Danger, we are spared of the “catfight” spot. Finish of Maldonado of an enzuiguri is pretty weak and comes out of nowhere. Overall, some interesting stuff and a match that had some potential but didn’t know if it wanted to be in lineage terms to an ECW brawl or southern tag. **1/2

[Tim Evans]

I'm pretty sure Maldonado came out to Corino's ECW theme. Or at least it sounded like it. Nice to see Corino as a traveling babyface but the small crowd was sad. Reminded me of early days Chikara.  Match was ok. Night cuts a good promo early on and JD is a stereotypical indie guy in the early 2000s. No gear, shit offense.  The announcer was pretty annoying. Did you know this is not Philidelphia? Paul Heyman!!! ECW Crap. 

[GSR]

The commentator who is lusting after Candi (Dylan Knight’s valet) sounds familiar but I can’t place him.  Ah, it’s R.C. that jerk who does the commentary for the EWF.  It may be a different promotion but he’s as obnoxious as ever, making fun of his co-commentator and saying how he would love to hang out with any girl with a pulse because the only type he does hang out with are the inflatable kind.  Allison Danger is seconding Maldonado and dumb ass R.C. thinks that she is his mystery partner.  When Knight and Powers see him on his own they think this is going to be two-on-one and not much of a contest.  They jump Rapid Fire at which point the lights in the building go off; when they come back on Steve Corino is stood in the middle of the ring with Maldonado.  Immediately the four men pair off and they start brawling around the Riverside Arena (to pick up on Tim’s point this really does look like one of those early Chikara venues).  Corino puts a garbage bin over Knight’s head, which he punches, while Rapid Fire suplexes J.D. on the floor.  R.C. doesn’t appreciate Corino bringing this “ECW crap” here and wants security to throw him out the building.   The wrestlers return to the ring and RFM with a big powerslam, although he doesn’t even bother going for the cover.  He unloads with kicks and a leg sweep fells Powers.  A blind tag was missed by everybody, including me, and the legal Knight nails the unaware Maldonado.  Corino tags in and Knight instantly backs off.  He cheapshots him on the break and then starts running his mouth yelling “Come on Old School”.  The conditioned crowd are already chanting for a catfight.  I hope not, but imagine it’s on the cards.  Corino catches a leg and kicks Knight in the groin, R.C. calling that an “ECW move”.  Yawn.  Powers knees RFM in the back when he’s whipped into the ropes and Knight with a swinging neckbreaker which he doesn’t quite get all of.  He lures Corino into the ring so they can get some double teaming in behind the official’s back.  R.C. points out that the referee is Mike Kehner, from ECW, and that the deck is stacked against Powers and Knight.  Maybe not the most opportune time to make that point, at least wait until they’re on the back foot!  Tornado DDT gets Powers a two count.  Knight runs into a big boot followed by an elbow, but as Rapid Fire charges he’s floored by a clothesline.  R.C. claiming that Maldonado ears slowed him down!  This guy is the worst and is quickly back to perving over the valet.  RFM ducks a right hand and then dumps Knight on his head with a back suplex.  Nice little delay from him before he makes the hot tag.  All four men are in the ring and we get double ‘ten punch in the corner’ spots.  They go to whip Powers and Knight into each other, however Knight reverses and J.D. drills Corino with an elbow to the jaw.  Low blow by Candi on RFM and here comes Allison Danger.  Ah nice, they tease the catfight but don’t give it them, Knight cutting Danger off with a lariat.  Corino drops him with a superkick as he plays to the crowd and then grabs Candi for a piledriver; Powers coming to her rescue in the nick of time.  Maldonado with a step up enzuigiri on J.D. and that’s enough to put him away for the three count.  Post-match Corino thanks everyone who chose to come out and watch them rather than watch Smackdown on TV and says they’re making it their mission to make the IWA one of the greatest promotions in the United States.

It started out like we were going to get a building wide brawl before they settled things down into a traditional tag match.  Everyone bar Corino was new to me and he worked harder than I expected on a non-ECW show.  I don’t know if this is his promotion or he’s involved in some way behind the scenes, although you get that impression from his interview at the end and it would also explain why he had his working boots on.  R.C.’s commentary was atrocious and he’s definitely up there as one of the worst of the year, I genuinely lost track of the number of times he started talking about ECW.  I liked the tease of the catfight and then them not giving it and Maldonado is a useful hand.  Not bad, not bad at all.