[2000-10-27-EWF-Caged Terror 3] Nick Berk vs Ric Blade

[soup23]

Not a bad Ric Blade performance at all. Spotty as hell of course and at its best it was a homage to the best parts of Lynn vs RVD and Guerrero vs Malenko but Blade hit most of his stuff cleanly tonight and got a good reaction from the crowd. Berk also hung with him more than I figured given his build and he did a variety of high impact spots. This was a pure spotfest style match but there was a clear heel and face so that is appreciated. Blade is never going to be even a very good worker but his matches are never boring either from the spots he does hit or the trainwreck they become. There is something to be said about that. **3/4

[GSR]

Lame commentary in the EWF isn’t just limited to matches involving the Backseat Boyz as here, when Shorty is introduced, Dirty Deeds says how that’s her pet name for R.C.; a man who isn’t short in stature so she must be talking about something in the genitalia area (and he uses the word genitalia).  The match hasn’t even started and they’re already fawning all over Ric Blade.  An upward kick that completely misses is sold, but at least Dirty Deeds tries to cover, saying how although it only grazed him it still had enough to take him off his feet.  A Blade spin kick takes both men over the top rope to the outside and he then connects on this awesome ‘Skytwister’ press (springboard Phoenix splash).  After rolling Benz back into the ring Blade lands a slingshot elbow drop.  Benz reverses the whip to the corner, Blade rolls over him as he comes charging in but gets turned inside out by a clothesline.   He takes to the floor to try and gather himself, only to be met with a Benz flip dive, leaping off a chair to help him clear the ropes.  Springboard moonsault with Blade draped on the middle rope, which looked ridiculously contrived mind, both the springboard part and Blade holding onto the top rope so he wouldn’t lose his balance.  Benz backdrops Blade over the top rope, however he lands on the apron grabs him in a Dragon sleeper, flips over back into the ring and turns it into a stunner (this one’s called the ‘Blade Runner’).  ‘Swanton bomb’ for a near fall.  Benz escapes the attempted belly to belly and plants Blade with an atomic drop into a front slam.  He overshoots the middle rope moonsault though and ends up headbutting Blade in the stomach.  Blade catches Berk with a sunset flip before they run through a sloppy Guerrero/Malenko sequence.  Double running crossbody sees both men go down.  Blade charges at Berk who vaults him overhead, however Ric lands on the second turnbuckle, leaps backwards and hits a DDT.  Shorti proves her incompetence as she struggles to find a chair, eventually managing that trying task and passing it to Blade.  Benz blocks the top rope rana and counters with an inverted tornado DDT onto the chair.  This twerp on commentary would rather talk about the blonde in the front row that is giving him wood than the action.  Frog splash by Blade, Benz getting a foot over the rope to break up the pin.  He misses a legdrop off the top and Blade with a 450 splash, Benz kicking out of the cover.  After escaping the ‘Benz Driver’ Blade lifts Benz over his shoulder and dumps him on his side.  Dirty Deeds says that was stiffer than Michael Jackson at an all-boys reform school.  Four storey moonsault (finally a name for it!) finishing with the corkscrew variety which is enough to put Benz down for the three.

A real good spot fest, nothing in the way of transitions or psychology but if you’re not bothered by that and just want to see some innovative shit, Ric Blade is your man.