[2000-11-11-WAW] Jonny Storm vs Jody Fleisch

[soup23]

Heat against Storm is great as is the dingy feel of this indie with the announcer having to ask the kids to not run under the bleachers kicking the cans. Good match with Storm especially showing off his heel persona. It is a lot of territory basic stuff but it works when he is getting this much heat and he does some clever touches like the low blow to Fleisch when he checks his hand to distract everyones eyes. Fleisch is mainly along for the ride here and is decent at selling but this is certainly a match that thrives based on Storm’s personality. Storm ends up winning after taking 85% of the match which surprised me. Fun watch. ***1/4 (6.3)

 

[GSR]

Jonny Storm insists on being introduced as “the best damn wrestler this country has ever produced” which is stretching the truth and then stretching it some more.  There’s a real ‘British’ feel to this with the ring announcer telling all the youngsters to stop running about and kicking cans around!  Storm threatens to go back to the dressing room unless he gets complete silence although it’s all talk, like when has anyone ever actually gone through with that threat?  A lightning quick opening and after a Jodie Japanese arm drag Jonny is out to the floor.  He tries to catch Fleisch by surprise but runs into a drop toe hold.  Springboard moonsault bodyblock doesn’t even get a one count, Jonny kicking out before the old boy reffing can get down.  Storm cranks on a side headlock, Jodie shoots him off and there’s a slight miscommunication as Jonny forgets to duck under the leap frog.  That could’ve been painful but Jodie doesn’t miss a beat as he comes down on Jonny and unloads with punches.  A Jonny low blow swings the match in his direction and he gets a two count after a powerbomb.  Christ, this chap has got to be one of the slowest counting ref’s out there.  Now he’s physically involving himself with the wrestlers, pulling Jonny away as he jams his foot into Jodie’s throat.  Storm with an abdominal stretch straight out the IRS rope grabbing playbook.  The official does eventually catch him, kicks his arm away and Jodie flips him over.  Split legged moonsault.  Fleisch whips Storm to the opposite corner only to run into a big boot.  A flying clothesline turns Jodie inside out and Jonny picks up another two following a torture rack dropped into a neckbreaker.  He ties Jodie in the ropes, picking up a public warning in the process, but unbeknownst to him, Fleisch manages to free himself.  As Jonny then charges, Jodie back drops him over the top rope to the concrete with Storm taking a pretty crazy looking spill.  Jodie repeatedly slams Jonny’s head into a wooden table, the ring announcer counting along over the house mic as he does so.  Back inside and Jonny ducks under the clothesline and lands a bulldog.  He holds on after the Alabama slam and transitions to a Boston crab, just like earlier again grabbing the ropes for additional leverage.  One member of the crowd has seen enough, coming right up to the ring to tell the ref what he’s doing.  It’s still real to him damn it!  Quesadora bulldog by Fleisch.  A spin kick drops Jonny and Jodie with what would later become a trademark of his opponent, the ‘rewind Storm insider’.  Springboard 720 DDT only gets a near fall.  Storm avoids the moonsault off the middle, whips Jodie chest first into the turnbuckles and then pancakes him to the mat to finally get the three, although once more using the ropes to do so.

The first encounter of a match that we will see numerous times over the course of the decade between two trailblazers of the UK scene.  I’ll get the negatives out the way, firstly the referee flat out sucked; he’s some old dude who takes too long to get to the mat to count the falls and then his counts are ridiculously slow, properly taking something away from the action for me.  I also didn’t care for the ring announcer saying “two” over the microphone on every two count.  There was a real old school feel to this (in terms of location, crowd, public warning etc., certainly not the move set mind!) and I’m sure I’ve read posts from Ricky Knight (owner of WAW) how fans still do believe it’s real there, and you got that vibe especially when the one member of the audience is trying to tell the ref about Storm’s cheating.  Certainly by the time these two do their tour of the US they could work together with their eyes closed, but here they’re still testing stuff out and putting things together.  It was also very interesting to see Fleisch do the ‘Storm insider’ and that the springboard 720 wasn’t the finish.  Storm’s heeling and working the crowd was a huge plus and if you think this is good, it only improves from here.