[2001-03-03-IWA-MS-Nightmare on Highway 62] CM Punk & Colt Cabana vs Hollywood Hardbodies (Ace Steel & Danny Dominion)

[Migs]

Punk and Cabana against their trainers. The trainees are the babyfaces here and are good at poking fun at the bratty heels. It definitely feels like the students may have already surpassed the teachers (particularly Dominion). The heat segment on Punk is long and pedestrian (although I think Punk is only fine at playing the face in peril).; The finish has a too cute stretch with the managers both using chairs in stereo. Perfectly acceptable wrestling but not strongly recommended.

[GSR]

I think it’s fair to say that one person and one person alone has drawn this house, the Sandman.  Never fails to amuse me seeing all the yokels repulsed by Paul E. Smooth dancing and grinding on them.  Smooth is managing the Bodies, Dave Prazak in the corner of Cabana & Punk.  A heavy comedy based opening portion with the faces mocking the heels annoyance over the chants, the Bodies each taking prat falls and the two running into each other.  As they aim to regroup on the floor, Cabana & Punk with stereo suicide dives.  Paul E. looks so ridiculous in the half-shirt while still wearing a tie and trousers.  Back inside Dominion ping pongs between the two as they take it in turns to take shots at him.  Cool double jump springboard moonsaults from the pair.  Steel is in to try and help his partner, but a drop toe hold sees him end up on top in a 69 position for some more comedy.  It’s Smooth who’s the difference maker, yanking down the top rope and pulling Punk to the floor, turning the match in his team’s direction.  Great Saito suplex by Dominion.  More interference from Paul E., choking Punk over the ropes.  Steel slips on the springboard and quickly hits a tornado DDT, not quick enough to stop the “you f*cked up!” chants.  Dominion with what looks like it’s going to be a powerbomb but he just tosses Punk backwards over his head.  Punk is thrown to the floor where Paul E. puts the boots in before being suplexed back inside.  Some double team action from the Bodies.  Ace sits on a headscissors chinlock, however Punk is able to get to his feet, Steel now on his shoulders in the Electric Chair, and dumps him to the mat.  He can’t make the tag and is dropped by a Dominion lariat.  Steel floats over on the Russian legsweep and Colt is in for the save.  Punk counters whatever he had planned off the top with a sunset flip powerbomb.  This time he makes the tag and Cabana is in, a house on fire.  Reverse springboard flying forearm to Dominion.  Scoop powerslam on Ace and Punk is back to help his partner out.  As they do stereo punches in the corner, Smooth pulls Colt over the top to the outside.  Prazak chases after Paul E., who scoots into the ring where Prazak is levelled by a double clothesline.  Smooth is now freely interfering as the action spills to the floor.  Prazak with a crossbody off the top onto everyone, he then whips Smooth into the chairs.  Why on earth are they doing that spot in the opening match?  The other four continue to go at it in the ring when a pair of double clotheslines sees everyone go down.  Prazak and Smooth are inside with chairs and a super cute section sees them bring them backwards over their heads and in doing so crack one of the opposition who was stood behind them.   After a pair of superkicks Punk gets the win for his team, pinning Dominion with a cradle suplex.  The Bodies attack them post-match, giving each a piledriver onto a chair, Prazak telling them that it is not over by a long shot.

I liked this more than Migs, I think, but it absolutely went too long which there was no need for it to do so when it was the first match on the card.  It was nice seeing Punk & Cabana teaming together as opposed to facing one another and they’re a good team with some nice double team spots.  I know they do the whipping someone into the empty chairs on every show, but jeez, again, this was the first match!  And to do it with the managers too!  They were both overly involved also for my liking.  After watching this I also have a hunch it was actually Dominion who teamed with Steel in the Bodies tag team in the WXO stuff that we watched from 2000.  If anyone has an interest in seeing Punk & Cabana team together in the early stages of their career go with the SDW tag from tomorrow which is better than this.