[2001-02-11-CAPW] Sabu & Ricky Morton & Bobby Blaze vs Tracy Smothers & Tommy Rich & Doug Gilbert

[GSR]

The Sabu/Morton/Blaze trio is like something you’d get in a WAR six-man from the mid-90s.  Tracey’s got a few words for everyone and it’s his usual shtick about coming out there and slapping people if he hears them chanting for the opposition, or threatening to kill someone if he hears any “Tracey sucks” chants.  After the bell rings he tries to get the fans to clap along with him, but not surprisingly considering how he just spoke to them, they don’t.  Blaze and Smothers kicks us off and Tracey’s already complaining about non-existent hair pulls after Blaze gets the better of the opening lock up and an arm drag.  Blaze catches him with a dropkick and when Gilbert and Rich come in, he nails each of them too.  High knee to the jaw and a rolling heel kick before making the tag to Ricky.  The two bust out an old Rock & Roll Express spot, inverted atomic drop and Tracey crawls over to his corner.  His head ends up in Tommy’s crotch though which Rich’s not best pleased about.  Sabu gets his first involvement and targets the leg of Gilbert.  A brief double team from the heels but Sabu is quickly back in control, levelling Tracey with a clothesline.  A “we want tables” chant has started which is customary it seems for a Sabu match these days.  Smothers pinballs for Morton and Blaze before crawling back to his corner again, this time his head ending up in Gilbert’s crotch.  Sabu grabs a chair from somewhere and launches that into Tracey’s head before DDT’ing him onto it.  Smothers takes to the outside where his partners check he’s okay and Sabu with a chair assisted springboard plancha out onto all three of them.  Back inside and Tracey shoots Blaze into the ropes to escape the side headlock, drop down, and as he hits the ropes on the other side, Rich and Gilbert pull the top one down so that he goes sailing out over it.  Lots of distraction spots with the heels goading Sabu and Morton into the ring and then, when the ref’s back is turned trying to get the two of them back on the apron, they’re double teaming or illegally beating on Blaze.  Another “we want tables” chant which is rather odd seeing its Tracey Smothers and Bobby Blaze in the ring at the moment.  Knee to the groin by Gilbert.  Blaze ducks a back elbow, lands a crossbody, but Pee Wee Moore is now otherwise engaged with Gilbert and Morton so by the time he sees the cover, Tracey has had ample time to recover and kick out.  Rear chinlock, Blaze’s arm drops twice but not the third.  Smothers telegraphs the backdrop, DDT by Blaze and he makes the hot tag to Sabu.  Chair shots all around.  ‘Air Sabu’ in the corner and Tracey takes a nice bump, throat first, onto the upright chair that Sabu had sprung off.  He goes for the triple jump moonsault, but Tracey hooks his ankle as he jumps over him and he crashes head first into the chair.  Sabu with a leg trip as Tracey is about to nail him with a chair and then hits an ‘Arabian facebuster’.  Triple jump moonsault and that puts Tracey down for the three.  Somewhere in all of this Tommy Rich bladed, presumably after the chair shot.  Smothers and Rich get into it post-match with Gilbert doing his best to separate them and keep the peace.   His words work as they have a three way hug and all is good between them again. 

A one man show from Tracey Smothers who was great here and did the bulk of the work for the heel team.  This was a bit frantic at times and they could’ve possibly slowed down on all the double team and distraction spots, although that’s not helped by Pee Wee Moore being like a headless chicken in there.  I thought Sabu was going pure wrestling tonight with how he started out and although the crowd didn’t get to see tables they got chairs and some of his staples.  Fun match, made and worth watching due to Tracey Smothers who continued to work the fans all the way to the back and until the moment he stepped back through the curtain.

[soup23]

I had a blast watching this. Mixed in nostalgia with hot action and the heel side was carried by Tracy who still had the athleticism. Rich gets busted open and this felt like a big throwback indie match in a landscape that was rapidly changing. ***3/4 ( 7.4)