[2000-12-17-WPW-Holiday Madness 2000] Dino Divine vs Hungarian Barbarian (Dog Collar)

[GSR]

Divine, the WPW TV champion, has got a bit of a different look going on from when we saw him teaming with Christopher Carmichael in MCW.  He’s a bit reluctant to put that dog collar around his neck, stalling it out and then turning towards the dressing room acting as if he wants no part of this.  As the referee starts to count him out he has a change of heart but is still in no great hurry to put that dog collar on.  The atmosphere is so flat, not helped by the wresters who stick to playing tug of war with the chain and then taking it in turns to choke the other with it.  The Barbarian gets a two count after a DDT, Divine getting a shoulder up.  Dino heads off to the back again but seemingly forgets that he’s attached to the Barbarian who follows after him and slams him into the wooden bleachers.  They continue around the arena although this is very reminiscent of one of those ECW ‘walk & brawls’.  Divine finds himself a 2x4 which he chokes the Barbarian with as the commentator gets in a line about him “having wood”.  How old are these people?  Not only a dog collar match but also falls count anywhere rules as Divine slaps on a sleeper hold on the floor.  The Barbarian’s arm drops twice and as it looks like it will for the third time, Divine lets go thinking he’s won.  Of course it doesn’t drop and the match continues.  The action returns to the ring where Barbarian gently whips Divine with the chain, no intensity or aggression whatsoever.  Divine avoids the ‘Stinger splash’ in the corner and then collects a chair from under the ring.  He’s swinging that as softly as the Barbarian did the chain.  As he goes to blast, actually tap is probably a better choice of words, him over the head, the Barbarian moves and he connects with the top rope.  The chair rebounds off the rope and he hits himself instead.  That spot rarely looks good and it never here.  Barbarian DDT’s him onto the chair and we have ourselves a new WPW TV champion.

Poor match, zero heat and what’s the point in even having this as a stipulation if you don’t look like you want to actually hurt your opponent?  They did nothing to engage the crowd and it showed with their reaction.  The commentary was terrible so in that regard it fitted the match to a tee!