[2001-01-17-WCW-Thunder] Mike Awesome vs Billy Kidman

[GSR]

Mike Awesome is shaking his head as he makes his entrance, but the new haircut, minus the mullet, is an improvement.  Lance Storm says how the Filthy Animals think they got the last laugh when they cut Mike Awesome’s hair but they beat them at Sin and they’ll beat them again tonight, the war is far from over and they will have the last laugh.  Kidman has got his ribs taped up, selling the attack from Monday night.  Awesome whips him into the turnbuckles but runs into a big boot and Kidman with a headscissors takedown.  A standing dropkick sends the ‘Canadian Killer’ out onto the apron and Kidman then snaps his neck across the top rope.  Fucking hell, a shooting star press from the apron to the floor onto the laid out Awesome!  Slingshot guillotine legdrop.  Awesome blocks the suplex and fires away at those ribs.  He throws Kidman outside to Team Canada and Storm then whips him into the guard rail.  Springboard splash, but they’re too close to the ropes as Kidman gets a foot over the bottom one.  Awesome takes far too long when heading upstairs after an ‘Alabama slam’ and misses the frog splash.  Kidman with a huracanrana, but he then gets dropped ‘snake eyes’ into the top turnbuckle as he charges at his opponent.  He escapes the attempted ‘Awesome bomb’ and a swift boot to the mid-section followed by a tornado bulldog for a near fall.  A second ‘Awesome bomb’ is countered into a face jam, this time though it’s he who is too slow when going upstairs, Awesome cutting him off before he has chance to land the Shooting Star.  Running ‘Awesome bomb’ at the third time of asking and just like Lance Storm predicted, Team Canada come out on top.  The action isn’t over just yet, Team Canada jump Konnan and Rey Misterio on the outside and then grab Kidman so that Awesome can get some revenge for what happened on Nitro and cut his hair.  Just as they are about to, Rey is in with a chair and runs them off before they can do anything. 

Good TV match and the best thing from this episode of Thunder by some way.  You see Awesome working with Kidman here (and on the back of his ECW run) and have to wonder how he was such a monumental failure in the WWF?  Maybe he was pegged from the moment he arrived, but the guy is talented enough in the sense that you work to his strengths and hide his weaknesses to where he should be a valuable member of your roster.

[soup23]

Awesome’s haircut looks good. I am probably lower on Awesome than some as I do think he has moments of clumsiness and that was exuded in this match. It is a shame as Kidman was great selling the rib damage and being an amazing underdog. Awesome’s big dive from the top was the highlight and did look impressive with Kidman moving at the last split second. Awesome gets the win but the Animals get the better end of the post match brawl and even tease cutting Major Gunn’s hair. **1/2