[2001-01-06-OVW-TV] Flash Flanagan vs B.J. Payne (Last Man Standing)

[GSR]

The background is that these two were the former OVW Southern tag team champions, but Payne abandoned Flash, dissolving the team.  Last Man Standing rules here mean that there is no time limit, no disqualification, no referee, and to win you must knock your opponent out for a ten count.  The winner then gets to choose a partner of their choice and they will be the new Southern tag team champions.  Jim Cornette warns us that viewer discretion is advised, there will be no stopping this for blood and Robert Brisco is only there to make the ten count.  Awesome, unexpected opening as Flash dives headfirst through the ropes at Payne as he makes his way out.  Russian legsweep followed by a twisting springboard legdrop.   Cornette is talking ten to the dozen again.  After a stunner, Flash instructs Brisco to start his count.  Payne is up at seven but immediately felled by a thrust kick.  As Brisco starts for the second time, Flash collects a metal folding chair which he wedges in the corner.  Missile dropkick from the middle.  Flash goes for a spear, however Payne sidesteps and sends him crashing into the chair.  ‘Payne Killer’ which, unlike Maxx Payne’s, isn’t a Fujiwara armbar but a cool tilt-a-whirl like slam.  He too then collects a couple of chairs from the outside, positions them upright and powerbombs Flash onto the steel.  That didn’t look the most pleasant of bumps.  With the help of the ropes Flash is up to his feet at nine, barely beating the count.  Payne sits him on the top turnbuckle but Flash fights him off and hits the ‘Whipflash’.  Both men are down and Corny doesn’t know what would happen in a Last Man Standing match if neither man is incapable of beating the count.  He needn’t have worried as both are up in time.  Flash with a piledriver, Corny noting that’s an illegal move in OVW and would normally be a disqualification.  He tells Brisco not to count as he wants to dish out some more punishment, blasting Payne in the head with a chair busting him open.  Should’ve expected that after Corny telegraphed blood in the build up.  A second chair shot, harder than the first, when out comes Leviathan and Synn, Corny reminding us how she had promised to get even with both Flash and Payne.  Flash cracks Leviathan over the head with the chair, but he no sells it and powers Flash to the mat with a full nelson slam.  Rico makes the save and a dropkick sends Leviathan backwards over the top rope to the floor, still landing on his feet though.  He picks up the chair, as if he’s looking to prevent Leviathan from involving himself again in the match, only to waffle Flash with it.  A bloody Payne staggers to his feet and calls for Brisco to count, Flash unable to beat the ten.  Cornette is at a loss as to why Rico did what he did while Payne celebrates with both tag title belts, now able to choose a new partner of his choice.

Okay, so a retirement that Terry Funk would be proud of!  When I called time on this back in February there had been no posts in the project for months and I had no inclination of being the only one watching and commenting on this stuff, which was my main issue.  With Chad now back on board I have renewed enthusiasm.  No more over dramatic posts I promise!  Within the confines of OVW television I thought this was pretty good.  Yes you could be critical of the selling at times but I just took that as par for the course of a TV match and being governed by advertisements (I can’t remember Corny running a match over multiple segments last year like in NWA Wildside for example).   Flash was great while in all honesty, Payne could’ve been any one in there, it’s “the man who steals the show” living up to the moniker.  Even the finish, yeah, you know you’re getting something dodgy with OVW, didn’t bother me.  Enjoyable little match.

[soup23]

Glad you are joining along. I’ll orobably be trying to upload in bursts weekly as I trek through it. 

[soup23]

Maybe it’s a new year and I am in a better mood, but I actually enjoyed this which is unlike almost all of OVW in 2000. We still have problems like Cornette screaming, a screwy run in filled finish and Payne given the worst blade job this side of Lex Luger in Baltimore 1988, but besides all of that bullshit, the action here was intense and violent. One of the main tropes of WWE Last Man Standing matches is either the ridiculous contraptions that are set up and bog the match down, the over dramatic selling of the count making the match way too long, or their being a pinfall on inconsequential moves that otherwise would never be the finish. They avoided that here and had some violent stuff including a double chair powerbomb and the unprotected chair shots that Payne took. I liked the referee just being on the outside counting when told. Leviathan looked like a pretty big monster when he interferes but I did find it humorous that Rico of all people is able to go toe to toe with him. A good start to OVW in 2001. **3/4

[AstroBoy]

I enjoyed seeing a brisk paced LMS match for a change and that was the biggest asset here, plus a well done schmozz finish.  I thought Flanagan messing around doing Russian leg sweeps was a little goofy and didn't love his right hands but this was a spirited TV deal.