[2001-01-14-WCW-Sin] Big Vito vs Reno

[GSR]

Vito is shadow boxing as he has a few last minute words with Gene Okerlund.  Commissioner Sanders has banned Johnny the Bull from ringside, but that doesn’t matter to Vito as they’re settling this tonight once and for all.

Reno is apparently Vito’s younger brother in storyline, which is news to me.  I suppose there is some resemblance between the two that it could be plausible, even though they’re not legit related.  Reno runs to the ring and he and Vito are forehead to forehead with one another.  Big powerslam which Reno follows by dropping a knee across Vito’s head.  The two are soon on the arena floor, Reno slinging Vito hard into the guard rail.  Back inside and after being whipped into the corner Vito comes charging out with a clothesline.  He sits Reno on the top turnbuckle and hits a suicideplex.  Enzuigiri.  Vito with a belly to back as he rallies the fans to get behind him.  Reno sidesteps the charge and gives Vito a helping hand through the turnbuckles into the ringpost as he then sets about working him over.  That is until he walks into a trust kick, which looked great the way it connected.  Vito starts his comeback, slaps Reno in the chest and lands a double arm suplex.  The ‘Vito Special’ (flying elbow from the top) isn’t enough to put him away though.  After a forearm to the chops Reno signals for the ‘Roll the Dice’ but Vito reverses into a release Northern Lights.  Reno blocks the DDT and hits a T-bone suplex.  The two are now just trading bombs in the middle of the ring.  Vito has him up for a suplex, Reno floats over, ‘Roll the Dice’ and this one’s over.

It could be said about the vast majority of WCW contracts that the WWF picked up but I’m at a loss how Reno didn’t get a look in; good look, good size, good worker, surely he was worth a shot?  According to cagematch, after being let go he worked once on a WWA PPV in 2002, did a shot for Afa the Samoan’s WXW a year later and that was it.  A physical, hard hitting match, probably one of the best matches of Vito LoGrasso’s career I’d guess.

[soup23]

One of the more Shockingly good match as I can remember seeing in a while. Vito and Reno really went after each other and had a strong pace throughout the match. The match didn’t overstay his welcome and Reno looks like a potential star on the rise. We are off to a very good start for this ppv. ***1/4 (6.5)