[2001-02-14-IWA-MS-An IWA Valentine] Ian Rotten vs B.J. Whitmer

[GSR]

Normal service is resumed on the crowd front; there can’t be more than thirty people in there tonight.  Whitmer is announced as being from the Les Thatcher training camp.  Ian likes that but says that he’s going to give him a wrestling lesson that he can go back and tell Thatcher all about.  The clean break gets a few boos, some folk not happy that Ian didn’t cheap shot him.  Whitmer is understandably cautious, leading to someone calling him “Blow Job”.  I bet he’s glad that one never stuck!  Ian with a single leg takedown, he pulls Whitmer into the middle and locks on the Tazmission.  The crowd may not number many but they’re very vocal in taking pot shots at B.J. informing him “this is hardcore, if you can’t handle it, get out!”  Whitmer reverses the hammerlock, Ian with a drop toe hold and another choke, again forcing B.J. to go to the ropes for the break.  Ian is getting the better of most of the action here, tying B.J. up and stretching him.  A snug European uppercut and a hard knife edge chop.  Whitmer with an uppercut of his own, which is nothing compared to Ian’s, who responds by forearming him across the face.  Another Tazmission submission attempt.  The clothesline looks brutal, B.J. kicking out of the cover when I think I would’ve stayed down.  He connects on a leg lariat but then misses the frog splash.  Someone in the crowd was yelling at Ian to “move” as he headed up top!  Ian with a double arm DDT and that’s it.  No long speech tonight, just quick word thanking Whitmer for the match.  From that it sounds like he’ll be having him back in the future.

Something completely different out of Ian Rotten and, I think, for the first time in this project a match where we don’t see him bleed.  Real, and I mean real, slow paced, although a lot of the wrestling didn’t feel like it was going anywhere and it was just Ian wanting to show he can outwrestle a Thatcher trainee.  Worth a watch to see Ian doing very un-Ian things.