[2001-03-05-WCW-Nitro] A.J. Styles & Air Paris vs Elix Skipper & Kid Romeo

[GSR]

The penultimate first round match in the Cruiserweight tag team title tournament, the winners going on to face the Jung Dragons in the semi-finals.  Styles & Paris have finally got themselves matching coloured ring gear.  The era of the catchphrase means that even someone like Elix Skipper has one which he’s trying to get over.  He introduces his mystery partner, it is in fact the man whose arrival they’ve been hyping in vignettes the past couple of weeks, Kid Romeo.  Romeo’s music is awesome.  We’re given a bit of background on him, it even mentioned how he’s wrestled in New Japan and competed in the Super J Cup this past summer.  Romeo with an arm drag and he starts doing jumping jacks like he’s Rick Martel.  Styles backdrops him over the top to the outside but Kid snatches him on the baseball slide and dumps him across the announcers table.  Paris catches his legs on the ropes on the tope con hilo, lucky not to hurt himself.  Corkscrew pescado by ‘Primetime’.  Styles backflips off the guard rail after being whipped towards it.  There’s all sorts going on here.  Paris nails Skipper with a dropkick off the ring steps as he’s being held by A.J. and finally Romeo with a flying clothesline off the steps, bodies lying everywhere at this point.  A count out means one or both teams would be out of the tournament so they bring the action back into the ring.  Styles & Paris with a double team pancake on Kid.  Drop toe hold/twisting senton combo on Elix.  Steven Prazak gets name dropped, Scott Hudson saying how he recently spoke to him and that he thinks the Wildside boy’s biggest weakness is the year long feud they had and how they will need to keep things together to advance.  A double dropkick sends Kid through the ropes to the outside.  Flip dive off the top turnbuckle by Air.  Skipper and Styles are just stood their in the ring, time standing still, before Elix eventually clobbers him.  Gorgeous top rope quebrada to the floor by Skipper.  A.J. with a springboard crossbody out onto everyone, one that Tony Schiavone calls the Flying Squirrel!  Elix nails Paris with a springboard kick as he’s on the apron and as he’s about to fall, Kid catches and powerslams him onto the ringside mat.  Chavo Guerrero Jr is shown at the top of the stage watching on.  With Styles taken out they throw Air back into the ring.  Skipper just about connects on the springboard dropkick and Romeo with a Northern Lights bomb as they move onto the semis, Chavo looking suitably impressed with what he’s seen.

Some cool stuff in there but it was rough in places.  Paris seems to be showing more nerves as the weeks go on as opposed to less.  Skipper was spotty and that moment where he was stood just watching Styles, sheesh, time really did stand still there.