[2001-10-21-BJW] Zandig vs Mitsuhiro Matsunaga (Tarantula Forest Death Match)

[GSR]

No sign of the tarantulas yet, but the ropes are entwined with bracken and there looks to be boards covered in barbed wire and bracken positioned upright in two corners of the ring.  Oh there they are, we just get a glimpse of a glass/Perspex box containing them.  Matsunaga pulls the box into the centre of the ring, goes to powerbomb Zandig into it but ends up getting backdropped into it himself.  That breaks the box, leading to one of tarantulas escaping and crawling across the ring and they have to stop the match whilst the ref scoops him up and puts him back inside.  Each tries to force the other’s head into the box as another tarantula makes it’s bid for freedom.  Matsunaga gets flung head first through some light tubes, Zandig then digging the end of a broken tube into his forehead.  And he’s back trying to shove Matsunaga’s head into the box.  Zandig gets suplexed through some thorny brambles and light tubes that have been bridged across a couple of chairs.  Matsunaga with the worlds slowest applied Scorpion Deathlock.  They even edited the video it was taking so long!  It looks like Zandig is tapping when he is in fact just banging on the mat to rally the fans.  The two end up on the outside where Zandig slams Matsunaga onto the carpet.  He drags him up to a raised platform whilst a bunch of the seconds position one of those bracken barbed wire boards between two tables underneath and then press slams him through it.  Zandig leaves Matsunaga there to return to the ring and arrange more tables and boards.  Fucking hell, a powerbomb off the top turnbuckle with both men stood on a table into a mass of stuff that has been set on fire!  Jun Kasai breaks up the cover at the count of two which brings in Van Hammer to help Zandig.  Stereo Falcon Arrows, the match having been thrown out at this point.  Zandig empties that box of tarantulas onto Kasai (I actually don’t think there were many, if any, left in at this point) who scarpers out of there.

The whole tarantula gimmick was incredibly lame, they should’ve just stuck with the thorns and brambles instead.  Matsunaga took a couple of crazy bumps, especially the powerbomb through the flames, but if you were intrigued by the gimmick and were considering watching it, it’s not worth the time.