[2000-04-09-AJPW Champion Carnival Tag 12] Steve Williams vs Takao Omori

[Ma Stump Puller]

Super underrated Southern-style brawl between two guys who can REALLY do a brawl like this justice. Williams comes tearing down before the bell even sounds and Omori is right on his ass as soon as he tries running the ropes as apart of his regular entrance, nailing him with a flash Axe Bomber to the outside. Williams sells like he's just been shot, falling all over himself to the barricade. Omori takes advantage as soon as possible by throwing him around but Williams powers through with a clothesline. He tries for a Stampede on the floor but Omori escapes and throws him to the corner post, which then sends him flying into a back suplex outside! Vicious stuff. When he tries to get back in, Omori lands a insanely high dropkick that he almost falls out of the ring for before hitting a suplex. He heads in the ring for a top rope knee but gets a near fall. He tries for a series of Axe Bombers but Williams catches him for the second one into his signature spinebuster. Williams gets pissed, trying to choke Omori out with a sleeper to disable his momentum stone dead and take back control of the match from the furious Omori trying to run him down.

He follows it up with a piledriver but Omori just manages to kick out. Both guys scramble for the backdrop, with Omori almost at once running to the ropes when Williams tries to hit one, but that leaves him defenceless to a big stiff slap to the face dazing him enough for a three corner bump Stampede for a near fall. Omori counters a second backdrop attempt but gets whacked with a predictively stiff lariat for his troubles. Williams tries for a second submission to once again halt momentum but Omori rolls out and after a bit of a scramble is able to land two Axe Bombers for the big upset pin! Great short brawl here. Williams is top notch when he needs to sell the shock of Omori just running at him full steam early but quickly gains back control, which turns this into a fun ride between two very explosive lads hurling stiff offence on the other. Dr Death is protected despite the loss by having the majority of the match being a control segment for him, but Omori is still put over strong by the actual victory, and the crowd were hyped up for this from the start to the finish. It's kinda amazing how, despite Steve Williams being way out of it by this point, he could still put on really violent sprints: this got Omori over far more than probably his entire NOAH run combined, and for that I think this is one of Williams' most slept on performances, dude made Omori look like a superstar while equally keeping himself strong as well.