The Wrestling Framework 04.24.12: Short Edition

Psychology: I really liked the flow of this match. Each man put in his own little bit to further the story. Not only that, but they also put in little bits of their own character to make the match more interesting. While they all had their own unique bit to add to the match, it really helped that all four had similar styles. Sometimes when it comes down to watching a match with four guys that are just all out brutes, there isn’t going to be much in the way of psychology or ring work, but these four men have proven in this match that that trend is not always the case. Everything from selling to spots helped make this match flow smoothly. This is a testament to the old style that no longer exists, but should still be around in small doses. I understand that not every wrestling fan is going to go crazy over stuff like this, but us old school fans drool when matches like this come our way. The great thing about this match is that I didn’t really need to see any build up for it to understand what was going on. Even if there wasn’t any build for it and it was just a match that was thrown together, I feel it was and would still be a huge success. Big props to these guys. They’re perfect examples of why a big company like WWE should make it mandatory to have the less experienced guys in the back watch old tapes to learn a thing or two.

Work Rate: I had to give a 2 to the work rate of this match because to me it felt that they went above and beyond their usual limitations in this match to make it something worth watching. They all worked their asses off to make this match exciting and original. Yes, I realize a lot of it was just big guys beating the hell out of each other, but sometimes you have to take a step back from all the flippy stuff to watch a good brawl like this. In those days, this is what most wrestling was. Just two or more big dudes beating each other down, and depending on who was in the ring, you would get shades of technical prowess. This match was really no stranger to that because all four men were more than capable of showing the technical skills that good wrestlers had. They didn’t always rely on simple things, they would, at times, pull off a move that kind of made you go “wow!” Once more, I really want to hit on the fact that the work in this match should be more reason for WWE to make their lesser experienced wrestlers watch old tapes. And old tapes from Japan are probably some of the best for them to watch and learn from. Japan has always been a place where a wrestler was able to be at his or her best and showcase what they are really capable of.

Crowd: The crowd was FANTASTIC! If it weren’t for the commentators or the on-screen writing, I’d have thought this was like an AWA match or something. This crowd was quite far from the traditional crowd. And it added to the match as a hot crowd usually does. It made me think that these guys were so good they could turn a usually reserved and quiet Japanese crowd in to a rabid, more American-sounding crowd. That in itself is a huge testament to the talent and star power these guess held. Were they exactly huge stars in the US? No, not really. But to this crowd, they were as hot as Hogan, Savage, or Flair in the states. And I’m sure that the energy that this crowd was giving off was fueling these men to do even bigger and better things and give it their all to make sure they left these fans elated and hungry for more. I can guarantee that crowd went home happy that night just from that match alone. I know I would have. Should I, yet again, revisit the idea about WWE making guys watch old tapes again? No, of course not. Beating a dead horse and all that. But this is the crowd those guys wish they could have. This is the reaction most of them could only dream of ever getting. Is it their fault? Sometimes, yes. But other times, it’s the fault of the people who have the control of either making or breaking them.

Spots: I wasn’t really sure if I should give this match a 2 on spots from the first watch. I had to watch it again to appreciate what they did and how they did it. There were a lot of the usual old school spots that you would expect from four powerhouses as well as the usual Japanese-type spots. And if you’re wondering what a Japanese-type spot is, I usually think about the outside brawling. For some reason, the outside brawling done in Japan just seems a whole lot different than that of the way they do it stateside. I haven’t quite pinpointed just why that is, but I think I’m going to try and figure that out soon. It’s going to take a lot of time and effort to separate the little differences that set them apart. It could be that most matches tend to have some sort of brawling on the outside and the brawling isn’t at all that different. Or it could just be me. Like I said, I’ll have to take a look in to that and come up with a definite decision on whether or not the two are different. Loved everything they did here even more on the third watch. Sometimes, you just have to watch something more than once to really get a full appreciation for what they have done for us, the fans.

Finish: This was another thing that took me a few watches before I truly appreciated it. I wasn’t sold on the finish at first because it felt almost too bland. It didn’t quite live up to the expectations I had set when I first started watching the match. It had a very anti-climatic feeling to it. I thought the ending was going to be a lot more back and forth than it was. But looking at it now, I see the brilliance behind it. These guys had just gone through one hell of a brutal fight and it was only a matter of time before someone got the pin. It was only a matter of time before one of these men just couldn’t continue on and take the pin. Just a matter of time before all four men were too tired and beaten up to save their partner from being pinned. I really like the decisive type of win that was pulled off too. It wasn’t as though one team was stronger than the other, it was, as I’m sure I pointed out, just their energy running out. This finish fit perfectly with how well the match was put together. It gave a sort of feel of realism to the match and made it all the better. Overall, this match was a finished off properly, mostly by a psychological standpoint which is something that most match finishes seem to be void of these days. Or so it would seem.

Overall: Gavin, this was one hell of a match you gave me here. I can’t believe that I hadn’t seen this one yet. Stan Hansen has always been one of my favorites to watch, especially when it came to matches in Japan. Adding in Williams, Spivey, and Gordy just made it all the more better. Shame that none of these men really made a huge impact in the states. They were all quite the brutal, and talented, kickers of ass.

Opening Thoughts: Well, last week I effed it up big time. So this week, I’ll try not to do it again. Well, try being that this is me watching the show as I write and I ain’t got no time for no research. That’s for them there educated types. First FCW show I’ve ever watched, though. I’m kind of excited.

Ongoing Thoughts: Wait, is this where Regal is at these days? I think I’ll have to watch FCW more often if that’s the case.

Richie Steamboat vs. Antonio Ceasaro in a 20 minute match?! Yes, please.

Byron Saxton vs. Kenneth Cameron: First of all, I’m going to make sure I look in to who Connor O’Brien(O’Brian?) is. Kenneth looks a little like Drew Mac…any relation? Eh, I see his face a little clearer now, never mind. Well, this match either ended in rather odd fashion or it was cut on this feed. Oh well. I wasn’t really impressed by either man in the ring.

Paige & Rick Victor w/ Sofia Cortez vs. Audrey Marie & Aiden English: Battle of the horribly named? Nah, I’m just kidding. Maybe we’ll see something good in this mixed gender tag team match. Wait a second, that’s Britani Knight, isn’t it? And that’s APOC. Cool, I recognize these two. Britani I’ve seen before and have been impressed with. Pretty solid wrestling. Not a bad little match. But I’m afraid I have to say that Audrey Marie is just terrible. Good win for Victor and Paige.

Seth Rollins talks! Not bad, not great. For some reason I was just waiting for him to stumble on his words. Just felt like it was going to happen.

Terrible skit that I’m going to ignore for the most part. It did set up for a match I feel like I want to see though.

Chris Hero!Kassius Ohno! He’s pretty good on the stick. He’s taken to the character pretty good so far, I think.

Wait…is that fucking Husky Harris? Dafuq is this? He…he sunk his daddy in his daddies shrimpin’ boat…but…IRS is still alive…

Good Ol’ JR! Wait a second! That’s not JR! That’s not OUR JR. He’s from the Mirror Universe! At least WWE are still giving him commentator bits.

Antonio Cesaro vs. Richie Steamboat: Heh, they’ve got a cute little medal to annotate who the 15 Champion is. WOW! What an awesome match! Cesaro and Steamboat put on a nice little 20 minute clinic here. I’m surprised that Cesaro is going up to the main roster and Steamboat isn’t. Well, besides the fact that Cesaro has been wrestling for 12 years and Steamboat only about 5 years. If this is the kind of greatness that FCW likes to bring, I think I’m going to have to watch it religiously now. Not only for great wrestling, but to keep tabs on guys who might become full fledged superstars someday.

And unfortunately, that’ll do it for me. No Bonus Round this week as with the Sandwich I’ve said about all I’ve wanted to really talk about this week. I’ll catch you guys next week with another edition of The Framework.