The Independent Mid-Card 07.24.07: Red vs. Xavier

Amazing Red vs. Xavier
ROH Title Tournament, Round 1
Ring of Honor – Road To The Title – Philadelphia, PA – June 22, 2002

The Wrestlers:
Amazing Red – An on-again-off-again member of the Spanish Announce Team trio (along with Jose and Joel Maximo), Amazing Red is another in the long line of trainees of former unlikely ECW Triple Crown Champion Mikey Whipwreck. Known for his breathtaking acrobatic abilities in the ring, Red had recently joined the newly-formed NWA-TNA company, quickly cementing himself as a major player in that company’s X-Division. In his previous Ring of Honor action, Red had defeated Jay Briscoe and split victories with his fellow S.A.T. members (with whom he was currently feuding), including having teamed with the legendary Eddie Guerrero in his second and final appearance for ROH before returning to the World Wrestling Federation.

Xavier – A product of the New York Independent scene, Xavier was at this point more than established in Ring of Honor competition. Ostensibly a face at this point in his run, Xavier, who was something of a powerhouse compared to the mostly high-flying and technically proficient ROH roster, had already defeated Scoot Andrews and James Maritato in singles contests, though he was unable to walk out the winner when the trio faced off in a Triple Threat match two months before this. Given the size differential, Xavier seemed to be the favorite entering his match with Red.

The Match:
As I’m using the Takedown Masters edition of this show, we get a short video package about both guys that includes their ring entrances. Thus neither man’s official music is included. For those scoring at home, those would be Detatched by Spineshank for Amazing Red and The Word by Dope Smugglaz for Xavier. Anyway, most of the video package is shot in a weird pseudo-fish eye camera style that gives me a headache. I does include that this is in Block D of the ROH Title Tournament. Both men are already in the ring as we cut to the action, and they slowly stalk about, stretching on the ropes and generally preparing themselves. Both men pose and we get a tentative handshake before the referee rings the bell to start us off.

A circle and a lockup sees Xavier power Red overhead with a throw. Red flew about three-quarters of the way across the ring there, reinforcing the size and strength differential. Red avoids a blind charge and then a clothesline and then comes off the ropes with a tilt-a-whirl into a DDT that sends Xavier rolling out to ringside. Red fakes the dive before flying out for real with a no-hands tope con hilo over the top that hits incredibly cleanly. Red poses for a moment before hitting a clubbing forearm to the back and rolling Xavier back in.

Back inside, Red continues the assault with another pair of clubbing forearms and then chops Xavier in the corner. Xavier reverses a cross corner whip, but Red hops up to the second rope and hits a back kick to counter the blind charge. Red goes for a corkscrew headscissors (which is just insane to try), but Xavier catches him and turns it into a snap powerbomb. Two things on that exchange: first, Xavier catching Red probably kept him from breaking his neck, and second, Red bounced about a foot-and-a-half in the air off of that powerbomb. Xavier whips Red into the corner and continues to work him over with a variety of strikes. Xavier hits a pair of jumping knees to the head and then hits one final kneelift before covering for a two count.

Xavier wrenches the arm and segues into a pumphandle position, possibly looking for Kiss Your X Goodbye (pumphandle sitout facebuster). Red floats over to avoid it and hops up into a hurricanrana position. He punches Xavier from that position for a moment and then tries to take him down, but Xavier handsprings off the ropes and hits Red on the rebound with a jumping front kick. Xavier readies himself in the corner, calling for a lariat as Red slowly recovers. When Xavier finally comes running, Red ducks the lariat and hits a standing roundhouse kick and then a jumping spinning roundhouse kick to Xavier’s head that absolutely put him out on his feet. Xavier counters and Irish Whip, but ducks down and Red plants him with the Code Red (standing sunset flip powerbomb) for a close two count. Red gets a pair of strikes on Xavier, but Xavier is able to counter a whip right into Kiss Your X Goodbye. Xavier hooks the far leg to cover, but it still only gets two. Xavier poses, thinking it’s all but over, and goes up for the 450 Splash, but Red moves and he just ends up crashing down to the mat. Red stomps on Xavier’s hand and grabs a knucklelock, popping up to the top rope before bouncing down into a flipping Satellite DDT. Red scurries over to cover, but Xavier kicks out at two.

Red goes up top, but Xavier cuts him off and grabs him in a crucifix position. Red is able to counter out and flips over to hit a kicking single-leg takedown, but Xavier counters by tripping up Red to put him on the mat. Red avoids a quebrada attempt, but Xavier lands on his feet, only to walk right into a spinning kick to the face. Red pops right up to the top and hits the Infrared (corkscrew senton) before going right into the Red Star Press (standing shooting star press) which is enough to pin Xavier at 4:21. The fans give both men a big ovation and really treat this win like a big upset. Red advances to face Low Ki (lucky him) later in the evening. Interesting to note is that Xavier pretty much no sells the damage right after the decision, looking frustrated with himself at getting beaten, while Red almost oversells the exhaustion, laying on the mat trying to recuperate. Both men make it to their feet and Xavier applauds Red. The two men shake hands and embrace in the ring before doing their respective poses and heading to the back together.

The Analysis:
I will give Red and Xavier credit: they packed about as much as was reasonable into a four-and-a-half minute match. One of the great things about tournaments (especially those held on the Independent scene) is the volume of talent that a promotion can put onto a single show. However, the tradeoff in many cases is the ability to let your wrestlers put on extended contests that tell complex and interesting stories. Often, as in this particular case, you are instead left with a series of matches that are both shorter and less complex.

Don’t misunderstand me saying that the match was less complex means that the moves therein were simpler. Amazing Red integrated a number of high risk and visually spectacular maneuvers into the contest, including his Satellite DDT and Infrared. Xavier was also able to hit a couple of his big moves, and had a good showing in his own right. That said, there was no real flow to the contest and the selling was spotty at best. Any level of success that these two men achieved was far more a result of their innate talents than having the time to develop a compelling storyline.

I will admit that my feelings about the match’s brevity and simplicity might be colored by it having occurred during a string of abbreviated matches between talented competitors (including Doug Williams vs. Jay Briscoe and Spanky vs. Paul London), none of which went beyond ten minutes. I can understand the common sense elements of the booking (that is, that the winner would have to compete again on the same night, presumably in a longer match), but it doesn’t make the opening round contests any better in their own right.

The Aftermath:
Though Amazing Red would never really sniff singles gold in Ring of Honor, he would go on to team with “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles to win the ROH Tag Team Titles in early 2003. Though the duo would be forced to vacate the belts due to a serious knee injury to Red, it would not change the fact that the pair was established as one of the first dominant teams in ROH history. Red would sit out of wrestling for a full year before returning to action for NWA-TNA. He eventually left the company to return to the Independent scene, but would soon re-injure his knee. He has yet to return to action.

After Low Ki won the ROH Title at the next event, it looked as if he would be a dominant long-term champion. It was not to be as he would make only one successful defense before being unseated by Xavier less than two months later. Xavier immediately joined Christopher Daniels’ hated Prophecy faction upon winning the belt, beginning a six-month reign of terror that saw him narrowly defeat challengers Paul London, AJ Styles and Jay Briscoe. In March of 2003, Xavier would run into the freight train that was Samoa Joe and ended up being defeated for the gold by a man who would end up holding it for the better part of the next two years. Xavier would take an extended hiatus after the loss before returning to action during that Summer. He took part in the company’s Field of Honor series and would eventually join Prince Nana’s Embassy stable (having left the Prophecy upon his return to action), but would never be a serious singles threat again. Since leaving the company in mid-2004 due to a shoulder injury, Xavier has only made sporadic appearances for Ring of Honor, most famously a loss to “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson in an impromptu ROH World Title match in early 2006. Xavier has also made periodic appearances for World Wrestling Entertainment over the years.

The Final Word:
I’m actually a big fan of wrestling tournaments. I’m always intrigued by the booking, especially because so often the ‘common sense’ booking isn’t what actually takes place, allowing for some interesting and unexpected matchups. I’m hoping that ROH’s upcoming Race to the Top Tournament will be able to live up to the reputations of PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles and IWA Mid-South’s Ted Petty Invitational, both of which have been must-see events in recent years. If you’re looking for my personal prediction then… you’ll have to wait for this week’s ROH Roundtable Preview.

Though I own the chopped up Takedown Masters edition of ROH Road to the Title, I encourage you to purchase the original article at rohwrestling.com. The show also includes the semi-famous Low Ki vs. Amazing Red second round contest, as well as great bouts between Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles, Doug Williams and “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, and Spanky and Paul London. Though perhaps not ROH’s best event top-to-bottom, this is certainly an important show to see for anyone interested in getting more acquainted with Ring of Honor’s early period.

While you’re here at 411, please be sure to check out a number of our other great columns. Ari’s got Column of Honor (and Part II), Stu’s got Friendly Competition and Bayani’s got Truth B Told. There’s also a great Buy or Sell featuring more of Ari and Stu as they discuss the fallout of ROH’s trip to Japan. The Boss has a 4R’s for Ring of Honor’s PPV, Respect is Earned, and Matt Short has some in-person thoughts on ROH in Japan in his Navigation Log. If you’re interested in a further fix of Puro, then stop by Matt Adamson’s Destiny column.

DVD reviews your thing? Then be sure to check out Arnold Furious’ review of CHIKARA: Anniversario ! or JD Dunn’s reviews of Ring of Honor’s Fifth Year Festival: Liverpool and Fifth Year Festival: Finale. There’s also Brad & Jake’s look at ROH Supercard of Honor II and Brad’s solo effort on FIP Florida Rumble 2006.

The new ROH Roundtable Preview should be up later this week, probably at some point on Thursday, so be sure to also be on the lookout for that.

I’m in Philadelphia this weekend for my buddy’s bachelor party, but I’m hoping to be back in time to have next week’s column up on time. If not, that’s the reason. I’m sure you’ll all manage. I’m actually waiting on a bunch of DVDs from a variety of non-ROH promotions (including CHIKARA and Fight Sports Midwest), so perhaps we’ll go a little more off the reservation than normal whenever the next IMC goes up.

In other news, New York City was a mostly positive experience, with the Dispatch concert last Saturday certainly marking one of the high points. Yelling at Yankees fans about how awesome Ryan Braun is was also a pretty fun part. I also got the chance to have lunch with Ari & Stu, and we had a great time just talking some ROH for a couple of hours. I have a new appreciation for both guys’ writing after getting the opportunity to meet them in person. On the other hand, the jury’s still out on the NYC bar scene ($6 for a shot of Jameson?), but I will say that your beer gardens aren’t half bad, even if they are ridiculously protected by razor wire.

Until next time, remember to read Bill Simmons over at ESPN as often as you can.

“Wake up, fellas. Rome is burning.”
-Bill Simmons, 7.23.07