411’s WSXtra Report: Season 1, Episode 3

Commercial: Queen Latifa shills Cover Girl makeup. Somebody in MTV’s marketing department does not know what this show’s target demographic is.

Now we head to Lacey and random man. They put over the main event from the main show and throw us to some highlights. Larry has the full recap, but this was definitely fun while it lasted. Every time I see Jesus, I’m amazed by how well he moves for a man of his size.

Match Numero Uno: Scorpio Sky vs. Matt Classic

This is Scorpio’s WSX debut. For those of you not familiar with him, he’s a SoCal indy guy that regularly competes for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. His new gimmick is that he’s a man obsessed with the athletic honors he received in high school. Matt Classic bridging to warm up while Sky makes his entrance is beautiful. Classic works the arm to start before heading in to the headlock and scoring with a shoulderblock. Scorpio responds with a dropkick, though it doesn’t have too much of an effect. He follows up with a headscissor takedown and looks for a leapfrog, but Classic grabs him in mid-leap . . . AIRPLANE SPIN! AND THE HINDU PUSH-UPS! MR. WRESTLING #2 KNEELIFT! JUDO CHOP! HEART PUNCH! ANDRE THE GIANT ASS BUMPS IN THE CORNER! FULL BODY SLAM! THIS MAN IS THE GREATEST PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER ON THE PLANET! Unfortunately, Classic breaks his hot streak by trying some of this new-fangled high flying. He heads up to the first rope, nearly falls off, and misses a big splash. That allows Scorpio to get another headscissors, which sends Matt to the floor. There’s a tope, and a big spinning DDT in the ring finishes off Classic. Don’t worry, Matt, you’ll get a victory one of these days.

Match Thoughts: Can you tell that I’m really digging this Matt Classic gimmick? It would be hilarious on any wrestling show, but it’s even better in WSX because it’s an excuse for one of their wrestlers to do something different than the spot-centric style that dominates their programs. Everything that Cabana has touched in this company so far as turned to gold, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. For being a comedy character, Classic was in control of the offense for the majority of the time in this match, so we didn’t get to see a heck of a lot out of the debuting Scorpio Sky. However, for the few moves that he did hit, he looked competent enough as a singles wrestler. I’m used to seeing him in tags, so hopefully he’s able to step things up after being put on his own. *1/2

Commercial: Head & Shoulders shampoo. Seriously, who’s picking these things?

Match Numero Dos: D.I.F.H. vs. That 70’s Team

This should be fun. Fortunately, it looks like Disco Machine has replaced its ball after it was ruthlessly smashed by Team Dragon Gate last week. Black starts with the Machine, and a dancing test of strength flusters Tyler for a little bit before he unloads with forearms and a dropkick. Disco is taken back to the emo corner, where Jacobs comes in and applies an armbar. Black, however, wants MORE VIOLENCE and breaks that up. He shows Jimmy how things are done by picking him up and DRIVING him in to Machine’s chest with a dropkick. Joey Ryan makes the save for his partner and tags in before tagging Jimmy with a dropkick. The 70’s Team gets a two man gordbuster in, though it can only get a two count. A powerslam from Disco Machine connects, but Joey Ryan’s follow up is cut off. Jacobs is able to hit the Rude Awakening, and there’s a hot tag as Ryan uses his inhaler. Black is in with a slingshot sunset flip, and Joey’s pants are pulled down. He gets slammed and hit with a spinning neckbreaker while his ass is on full display. When he manages to pull his trunks back up, Black lifts him in to a fireman’s carry. That’s Jacobs’ cue to head up top . . . DOUBLE STOMP TO RYAN’S BACK! Black follows that up with a Michinoku Driver from the fireman’s carry position, and we’ve got a three count for D.I.F.H.

Match Thoughts: I was surprised to see Jacobs and Black pick up a win, as they’re exclusive to WSXtra, whereas the 70’s Team has been wrestling on the main program. However, I certainly wouldn’t disagree with D.I.F.H. winning this match, as they’ve been very entertaining and effective in their two appearances. Obviously they’ve got some great moves, and they also have the ability to get over their characters effectively during the course of these short, heavily edited matches. Despite the length and the clipping, it would be impossible for somebody to not know the roles of the two men on the team after watching their two matches. Being able to effectively communicate with an audience like that is becoming a lost art in this day and age. On top of that, I was a huge fan of the finishing sequence in this match, as it strung together a series of brutal looking moves in a unique way that I’d never seen before. If the fireman’s carry double stomp/Michinoku Driver combo becomes a regular finisher for Jacobs and Black, I’ll be a happy camper. I suggest that they call it the “Terpentine Chaser” in an obscure emo reference that 10% of my readership will actually get. *3/4

Lacey and random guy hype up next week’s episode of WSX, as we’ll have Matt Sydal vs. Scorpio Sky and Vampiro returning to the show. Plus Keepin’ It Gangsta (Babi Slymm and Ruckus) have a dialogue about how they’re going to beat somebody up next week.

Overall

The matches on this week’s WSXtra seemed shorter than the matches that we’d seen over the course of the last two weeks, though they were still both entertaining and effective for the amount of time that they were given. Matt Classic and D.I.F.H. are both great gimmicks, and they’re being helped along by the fact that the WSX programs are so short. After all, if there’s only thirty minutes of TV a week, there’s no time for the characters to get burned out. The only real problem with the show this week is that it’s not advancing angles for the main show as much as it was over the last couple of weeks, but at least it’s still an opportunity for new talent (e.g. Scorpio Sky, K.I.G.) to get introduced to hardcore fans before they move up to the main roster. As a whole, WSXtra continues to deliver. It says something when I’m looking forward to this fifteen minute web show more than I’m looking forward to a pay per view event put on by the largest wrestling company in the world.