411’s WSXtra Report: Season 1, Episode 4

However, before we do that, I have to print a correction to our last Report . . . a correction provided by none other than 411’s resident teller of the truth, Bayani Domingo:

Sup Byerz,

So yeah, long winded explanation.

Thanks for the information. When I saw somebody that I didn’t recognize on an MTV-produced show, I just assumed that it was a teeny bopper celebrity that I had never heard of. However, it turns out that we’ve got a bona fide professional wrestler on our hands. This explanation actually is rather important, as the Riot vs. Evans match is set to air TONIGHT, with the backstory given by the announcers being almost exactly what Mr. Domingo has laid out for us.

Oh, and I did find Riot’s MySpace, but there was no mention of the Best of DVD. However, he does have his AOL screen name up there in plain view, so maybe you can IM him about it.

With all of that said, let’s move on with the show.

The program opens up with The Lovely Lacey reading a newspaper, but the Human Tornado runs in on her. He’s pissed off because X-Pac laid him out during the main program, and he challenges the former WWE star to a match next week on MTV.

After our usual open, Lacey is back with random man, and they discuss the goings on between X-Pac, Vampiro, and the nameless “monster” at the end of this week’s MTV show, complete with highlights. For those of you not in the know, the “monster” is Ricky Banderas, a man who has primarily works in Puerto Rico. I believe that he was also used when Vamp made his unsuccessful attempt at starting up a lucha libre promotion a few months back.

Match Numero Uno: Do It For Her (Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black) vs. Team Dragon Gate (Masato Yoshino & Genki Horiguchi)

Now this should be great fun. Horiguchi starts with Jacobs, with some basic armbars and whatnot giving way to a headscissors takedown by Jimmy. Both men tag their respective partners, and Yoshino runs the ropes very quickly. That’s his thing, after all. Black takes him down with an armdrag, but Yoshino responds with a clothesline and then teams up with Genki for a drop toe hold/dropkick combo. Horiguchi stays on top of his man with some chops and a tornado DDT, though that can only get two. A suplex is attempted by blocked, and Black gets a HUGE leaping enzuguri (shades of Samoa Joe). That allows a tag to Jacobs, and Black whips him in to a spear. Tyler follows it up with a Superfly Splash, but Yoshino saves and gets a satellite facejam. He dropkicks Jacobs as well, which Genki follows with a springboard version of the same move. He misses a moonsault, though, allowing Black to get back in to the ring and place Horiguchi in the fireman’s carry. Those of you who saw the last show know where that leads . . . Jacobs gives Genki a senton while he’s in the hold, and there’s a Michinoku Driver from Black to finish off the contest. Somebody needs to name that sequence so I don’t have to type it out every week.

The announcers put this one over as a big upset and note the frustration on the faces of Team Dragon Gate. Foreshadowing of a bigger angle or an offhand comment? Time will tell.

Match Thoughts: This felt a little bit more like a traditional television wrestling match than something out of the unique style that WSX has been known for over the last couple of weeks, but it was still a relatively enjoyable little contest. It’s good to see that both teams are starting to develop trademark spots that fans will expect them to do on a regular basis, because a large part of getting professional wrestling over involves the establishment of rituals. It thought that principle of booking might get lost in the fast-paced world of MTV and WSX, but here it is. My only hope now is that the Dragon Gate guys actually had a chance to do something substantial before they were shipped off to the Land of the Rising Son, as they’re far better than their two matches for this company have shown. 3/4*

Lacey and random man throw to highlights of Keepin’ It Gangsta’s debut tonight. I’ve seen Ruckus work before this, and he’s MADE for WSX, as he’s one of the best at flipping around in matches devoid of traditional wrestling psychology. I also have to give two huge thumbs up to the “bling bling ladder” and the cheesy editing effects that make it possible.

After the highlights, we get exclusive backstage footage of KIG getting in to a fight with Al Katrazz and Luke Hawx, which sets up a match between the two teams next week on WSXtra.

Commercial: Hewlett Packard. Hey, it’s targeted better than the cosmetics commercials that I used to see on here.

Match Numero Dos: Jack Evans vs. Markus Riot

Riot starts off the offense with some kicks, but Evans responds with one of his own, though he mises a double stomp. More kicks from Riot follow, and there’s a rana. Markus takes too long to set up his next move, though, allowing Evans to cartwheel in to a superkick. Now that’s just excessive. Regardless, it sends Markus to the outside, where Jack gives him a big flip dive before throwing him back in to the ring. The Prince of P-Town stays on his man with a bodyslam and a double stomp, though his standing shooting star gets nothing with knee. Riot keeps the offense coming with a big clothesline, though he only gets a two count for his efforts. A German suplex is next from the copycat, and he also hits a corner dropkick to Evans’ face. That also gets two. Jack gets back in to the game with a kick to the shin and a dragonrana, though that also won’t end the match. Jack’s next move is a dropkick, and there’s a standing corkscrew moonsault for yet another nearfall. Evans goes up now, and he misses the 630 Splash, allowing Riot to hit roughly the 5,000th dropkick of the evening. Markus tries to follow up with god knows what, but Evans turns it in to a fisherman’s buster and then hits the 630 for real to wrap up the match.

That makes Jack 3-0 in Wrestling Society X competition, which I believe is the best record in the promotion.

Match Thoughts: Did anybody reading this ever play Mortal Kombat when they were a kid? Remember the “mirror matches” in which you had to fight the character that you were already playing as? That’s what this felt like. Evans and Riot may as well have been the same person. In fact, I’m glad that Jack took his shirt off for the match, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart at all. The only real difference is that Riot’s relative inexperience showed. One of the keys to being able to do spotty matches like this is that you’ve got to have the ability to make everything that goes on in between the spots look really smooth and polished. Otherwise, instead of coming off like one cohesive athletic competition between two men, it comes off as two guys walking around the ring, setting up a spot together, and executing a spot together. The result in that case is the match looking far too cooperative. That’s what happened in a few spots here, mainly due to Riot not being quite as polished as he could be with a little bit more experience. I don’t know if he was used any further during the course of these tapings (I would assume not), but I wouldn’t mind seeing him back for a season two if he was able to get many more matches racked up between now and the next taping. 1/2*

Lacey and random man set up next week’s episode of WSX on MTV. We’ll see Team Dragon Gate against Teddy Hart and M-Dogg 20, get an update on Vampiro’s condition, and find out whether X-Pac will accept the challenge of the Human Tornado. (The smart money is on yes.)

Overall

This was probably the weakest edition of WSXtra so far, though it was still a fun show. The two matches didn’t click like the contests in the previous three episodes had, and the fairly straight up Riot versus Evans match in the main event cut down on the number of wacky gimmicks that have made the webcast enjoyable in the past. However, the company does continue to do great cross promotion between WSXtra and the main show, as angles and matches shot on one will set up angles and matches that take place on the other. That prevents WSXtra from feeling like a complete throwaway program as many other wrestling web shows have in the past. (e.g. WWE Heat, TNA Global Impact) With a solid formula in place, quality talent having already debuted, and even more talent coming in the near future, the WSX/WSXtra combo remains my favorite hour of wrestling television every week. Sorry, Vince. Sorry, Dixie.