2 excellent Smackdown brand TV matches

[Tim Cooke 0]

Two great matches from 2004 that I hadn't seen until this weekend.

 

Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Jamie Noble (5/1/04 - WWE Velocity)

11:14 aired on TV. If this had the additional 7 minutes that Chavo/Rey Jr. from the Great American Bash on 6/04 had, it would be hands down the best juniors match I have seen from 2004. It didn't have those extra minutes but it is still fantastic. A good amount of mat stuff to open the match as Noble is very good at basic holds and Rey is more than competant on the mat. Rey gets some early flying offense in early in between settling down with side headlock takeovers to slow down the pace (which are more like judo throws than traditional side headlock takeovers). These segments are so cool and so out of the norm that it even includes Noble picking up Rey, Rey holding on, and floating over to hold on to the headlock. Noble takes over working on Rey's arm with lots of basic stuff, executed so well. His hammerlocks and arm bars are so crisp that they look better than working flashy, innovative holds. Noble ties up Rey's arm in the corner turnbuckle and dropkicks it in a great spot. It should also be noted that the crowd is very hot. No need to canned heat in this one as the people even pop for Rey's takeover after Noble lifts him up to try to get out of it. Rey's selling is excellent too, as has been the case with almost all of his WWE work (and his work prior too). In 1993, Rey could take a nice beating but it was mostly about trying to hit his spots. Fast forward to 1996 and his March match in Tijuana against Juventud Guerrera and you see Rey's selling in lucha at its peak. His WCW work was mostly a showcase of his spots but he could sell well enough when he needed to (10/26/97 vs. Guerrero and 12/27/98 vs. Kidman & Juve). His WWE work has taken his selling to some of the best in the US, finding a way to hit his high spots but remembering his injuries and making it all work together. Rey's comeback is awesome, with Noble giving him small spurts to get the crowd into it before going down the home stretch. Two of the best spots of 2004 come in this final run. Rey sprinboards off of the second rope into a flying body press on Noble. He rolls through (as does Noble) and Noble locks on a cross armbreaker for a nearfall submission. A great reminder to the arm work so that Noble's segment of work on Rey doesn't become meaningless. This is straight out of the 1/21/96 Samurai vs. Otani NJPW match. The final great spot is Noble locking on the tiger driver. He picks Rey up but instead of hitting the driver right away, starts running and looks to hit a running liger bomb. Rey reverses it with a rana and Noble lands perfectly in the ropes to set up the 619, which Noble takes a picture perfect neck bump for. The crowd is wild at the end, with the WWE being able to pan the arena because of the excellent reaction. Noble's best match ever (some of his end of WCW work was strong but was botched by opponents and being in 6 ways, etc.). If his FIP and ROH work can be this strong, it should be an awesome treat. And Rey Jr. is the best WWE style worker today. The WWE style is to hit signature moves to pop the crowd while not ruining the perception of wrestling by not selling. Rey does this plus he adds another layer of selling. And his UWF kicks to the chest (and his one Kawada kick to the face in this match) are so great.

 

Eddy Guerrero vs. Big Show (4/15/04 - Smackdown)

11:20 airs on Smackdown. Non-title, if Show loses, he is gone from SD (to have surgery). This is worked in the same style as Brock/Eddy from No Way Out but I think it is actually the superior match. Eddy is as good here as I think he has ever been (even better than the JBL matches since Bradshaw brings a little bit more than Show to his matches). Simple story, worked so well with Show playing the monster role as well as as he has ever played it. No one is confusing Big Show with Vader, but for working a match where the mosnter has to be credible but also shows vulnerability to give the face some offense, he does it better than Brock did. First, Brock was all over the place with his punching and kicking in between moves. His kicks to the gut had too much daylight, his knees (when used for transitions) were no better than average (though his knees in the corner were usually strong), and his hand striking was forgettable to the point where I am not remembering it. Big Show doesn't fall into that problem as he bases his striking around headbutts, with Eddy selling them tremendously. This keeps his striking focused and allows for his other offense (mostly in the form of low end stuff) to look devastating without having to throw out multiple suplexes to produce damage (like Brock did- Brock's overhead releases worked more because of the way Eddy sold them...they don't work when the opponent doesn't know how to sell them). The whole match is Show dominating with Eddy getting quick spurts but always being cut off. Show is a monster and while Eddy is champion, he just isn't 500 lbs, so he can't go straight up with him. Eddy's comeback spots include poking the eyes, stopmping on Show's toes, a flying body press off of the top rope with Show catching him, a plancha to the outside with Show catching him which leads to Eddy escaping and ramming him into the ring post for the first major damage of the match. Show works on Eddy's arm, so Eddy has no chance of coming back. His arm work is extremely simple (to the point of using a nerve hold, with headbutts to the arm being some of the higher end work) but it is done well and sold well by Eddy. Another comeback spots involves Show lifting Eddy up by one arm again and Eddy gets out and is able to sunset flip but Show pulls him right back up by the neck. So in a great booking move, Guerrero, who has been booked as a smart champion, is on the outside and grabs a wrench. As Show brings him up, Eddy sticks the wrench in Show's boot, who feels it and gets distracted. Show finds out what it is and as he has it in his hand, the ref turns around and see's it. He takes it away and Eddy punches away. This leads to a beautiful tornado DDT on show and then another DDT, followed by the frog splash for the pin. An incredibly simple match that told one of wrestlings oldest stories but never got old, slow, or tired. Not one true rest hold either. Big Show's best performance ever (which was even apparent to Michael Cole, who kept saying how he has never seen Show so focused, kayfabe for working an intelligent match). Eddy was spot on, doing everything so right. And props to Show for taking the tornado DDT so great, looking like Shannon Moore did when Yang gave him one at Superbrawl 2001, only Show being 350+ heavier than Moore. As far as TV matches go, this is all I am looking for. It is a lot better than the JBL/Eddy cage match from Smackdown, which was very good and an enjoyable match, but got spotty in some cases and the frog splash off the top of the cage hurt the ending a lot for me (for logistical purposes).

 

Tim

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Have you seen the 2 Knoble/London matches from Velocity last year? If so, how would you rank them against Rey/Knoble. And if not, try to track them down (March 6th and July 19th), as they're probably right up there w/ this Rey/Knoble match.

[Tim Cooke 0]

I've seen both. The 3/6/04 match is my favorite of the two though I think it is decent step down from Rey/Noble. The thing about the 3/6 match is the commercial breaks really hurt the match. If I saw it uncut (or cut at a better time), it might be different. London also uses that goofy chicken arm into sit down bomb move that annoys me. For being a favorite of mine, that move and London's old stupid neckbreaker move from early ROH drive me nuts. Noble vs. London in ROH would be bazillie. Or even on WWE PPV if they had good build leading up to the match and were given time to develop.

 

Tim

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Fair enough. I liked the 3/6 match more than the 2nd one, too. The 3/6 had an awesome finishing sequence (Northern Lights reversed -> Paydirt), and Knoble's dropkick to counter London skinning the cat was a great spot, too (which they repeated in the 2nd match - London should have learned to avoid that). I re-watched the 2nd match a few months ago, and remember liking it a bit more than I did after the initial viewing, but I'd still put it below the 3/6 encounter. I'd put the 3/6 just a bit below Rey/Knoble, though all 3 were quite enjoyable.

 

I sure hope they decide to bring back Knoble, as he was easily my favorite guy in the company.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Show Vs. Eddie WAS for the title.

[Tim Cooke 0]

Show/Eddy was non title.

 

Tim