NWA Tri-State – March 24, 2002: Well, I’m Annoyed
NWA Tri-State
Date: March 24, 2002
Location: Old High School, Harrisville, West Virginia
Commentators: Matt Fessenbecker, Litch Fit
The indy run continues as we dig up the NWA one more time. This is a show from a very weird time in wrestling history as WCW and ECW had been gone for about a year each and places like NWA TNA and Ring Of Honor weren’t factors yet. That means this is going to be a bit of the wild west (Virginia), but there are certainly some stars on the show. Let’s get to it.
I know nothing about this place coming in so ignore me being lost on stories or characters.
The ring announcer introduces the referee as this is already feeling a bit low on the totem pole. He also introduces the first match, saying that these people might make it to the bigger shows one day.
Fire Kid vs. Pyro vs. Valik
This is billed as a training match, though commentary doesn’t seem to know which is which. They do however know to take shots at the WCW Power Plant. Valik confirms that this is in fact 2002 by coming out to I Stand Alone by Godsmack. The much taller Valik gets double teamed to start and a double clothesline puts him down fast. With Valik on the floor, Fire grabs a rollup for two on Pyro.
Valik comes back in with a missile dropkick into a chokeslam but more double stomping puts him down. Some eye rakes get Valik out of trouble as commentary suggests he stab someone. Kid hits a pretty terrible dropkick to drop Valik, who is selling quite a bit for a monster. Back up and Valik drops both of them with right hands as the arena is eerily silent. A middle rope headbutt between the legs has Pyro down but Fire superkicks him down.
An X Factor into a spinning top rope splash puts Valik in more trouble but Pyro breaks up the cover. Even commentary admits that they were destined to get in a fight, at least until Valik breaks that up. Valik jackknifes Fire for two before going after Pyro, allowing Fire to come back with a clothesline. Believe it or not, Valik fights back again, this time with a double noggin knocker. Apparently tired of this, Valik reverses a double suplex into a double suplex of his own, setting up a double pin at 8:19.
Rating: C-. Oh yeah this was a training match but it wasn’t a very good one. They had very little sense of timing and having a monster in there against trainees isn’t the smartest idea. At the same time, it was made even worse by having Valik not know how to be a big man. He wrestled like any given wrestler and I had no reason to care about him. Really weak way to start, as this should have been FAR shorter.
Post match, Valik chokeslams both of them for a bonus.
Fabulous Frederick vs. Punchy McGee
Frederick has Just N Kace in his corner as I try to get my mind around what I’m watching. To give you an idea of what Frederick is, he comes out to I Touch Myself. On the other hand, McGee has a Ric Flair knockoff robe and large pink trunks. As a result of both of them, commentary and the fans can be heard making using various homosexual slurs. Before the match, Kace requests no hair pulling or punches to the face.
McGee agrees, but insists that “rear attacks are allowed”. A lockup goes badly for Frederick as commentary continues their barrage of comedy. Frederick gets his hair fixed and we get an exchange of hair pulling accusations. A headlock keeps McGee in trouble but he shoves Frederick off to set up a crisscross. McGee stops though, leaving Frederick to run the ropes all on his own. With Frederick out of breath, McGee gets in a spanking, meaning Kace needs to adjust the tights.
Back in and we get some standing switches, because of course there are. McGee sends him into the turnbuckle thirty times in a row, setting up the required atomic drops. Frederick comes back with some chops, setting up the sleeper to take him down. A shaky knee fist drop gives Frederick two but he gets slammed off the top. Kace gets on the apron so McGee kisses him down, only to have Frederick get in a right hand with brass knuckles. An elbow drop gives Frederick the pin at 9:55.
Rating: D-. This wasn’t funny now and it wouldn’t have been funny back then either. They went with every dumb idea and joke you could have expected here and it wasn’t exactly good in any way either. The jokes were writing themselves throughout and that is not a good thing for something this lame.
Post match hugging and dancing ensues.
Nova vs. Julio Dinero
This seems to be a surprise match. Before the match, Julio stumbles through a promo about….I think a toothbrush, which has commentary mocking him for the ineptitude. Then one of the commentators goes on a big rant over the amount of praise the other gives Nova. Dinero tries to flip in over the top but lands flat on his face for the always funny shot. The bell rings with Dinero on the floor so he goes back inside, only to come back to the floor for an argument with a fan.
Back in and….never mind again as Dinero needs to roll outside for the third time. We hit two minutes and a half minutes of stalling before they finally lock up, with Dinero armdragging him down. They lock up again with Dinero accusing Nova of a hair pull but pulling him down by the hair anyway.
Back up and Dinero wants a test of strength and, after stalling a bit more, they lock up, with Nova getting the better of things, setting up an exchange of wristlocks. Nova sends him outside and yep, it’s more stalling. This time he heads back inside for a superkick to actually take over on Nova before an STO gets two. Dinero starts in on the legs and drops two legs on Nova’s legs for two more.
The leg cranking continues with a flipping twist, followed by the required Figure Four. With that broken up, Nova gets the good leg up to kick Nova out of the air and the comeback is on. An atomic drop sets up a running forearm to put Nova on the floor. Back in and thirty right hands in the corner give Nova two but Dinero slugs away. That just earns him Novocaine (Downward Spiral) for the pin at 14:38.
Rating: C. You could tell that these two were on a much higher level than the other people on the show so far and it made all the difference in the world. The other two matches were a mess in different forms, while this felt like a match between people who had a much better idea of what they were doing. That being said, it still wasn’t exactly a great match as they spent a lot of time stalling and then it wasn’t that interesting once they got to the meat of things, but I’ll rather gladly take this upgrade.
Brian Anthony vs. Brock Singleton
I’ve seen Anthony a few times before and Singleton has a woman named Sasha with him. They fight over wrist control to start and neither guy can get anywhere, despite how muscular they both are. Singleton’s armbar works a bit better and it’s time for a standoff. Another lockup lets Singleton take him into the corner, setting up a snapmare into a chinlock.
Anthony gets sent outside for some cheap shots from Sasha, giving Singleton two back inside. Trash is talked before Singleton throws him outside, where Sasha stomps away again. Back in and Singleton bites away as this is one sided so far. The Boston crab goes on but Anthony is too close to the ropes.
Sasha chokes away on the same rope but Anthony gets back up to avoid a charge in the corner. A dropkick gives Anthony two but Singleton pulls him into an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Anthony grabs a sunset flip for two but Sasha gets on the apron. The distraction lets Singleton hit a low blow and grab a rollup (with tights) for the pin at 12:16.
Rating: D+. This was a near squash other than Anthony getting in a few shots here and there. That leaves it as a long match which got rather repetitive in a hurry. I’m not sure what the point was in having it go this long, but Singleton did look to be someone they wanted to push. Cut this down by more than a few minutes and it’s that much better, but this was way too long to make it work.
Rocky Reynolds vs. Magnum
Reynolds is short but muscular, meaning I don’t buy the 135lbs he is billed as whatsoever. They fight over a lockup to start with Reynolds working on a wristlock as commentary keeps calling him the Rockin Rebel (who was a completely different wrestler from a different generation). Magnum takes him to the mat but Reynolds is right back with a cradle for two. Some leapfrogs have Reynolds frustrated, at least until he shoulders Magnum down.
A headbutt between the legs keeps Magnum down for an arrogant cover and it’s time to crank on the leg. Reynolds hammers away in the corner but gets pulled down with a heck of a sitout powerbomb for two. Magnum’s tornado DDT gets two and a hanging DDT out of the corner connects for the same. They go up top, with Reynolds snapping off a super hurricanrana for two more. The chinlock doesn’t last long for Reynolds so he goes with an Arabian press of all things.
Back up and Magnum gets crotched on top but he’s fine enough to slap on a Tarantula. They crash out to the floor with Magnum getting planted, setting up a big flip dive to crush him again. A Swanton gives Reynolds…a chance to walk around and yell at the fans. Magnum grabs a Russian legsweep off the middle rope (not a reverse chokeslam commentary) for two, followed by Diamond Dust (love that move) for….again no cover, as Magnum hits Coast To Coast instead for the pin at 12:15.
Rating: C. This was kind of a weird one as the much smaller Reynolds was the villain and beat Magnum up for the most part, at least until about halfway through. Then they started having a much different match and it worked a bit better. Neither was all that impressive though and it isn’t surprising to see that neither of them ever went anywhere.
NWA Tri-State Title: Matt Vandal vs. Mason Hunter vs. Daron Smythe
Vandal, with Just N Kace, is defending and commentary suggests that only Smythe isn’t a champion coming in. Before the match, Hunter says he is taking the title that belongs to him. Smythe, who was still wrestling in February 2022, looks to be about 15 years old here. Before the match, Kace and Vandal both say something that audio isn’t picking up. Vandal gets double teamed during his entrance but Smythe stops to pose on the ropes for no logical reason.
Some shoulders in the corner rock Vandal and Smythe adds a clothesline. Back to back superkicks set up a double dropkick and Vandal needs a breather on the floor. Hunter follows and hammers away but Smythe dives off the top onto the two of them for a double knockdown. Back in and Vandal gets double chopped in the corner, only to have Hunter break up Smythe’s cover. Smythe and Hunter slug it out so Vandal blasts both of them with a double clothesline.
Vandal snaps off an overhead belly to belly for two but Smythe is up to cut Vandal down. A middle rope legdrop doesn’t even get one as Hunter breaks it up with a dropkick. The stump puller goes on to keep Smythe in trouble but he’s right back up with rolling neckbreakers to Hunter. Vandal is back in (after leaving for whatever reason) and kicks Hunter low before tossing him outside.
A DDT gives Smythe one on Vandal as Hunter makes a save this time. Hunter’s Samoan driver gets two on Smythe with Vandal making a (very, very late) save. Smythe grabs a rollup but Kace throws some powder into his face, allowing Vandal to grab a rollup with tights for the elimination (because it’s elimination) at 9:11. Hunter gets sent into the post on the floor but misses a chair shot, only to have Hunter blast him with the chair instead. A baseball slide sends the chair into Vandal’s head and it’s a Cloverleaf Tamer back inside.
That requires a Kace distraction for the save so it’s a Death Valley Driver to give Hunter two instead. Hunter’s own foot is under the rope though and Kace offers another distraction. Vandal hits him in the back and grabs a suplex slam for two, meaning it’s time for more arguing. Smythe comes in and takes out Kace, which distracts the referee enough that Smythe can take out Vandal as well. That’s enough for Hunter to grab a rollup for the pin and the title at 13:42.
Rating: C. This didn’t do much for me either and that shouldn’t be the biggest surprise. The match was two bigger guys beating up Smythe, who was eliminated first and might have only been here so he had a reason to interfere in the end. As usual, this was another case of wrestlers who didn’t have much to make them stand out and it wasn’t a great match as a result.
Post match Kace and Vandal take Hunter out, including a chair shot to the head. Then the referee stands up for Hunter, who drives Vandal into the corner for some of the lamest shoulders I’ve seen in a long time.
With the guys still in the ring, let’s have an impromptu battle royal!
Battle Royal
Vandal and Kace chill on the floor as Hunter beats on Reynolds until Valik comes in at #4 to help double team Hunter. A Texas Cloverleaf/reverse chinlock combination goes on but Vandal makes the save for some reason. Fabulous Frederick is in at #5 as this seems to be Royal Rumble style. Valik gets double low blowed in the corner and it’s Magnum coming in at #6.
Everyone pairs off until Fire Kid is in at #7. Valik throws Hunter out without much trouble and then hits Fire low….which he doesn’t seem to sell for some reason. Pyro came in there somewhere at #8 and Punchy McGee is in at #9 as this is messy even by battle royal standards. A woman named….something not important enough to mention is in at #10 and tosses out Reynolds.
Valik tosses the woman and there goes Frederick as we’re down to Magnum, Valik and Vandal (as commentary doesn’t feel the need to call all of the eliminations). Valik is thrown out in a hurry as the promoter and Kace get in a fight on the floor. Magnum throws out Vandal for the win at 8:35.
Rating: F. It’s hard to screw up a match so badly that I have no idea who is involved or doing anything in the match but that was the case throughout this one. At one point there were people coming in with no introduction and being thrown out with the same amount of attention. Then you had “an unnamed woman”, as commentary called her, coming in, throwing some better punches than most of the men, and then getting eliminated. This was awful and I really could go for this show to be over now.
Post match Magnum beats up Kace before throwing him out…which is the official win. Ok then. Then Kace is thrown back in so the promoter can beat him up and pin him (after not seeming to remember that you need to keep your foot on him for it to count).
Chris Hamrick vs. Mike Preston
Hamrick was around in the dying days of ECW. Preston has some size to him for a decent look. Hamrick works on the arm to start but gets sent into the corner, only to come out with a big boot. A surfboard has Preston in trouble, though he is still able to spit. With that broken up, Preston hits an elbow to the face and chokes away on the ropes, only to have Hamrick get in some right hands.
Preston runs him over again and drops an elbow for two, leaving Hamrick to talk to the referee before getting chinlocked. That doesn’t last long either as Hamrick fights up and then gets kneed in the ribs. Hamrick pops up and grabs a suplex into a Stunner for the pin at 8:26.
Rating: D+. Another pretty lame match here and that isn’t much of a surprise. It was two guys without much emotion in their match and it wasn’t good in the first place. Hamrick never did much for me in ECW and he didn’t do much here either. Preston didn’t do anything special here either and it felt like a match that was there to fill in time rather than anything else.
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jerry Lynn
This is unmasked Rey, who would be in WWE in a few months, thankfully masked again. They trade armdrags to start and it’s a staredown. Rey sends him into the corner, setting up Bronco Buster to put Lynn in trouble. A sunset flip out of the corner gives Lynn two and he counters the wheelbarrow bulldog into a faceplant. Lynn grabs a half crab but Rey slips out and heads outside for a breather. Back in and now the sitout bulldog gets two but Lynn is right back with the half crab. Just like before, Rey fights out and starts the comeback, including the yet to be named 619. The top rope headbutt finishes for Rey at 6:57.
Rating: C-. Are you kidding? I sat through two hours of this low rent drek for the hope of seeing an interesting main event (only time they’ve ever fought that I know of) and then it’s the shortest match of the night? This was a heck of a disappointment as these two seem like they could have a rather nice match. What we got wasn’t even that good, making this one last punch in the gut for the night.
Rey thanks the fans for coming out to end the show.
Overall Rating: D. Yeah this show was pretty bad, as it felt low rent throughout the night with only a few portions that came off as anything close to good. I get that it’s a small promotion but there was almost no way to call this a good effort. It’s a bunch of not very good matches, lame comedy and the show being thrown together with people being put into matches to fill in spots. Pretty horrible show here, even by lowered standards.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:
http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6
AND
Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.