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CZW: Cage Of Death 1: The Genesis
DATE: OCTOBER 16, 1999
LOCATION: Mantua, New Jersey
Backstory: So I watched the Dark Side of the Ring episode of Nick Gage and I realized I have hated DM wrestling for a very long time, without that much exposure to it. I've seen some of the guys when they graced other indy shows, guys like Necro and well hell that might be it. As well as seeing a few of Mick Foley's matches in his Japan days. Pretty much the closest I have got to watching a good deal of DM wrestling was ECW, and I actually don't consider that to be DM wrestling, as I'm sure most would not. So what I've decided to do, and since I'm a fair and civil person. I've decided to take a look at every single CZW Cage of Death event, the entire thing not just the COD match, and review them. If I'm not over DM wrestling by the end of this I probably will move onto to do all of the King of DM events as well. But without further ado here is my review of Cage of Death I.
Match I: Jon Dahmer vs. Big Slam: NO STARS
Yeah, that's right, first match on the card was a dousy (I think that's how you spell that). I'm not sure if this was the worst match I've watched ever, but I can tell you it definitely cracks my top ten. This match was straight up deplorable. No direction, both of the guys seemed like this was the first time they even saw a wrestling ring. I have zero things to say about the match in a positive spin.
Match II: Trent Acid vs. White Lotus: ONE STAR
This gets one star because it had some decent action in it, where it looked like the two guys had a glimmer of an idea of what a wrestling match should be. It wasn't the most entertaining thing, I really couldn't do it as there just was no real rhythm to the entire thing. Also I'm not sure why Acid, who I believe was playing a face in the match, started mooning the crowd. It was a very odd tactic. I presume it was because, backstage these two guys scripted out a bunch of moves, got ahead of that script and so Acid did was you always see in every match that leads to a time-limit draw, he pulled his pants down and started slapping his ass cheeks for the crowd. Oh yeah, and I guess since they were both playing faces they decided to have this match end in a draw.
Match III: Trent Acid/White Lotus vs. Johnny Kashmere/Robbi Mireno: ONE AND A HALF STARS
I bet you think I'm getting lazy with my scoring and I would see why you would think but well, I'm just telling it like I sees it. Now this match I have labeled "ode to ECW". Why you ask, well it was an impromptu match that happened because the good guys didn't like what the bad guys were saying about them in a promo. Then there some good spots, everyone gets thrown away, punches are landed and then the next criteria of an impromptu ECW tag match happens. The good guys get a double pin. Side note, has there ever been a double pin by the heel side of things? Is it always both good guys of the team or one from both sides?? I'm intrigued now.
Match IV: Ric Blade vs. Nick Gage: TWO AND A HALF STARS
Let me just stay Ric Blade was the Junior Heavyweight Champ during this match, and in the Wiki for the card it says that it was a Junior HW match, HOWEVER I have no idea if that's true or not as I don't remember it ever being stated. Now onto the match itself. The match was decent. Ric Blade looked like he was just starting out on his pro wrestling voyage, but that he could become a decent performer in the ring later down the road in his career. Also, I wasn't too unimpressed with Nick Gage either. It was decent back and forth, the spots in the match didn't just seem to be there to be cool, they seemed like they were a highlight of the match it self. The powerbomb table spot on the outside was a pretty decent spot. Not too many people would take that spot on just concrete flooring so that takes some guts on Blade's part. Then, it happened, all of a sudden 30 ninjas popped out from all sides of the ring, then a leprechaun, a T-Rex and Ric Flair. No, that really didn't happen but the interference by, I believe it was 4 or 5 people by the end of things was so damn convoluted and confusing that the what I just said could have happened and I would have been no more confused than I was by what actually happened. I understand run-ins, and on small shows like this storylines are set up like this all the time, but man, just keep it to 1 or 2. After that it's just a turd.
Match V: TCK vs. MiddKnight: TWO AND A HALF STARS
Nothing earth shattering. Middle of the road spots. Guys were decent in the match. Decent back and forth.
Match VI: Jon Zandig vs. Wifebeater (First Blood Match): TWO STARS
The Ending! LIKE WHAT IN THE ACTUAL F! This ended in a draw and I've watched it numerous times to see why and it still doesn't make sense to me. What happened is that Wifebeater gives Zandig a chair shot, then whatever the name of Zandig's croney is gives Wifebeater a chair shot. Both of the guys are laying on the mat, faces down. OBVSIOUSLY blading themselves. Ref looks at them both after 30 seconds and declares it a draw since they both are bleeding. Wouldn't just the first person bleeding win!?!?! Beyond that, the rest of the match was decent. Both guys killing each other around the entire gym, outside the ring. But to me, it was all negated by a draw that no matter how many times I've watched it, still can't make sense on why it should have happened!!
Match VI: THE MAIN EVENT: CZW Iron Match Championship CAGE OF DEATH MATCH: Lobo vs. Justice Pain: THREE STARS
For what it was. I'll just say this match was decent. Seeing a COD match at CZW for the first time, it just looks like the cage is too small to be filled with the amount of shit that was in it. It just made it look like there was no room to do anything but run into something even if you weren't trying to. The match was basically something that either has been coined this already or maybe I'm just making it up myself but let's call it "spot wrestling", which I'm not sure if this match could have been anything but that just by what I mentioned in the last sentence about the amount of stuff in the ring. Side note: something that hit my funny bone was seeing the ref sweep up the glass with a broom right in the middle of the match. Not sure why but it just had me laughing.
Well that does it for this review, I guess I could grade the entire card. I guess my grade would be 2 stars. Perhaps if I followed CZW it would be higher as there was H8 Club turning on Justice Pain and a bunch of other stuff happening that really took from the matches more so than were a part of them. So feel free to lambast me in a retort that's fine with me. I'll keep watching and keep posting these things. Maybe one day I'll just be all about that DM, baby!
DATE: OCTOBER 16, 1999
LOCATION: Mantua, New Jersey
Backstory: So I watched the Dark Side of the Ring episode of Nick Gage and I realized I have hated DM wrestling for a very long time, without that much exposure to it. I've seen some of the guys when they graced other indy shows, guys like Necro and well hell that might be it. As well as seeing a few of Mick Foley's matches in his Japan days. Pretty much the closest I have got to watching a good deal of DM wrestling was ECW, and I actually don't consider that to be DM wrestling, as I'm sure most would not. So what I've decided to do, and since I'm a fair and civil person. I've decided to take a look at every single CZW Cage of Death event, the entire thing not just the COD match, and review them. If I'm not over DM wrestling by the end of this I probably will move onto to do all of the King of DM events as well. But without further ado here is my review of Cage of Death I.
Match I: Jon Dahmer vs. Big Slam: NO STARS
Yeah, that's right, first match on the card was a dousy (I think that's how you spell that). I'm not sure if this was the worst match I've watched ever, but I can tell you it definitely cracks my top ten. This match was straight up deplorable. No direction, both of the guys seemed like this was the first time they even saw a wrestling ring. I have zero things to say about the match in a positive spin.
Match II: Trent Acid vs. White Lotus: ONE STAR
This gets one star because it had some decent action in it, where it looked like the two guys had a glimmer of an idea of what a wrestling match should be. It wasn't the most entertaining thing, I really couldn't do it as there just was no real rhythm to the entire thing. Also I'm not sure why Acid, who I believe was playing a face in the match, started mooning the crowd. It was a very odd tactic. I presume it was because, backstage these two guys scripted out a bunch of moves, got ahead of that script and so Acid did was you always see in every match that leads to a time-limit draw, he pulled his pants down and started slapping his ass cheeks for the crowd. Oh yeah, and I guess since they were both playing faces they decided to have this match end in a draw.
Match III: Trent Acid/White Lotus vs. Johnny Kashmere/Robbi Mireno: ONE AND A HALF STARS
I bet you think I'm getting lazy with my scoring and I would see why you would think but well, I'm just telling it like I sees it. Now this match I have labeled "ode to ECW". Why you ask, well it was an impromptu match that happened because the good guys didn't like what the bad guys were saying about them in a promo. Then there some good spots, everyone gets thrown away, punches are landed and then the next criteria of an impromptu ECW tag match happens. The good guys get a double pin. Side note, has there ever been a double pin by the heel side of things? Is it always both good guys of the team or one from both sides?? I'm intrigued now.
Match IV: Ric Blade vs. Nick Gage: TWO AND A HALF STARS
Let me just stay Ric Blade was the Junior Heavyweight Champ during this match, and in the Wiki for the card it says that it was a Junior HW match, HOWEVER I have no idea if that's true or not as I don't remember it ever being stated. Now onto the match itself. The match was decent. Ric Blade looked like he was just starting out on his pro wrestling voyage, but that he could become a decent performer in the ring later down the road in his career. Also, I wasn't too unimpressed with Nick Gage either. It was decent back and forth, the spots in the match didn't just seem to be there to be cool, they seemed like they were a highlight of the match it self. The powerbomb table spot on the outside was a pretty decent spot. Not too many people would take that spot on just concrete flooring so that takes some guts on Blade's part. Then, it happened, all of a sudden 30 ninjas popped out from all sides of the ring, then a leprechaun, a T-Rex and Ric Flair. No, that really didn't happen but the interference by, I believe it was 4 or 5 people by the end of things was so damn convoluted and confusing that the what I just said could have happened and I would have been no more confused than I was by what actually happened. I understand run-ins, and on small shows like this storylines are set up like this all the time, but man, just keep it to 1 or 2. After that it's just a turd.
Match V: TCK vs. MiddKnight: TWO AND A HALF STARS
Nothing earth shattering. Middle of the road spots. Guys were decent in the match. Decent back and forth.
Match VI: Jon Zandig vs. Wifebeater (First Blood Match): TWO STARS
The Ending! LIKE WHAT IN THE ACTUAL F! This ended in a draw and I've watched it numerous times to see why and it still doesn't make sense to me. What happened is that Wifebeater gives Zandig a chair shot, then whatever the name of Zandig's croney is gives Wifebeater a chair shot. Both of the guys are laying on the mat, faces down. OBVSIOUSLY blading themselves. Ref looks at them both after 30 seconds and declares it a draw since they both are bleeding. Wouldn't just the first person bleeding win!?!?! Beyond that, the rest of the match was decent. Both guys killing each other around the entire gym, outside the ring. But to me, it was all negated by a draw that no matter how many times I've watched it, still can't make sense on why it should have happened!!
Match VI: THE MAIN EVENT: CZW Iron Match Championship CAGE OF DEATH MATCH: Lobo vs. Justice Pain: THREE STARS
For what it was. I'll just say this match was decent. Seeing a COD match at CZW for the first time, it just looks like the cage is too small to be filled with the amount of shit that was in it. It just made it look like there was no room to do anything but run into something even if you weren't trying to. The match was basically something that either has been coined this already or maybe I'm just making it up myself but let's call it "spot wrestling", which I'm not sure if this match could have been anything but that just by what I mentioned in the last sentence about the amount of stuff in the ring. Side note: something that hit my funny bone was seeing the ref sweep up the glass with a broom right in the middle of the match. Not sure why but it just had me laughing.
Well that does it for this review, I guess I could grade the entire card. I guess my grade would be 2 stars. Perhaps if I followed CZW it would be higher as there was H8 Club turning on Justice Pain and a bunch of other stuff happening that really took from the matches more so than were a part of them. So feel free to lambast me in a retort that's fine with me. I'll keep watching and keep posting these things. Maybe one day I'll just be all about that DM, baby!
