[1994-04-01-SMW-Bluegrass Brawl] Rock & Roll Express vs Heavenly Bodies (Loser Leaves Town Cage)

[Loss]

The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard & Jimmy del Ray) defend the SMW Tag Team Titles.   Talk about it here.

[Loss]

I've seen this before and it hasn't really resonated with me. Maybe that's because I didn't see the buildup and get a chance to anticipate the match. This time, I thought it was excellent. The heel in peril stuff early on with Pritchard you think is going to eat up too much time of the match before they start beating up Ricky Morton, but you appreciate it when the match is over. There was so much at stake that each team had to show they could overcome adversity to get over the finish. The FIP on Morton works extremely well, just as you'd expect. 20+ minutes into this, every nearfall is being saved by the guy on the outside, which is great and makes complete sense, considering the stipulations. Gibson doing the hiptoss on Morton get him closer to the corner was terrific, and Gibson's Indian deathlock is always great. I love the drama of tying Robert Gibson to the corner so they could beat up Ricky Morton and Gibson having to break free. Morton's desperate kickouts after a lot of the staple finishes (racket shot, moonsault, etc) work well in this context and the finish was really good. The additional ref coming in teased that there would be a screwjob, but then the fans got a clean finish. And now the Bodies must leave SMW. This had to have been SMW's best show ever, just on the strength of this and the ladder match.

[Kevin Ridge]

I am glad the cage didn't break with Curtis having to hold it up. Cage matches with tags is a bit strange but it is welcomed here with these teams. Great match. Express really dominate early and control for a very long time. I enjoy them taking shortcuts (no tagging in, low blow, distracting the ref). The stakes are too high and they are doing everything to win.

 

Bodies actually change the momentum with a clean counter! But they go to their usual tricks on Morton. Lots of close falls at the end with Curtis getting knocked out. Fans were not excited to see the second referee come down but the good guys get the win in the end. Sad to see the Bodies go as was enjoying this feud on yearbook.

[Exposer]

This was a tremendous match. I'm not a fan of Heel In Peril segments but in this context it makes sense because of the stakes of the match. Pritchard gets bloodied and beaten and is able to sustain the beating and give Morton a swinging neck breaker to begin the FIP segment. Like any Morton FIP segment, this is great. He gets bloodied and beaten just like he had done to Pritchard. Gibson comes in and hip tosses Ricky to their corner to make the tag which was awesome. Ricky and Robert are about to win but the Bodies throw Mark Curtis into the cage and he's out cold. Robert gets tied up to the ropes and a new ref comes in. Ricky withstands the beating from the Bodies and has some tremendous kick outs. The Bodies use Cornette's racket but Mark Curtis recovers and prevents the new ref from counting as to avoid a screw job finish. Ricky gets a hurricanrana pinning combo and gets the win for the Rock N Rolls. This is really a great match and this show has got to be SMW's best ever.

[soup23]

Perfect climax to a 10 year rivalry. They did some interesting things that I have not seen like the hip toss for easier tag and really conveyed the urgency of a match like this where you can not afford to be caught off guard. The pop for the Rock N Rolls win was a feel good moment.

[El-P]

And there you go, the ladder match ends up being the second best match on the show. Just a tremendous match, just about perfect. Love the heel in peril segment with Prichard, as he's amazing at it, bleeding a gusher, taking hilarious bumps, showing tons of awesome nody language of desperation and pain. The Rock'n Roll are great at controlling this segment, showing sweat tag team strategies. These guys still look quick and smooth. Then of course the Ricky Morton show, with the Bodies delivering tons of good offense and keeping the fast pace. There are several fake finishes, which is pretty rare in the US at this point, and it build the intensity to a formidable climax. MOTYC, like I said before, just about perfect.

[jasch]

I didn't have an alternative year in mind, but the first 3 months of 1994 have me coming around to the point of view that it is the greatest in ring year in history. I have watched all the yearbooks, with 1997 in the on deck circle.

[PeteF3]

Man oh man, I'm not even to Spring Stampede and Slamboree yet, but there have to be more great shows crammed into the first 3 months of 1994 than in all of 1993. This, WMX, and Queendom alone are all strong candidates for Major Show of the Year. This has one of the most well-booked finishes you'll ever see--a hot near-fall ending with Mark Curtis beaten up and thrown into the cage, and alternate ref, another near-fall for the heels, and a near-screwjob with Mark Curtis making the final save. I still liked the ladder match for its work a little better but this was far more epic in scope, and with all the build-up and hype really felt like the end of an era.