[2000-06-03-FWA] Reckless Youth vs Nick Berk

[soup23]

FWA as a promotion probably doesn't get enough credit for being at the forefront of decent indy production in 2000. Clean look, decent enough announcer, a ring mat that doesn't look like you will contract deadly diseases by wrestling in it. This match continued that trend. This could very well be plopped into the 2003 ROH mid card and no one would have bat an eye. There were some minor annoyances like Youth's ridiculous pose bowing to all sides of the crowd as a babyface before delivering the frog splash finisher. I don't know how much Berk we will see overall but he was a good hand around this time and knew his fundamentals. ***

[Tim Evans]

Softcore Nick Berk before he was Softcore I guess. It's weird to see a WWF guy in the indies as a babyface. Very WWF like match with a bunch of headlocks and taunting. I just don't get the hype with Reckless Youth He's an alright wrestler but has a awful look and I'm surprised he was in Memphis as long as he was. He started acting very heel towards the end with the bowing.

[GSR]

I was surprised to see Reckless show up here on an indy show while under his WWF developmental deal. He says how he had a chance to come, and the FWA and the people of Philadelphia was whom he wanted to wrestle for. Nick Berk interrupts the interview and he’s not happy that Reckless is back. He accuses him of taking the limelight away from him and ruining his chance to shine. Berk refers to himself as ‘the King of the Indies’ and tells Reckless that he’s no longer an independent wrestler and to leave, unless he wants to settle things that is. Youth says that when he was ‘the King of the Indies’ he earned that moniker by travelling all over the country from coast to coast. He didn’t just give it to himself and accepts Berk’s challenge.

 

Reckless with a top wristlock takedown and pin attempt for an early two. Satellite headscissors and he’s applauding himself. Clothesline off the middle and this is all Reckless Youth so far. Nice to hear the commentator talking about his time in Memphis, and how he’s learned the British style due to his feud with Lord Steven Regal. Berk reverses the Irish whip and a big facebuster. He does his take on ‘the People’s elbow’ and covers Reckless by putting one foot on his chest. Rear chinlock and the commentator quips that Youth will think he’s right back in Tennessee with that hold (“a real staple of Memphis wrestling”). Berk signals for a DDT, but Reckless counters into a reverse variation of it instead. Springboard dropkick for two. Youth telegraphs a backdrop and Berk with a kneelift followed by a lariat. Moonsault misses and Reckless ties ‘the King of the Indies’ in the tree of woe before nailing him with a baseball slide dropkick. Tornado DDT but Berk is able to kick out of the pin at two. He escapes the German suplex and takes Youth down with ‘the Stroke’. ‘Swanton bomb’ and another really slack cover. Reckless with a go behind off the attempted suplex and he hits a great looking brainbuster. He mocks Berk from earlier by bowing to all four corners and comes off the top with a frog splash for the win.

 

First up special props to the commentator who I thought was really good here. Berk is a tricky one as he’s someone I remember from watching CZW in the early 2000s where he would incorporate a fair bit of innovative stuff, but he never did anything for me then, and the same applies now watching him all these years later. He’s not terrible; he just does nothing for me. I know we’ve got some stuff against the Backseat Boyz to come, so I’ll be interested to see if my opinion changes as we make our way through the year. Is this ‘King of Indies’ moniker something just for this match against Reckless to add a story to things, or was he really calling himself that? If it’s the latter I saw nothing special or that makes him stand out to warrant being called that. Despite my feelings about him this was still a solid match mind.

[Laney]

This is an interesting look at the indies at the time. Kind of funny to hear Nick Berk make the claim that he is the king of the indies. I don't think at any point in time that he even close to earning that moniker. The only thing I recall Nick Berk ever doing was having a pretty cool finishing move in the Berkocet.

 

I thought the commentator did a great job of calling this one and pointing out some of Reckless's offense was learned down in Memphis. All in all this was a pretty basic match but everything was effectively done. An interesting snapshot of an indie show using a WWF developmental wrestler, but nothing that is must-see.

 

***

[Robert S]

All that posing by Reckless Youth annoyed me to no end. Take that away and you have a perfectly fine match.