[2000-07-21-Revolution Pro-Japan vs Rev Pro] Super Dragon & Rising Son vs Excalibur & Ultra Taro Jr

[soup23]

A bad effort for these guys. Everything was really sloppy and beyond that, the match didn’t have much of a narrative at all and felt like a series of spots. Rising Son and Taro were the biggest offenders but this was easily the worst Dragon has looked so far. Excalibur was probably the best overall and he hits the spot of the match with an insane tope where it looks like he nearly breaks his neck. Overall, bad matches are going to happen and its nice to see from the standpoint that none of these guys is going to be perfect. *1/2

[AstroBoy]

Well they certainly spammed a TON of moves in this one. And after a moderate beginning, things quickly lose sense. After the first dive sequence Rising Son starts making a comeback for a hot tag and I find myself realizing that the referee is doing nothing and the spots are just endless so any sense of struggle or comeback is just meaningless.

 

Super Dragon slipped up on a double team spot and badly botched a space flying tiger drop. TARO looked lost at points and threw pretty weak strikes to break up pins.

 

I liked a few things specifically. Commitment to double team offense was nice, as even though the spots came in droves, at least they worked in some fun double team work. Sadly missed in too many tag matches. And I think Excalibur really shined in this. Of all the guys in there he was the glue keeping so many things together, helping along awkward moments. He gave crisp nice looking offense and took offense well. And he bumped huge for Super Dragon's lariat toward the end of the match. Dragon had the flash and the aura to some extent. But Excalibur looked like the future star here with tons of heel charisma and some good mechanics.

 

**

[GSR]

Excalibur has recovered from whatever it was that took him out of last week’s elimination match to partner Ultra Taro here.  Haha, after landing a couple of arm drags, when Son goes for a third Excalibur just pulls his arm away so he falls to the mat and then soccer kicks him in the face!  Cross armbar by Dragon on Taro who stretches out a leg to reach the ropes and force the break.  After praising Revolution Pro for not resorting to a ‘stand-off’ last week, that’s exactly what Dragon and Taro give us this.  I dunno, this has a different vibe to it than the previous Rev Pro matches and I’ll await judgment as to whether that is a good or bad thing.  As I write that Taro slaps Dragon across the side of his face and he responds in kind; hopefully normal service has been resumed!  It looks like Taro was going for a satellite headscissors but doesn’t quite manage it, putting his hands down to regain his balance, so as he does so, Dragon boots him in the head!  Face first suplex, dumping Taro across the top rope followed by a draping DDT.  Taro ducks the kick and a pair of ranas sends Dragon to the outside.  Dragon snatches his legs on the attempted baseball slide, pulling Taro from the ring.  Son slips off the ropes on the Asai moonsault and they try to rescue things although shouldn’t have bothered because what they tried looked equally as botched.  Crazy ass suicide dive over the top rope by Excalibur, torpedoing towards Dragon like a homing missile.  I don’t know what’s up with these guys tonight as Taro slips on the plancha to the floor, only just reaching Son.  Taro takes Dragon down with a lariat and a bootscrape by Excalibur in what might be a first for that move.  Son counters the superbomb with a huracanrana and as Taro comes off the top, nails him with a dropkick to the mid-section.  Rolling koppu kick by Dragon and there is some force behind that.  Handspring elbow by Son, but Dragon then slips off his partner’s back on the ‘Poetry in Motion’.  Stereo Pele kicks to Excalibur.  More dives to the floor and this is becoming all too wanky.  Dragon blows a Space Flying Tiger Drop getting caught up in the ropes and I think it’s time to just go home boys.  Nope, not going anywhere yet as Dragon hits a corkscrew Asai moonsault.  Full nelson into a sit out powerbomb on Excalibur for a two.  Hangman’s neckbreaker off the top on Dragon and Son breaks up the pin.  MOVEZ~ and I’m nowhere close to writing down everything they’re doing.  Double underhook DDT by Dragon, Son with the frog splash and now it’s Excalibur who is saving his partner.  After more of the same, Super Dragon with a ‘Psycho Driver’ while at the same time Son spikes Excalibur with a leaping DDT.  They both head upstairs, Phoenix Splash, Swanton bomb and this one’s over.

How can guys who have looked so good up to now get it so wrong?  It felt as if they were going home at around the eleven minute mark but we weren’t even half way in at that point.  Just movez for the sake of movez with them busting out everything they know and that’s before even getting into all the blown spots that were in there.  After last week’s six man, a hugely disappointing encounter.