[2002-10-13-FWA-British Uprising] Doug Williams vs Jerry Lynn

[TonyPulis'Cap]

I’m going to be repeating myself here with the matches from Uprising I, but this is another match with a very early 2000s feel to it. This was one of the big selling points for the show and the main event of the first half. Doug was the UK’s premier technical guy at that point, in terms of someone that was blending the WOS style with a more modern/Japanese orientated move set and Jerry Lynn was really hot at this stage, given he was getting a lot of rave reviews for his work in TNA in the early days of the X Division plus he still had the ECW cache. The result is the fans chanting for Lynn before he’s even come out.

 

The beginning of the match is worked like your classic Lynn/RVD opening sequences with lots of quick transitions into a stand off. It all looks quite dated now, but at the time, the crowd are lapping it up. It also shows that while Doug is the bigger more technical guy, he’s wrestled Jonny Storm and Jody Fleisch a lot and so is able to keep up with Lynn’s more fast paced/cruiserweight style.

 

As the match progresses, Doug tries to slow things down and works in a number of submissions which is much more his strength, whereas Lynn is always looking to up the pace. Both have some big impact moves in their arsenal, and Doug continues to evolve his style by incorporating more suplexes and throws that are consistent with his judo background.

 

There’s lots to enjoy in the match, although you never feel it properly escalates, with much more of an exhibition feel, even as they start to trade big moves as the match progresses. At this time the FWA had a ban on piledrivers but the commentators note that this has been waived for this match given that is Lynn’s finisher. In the end that catches Lynn out and he gets caught by Williams in a cradle, similar to how Doug defeated Eddie Guerrero at Revival and showing that his technical skills have been enough to defeat more high profile opponents. (***)