Necro Butcher

[Phil Schneider]

Here is Necro v. Ki from IWA-MS, another awesome non-death match Necro match

 

[Clayton Jones]

Totally forgot to mention his match VS Steen in ROH which at that point in Steen's career was the best singles match I've seen from him.

[Bierschwale]

I don't know how you could watch the Minowaman match and not love Necro.

[InYourCase]

If this was Top 150, I could find room for Necro. Such a unique talent that worked a style that I don't love and he completely made it work. I LOVE that Low Ki match, even more than the Joe match or the Super Dragon match. Part of that has to do with my love of Low Ki and my "ehh" feelings towards Super Dragon, but whatever, Necro is awesome. Won't make my list, but he was certainly considered for a moment or two.

[Laney]

Necro certainly has some matches that I enjoy very much, and the Samoa Joe match may be one of the best ever indie matches. However, his 2009-2010 ROH run was absolutely atrocious (albeit ROH was pretty horrible as a whole during that time period). He lost all his mystique during this time period and abandoned his brutal style to become ROH's version of Hillbilly Jim. I can't possibly consider somebody who was unwatchable for 2 years.

 

I don't think I've seen any matches of his since 2010. Has he done anything notable since then, besides making embarrassing/sad facebook posts?

[WingedEagle]

The one wrestler above all others I fear could transmit Hep C to me solely by ranking him.

[Phil Schneider]

Necro certainly has some matches that I enjoy very much, and the Samoa Joe match may be one of the best ever indie matches. However, his 2009-2010 ROH run was absolutely atrocious (albeit ROH was pretty horrible as a whole during that time period). He lost all his mystique during this time period and abandoned his brutal style to become ROH's version of Hillbilly Jim. I can't possibly consider somebody who was unwatchable for 2 years.

 

I don't think I've seen any matches of his since 2010. Has he done anything notable since then, besides making embarrassing/sad facebook posts?

 

Hey did suck in ROH, but had plenty of fun matches in other feds during that time, so I wouldn't say he was unwatchable for two years, just booked badly in ROH

[Graham Crackers]

Necro certainly has some matches that I enjoy very much, and the Samoa Joe match may be one of the best ever indie matches. However, his 2009-2010 ROH run was absolutely atrocious (albeit ROH was pretty horrible as a whole during that time period). He lost all his mystique during this time period and abandoned his brutal style to become ROH's version of Hillbilly Jim. I can't possibly consider somebody who was unwatchable for 2 years.

 

I don't think I've seen any matches of his since 2010. Has he done anything notable since then, besides making embarrassing/sad facebook posts?

You should have been watching JAPW and IGF.

[Cap]

I have a soft spot in my heart for Necro. His match with Dragon is one of my personal favorites. He also had a match in West Virginia with Low-ki that i am really partial too, a wild brawl up into the bleachers. I am not sure I am going to have room for him on my list. As much as I would love to put him on there. It would feel sentimental to me.

[Exposer]

That Joe match is glorious lunacy. Necro's a guy who I'd probably consider if I could see more of his matches. Those Ki and Super Dragon matches sound amazing. I liked his New Jack match from a few years ago too. I think he made my top 100 in 2012 or something. I'm willing to give him a little deeper of a look. His selling and brawling is pretty awesome from what I've seen.

[WingedEagle]

It seems like there are a handful of Necro matches people tout. Maybe 5-7. Are there other standouts? Joe, Super Dragon, Ki, a couple others cited in the thread so I'm curious if he's ranking for people on the basis of top-shelf material or if there's a greater depth supporting it.

[Jetlag]

I don't have as good of a grasp on Necro's career as I would like to have. His fame really exploded with the Joe match. I have a hard time pin pointing when exactly he transformed from an average deathmatch guy into a fun deathmatch guy and then into the transcendent character that is Necro. I have only seen bits and pieces from that period, altough I was watching his stuff in real time from around 2005 or 2006 onwards. He's had a real incredible career and is so consistent I wouldn't be surprised if he's had hundreds of good little matches doing random deathmatch tournaments and tiny throwaway indy shows that were put on Smart Mark DVD. He has also found the weirdest succesful formula for getting booked into dream matches as he has matches against indy top stars aswell as legends such as Kevin Suvillan, 2 Cold Scorpio or Dan Severn. On the other hand, after 2007 RoH puts a hole into his career and after 2010 he isn't the same anymore.

 

25 Not So Hyped Necro Butcher Matches that deserve a little hype

 

1. Necro Butcher vs. Toby Klein, IWA MS King of the Deathmatches 2003

A short awesome little brawl where they smash eachother with foreign objects. Match feels like a fight and avoids the staged violence that these deathmatches sometimes have.

 

2. Necro Butcher vs. Toby Klein, IWA MS King of the Deathmatches 2004

I think this was the match that really put Necro on the map in the first place. It should have put Klein on the map too because that guy was an underrated talent who could actually wrestle in a more traditional way. Anyways they kill eachother for 18 minutes straight in a seedy arena with all kinds of garbage laying around a handful of people watching. The big spots here feel closer to AJPW apron death bumps, rather than WWF TV ladder match death bumps, if that makes sense. Really grizzly imagery here.

 

3. Necro Butcher vs. The Green Phantom (CZW 7/24/04)

This is like the best possible 1st round deathmatch tournament match. Green Phantom is the first in a collection of bizarre Necro opponents to have their career match against him, a canadian comedy slash garbage wrestler who used to do Hulk Hogan impression promos. This feels like a total fight and it's awesome.

 

4. Necro Butcher vs. Tank, IWA DS King of the Deathmatches 2005

When I first watched this I would have never ever believed that both these guys would 10 years later be nominated for a spot on a List of the Greatest Wrestlers Ever. Regardless due to who is involved this is a pretty fun lighttubes deathmatch and a satisfying tournament finale.

 

5. Necro Butcher & Toby Klein vs. H8 Club (CZW 6/11/05)

I think this match actually has a fair bit of hype... this is an all out brawl and far better than a H8 Club match has any right to be.

 

6. Necro Butcher vs. Eddie Kingston (CZW 10/14/2006)

These two guys have a bunch of matches, I assume they are all atleast good. This match was after the Necro vs. Joe formula had been established, so promoters were eager to book Necro into matches vs. straight wrestlers where he would get killed. Kingston is a guy who can kick ass and he gets to look great in the process. Also, this match has one of the more stupid Necro bumps, where he takes a Steve Williams Backdrop driver on the steel ring steps.

 

7. Necro Butcher vs. Yoshiaki Yago (Chikara 2/26/06)

This a great example of Necro working his magic. Yago is a japanese nobody who comes over with fellow nobody MIYAWAKI to work Chikara. Necro allows Yago to look like a total killer in this match by letting Yago hit him full force with kicks and punches. I remember some part on the web was really buzzing with hype for Yoshiaki Yago after his Chikara appearance and this match was a big part of that.

 

8. American Dragon Brian Danielson/Samoa Joe/B.J. Whitmer/Adam Pearce/Ace Steele/Homicide v. Nate Webb/Chris Hero/Claudio Castognoli/Necro Butcher/Eddie Kingston (ROH 7/15/2006)

This is the climax of the RoH vs. CZW feud... a great War Games style match and Necro looks like a star here.

 

9. Necro Butcher vs. Jay Briscoe (RoH ????)

They had several matches. I remember Necro being barefoot and doing some spots with barbed wire involving that... this is along with the Homicide match the only really good thing to come out of Necro's RoH stint. Jay Briscoe is a perfect suit.

 

10. Necro Butcher vs Brain Damage IWA EC Masters of Pain 2007

Brain Damage is another guy who got really over through Necro because Necro was willing to let him punch him full force in the jaw. This is a double hell barbedwire match where they really work way too hard for a first round match.. it's a very good deathmatch though.

 

11. Necro Butcher vs. Masada (IWA-MS vs. ACW Joint Show 4/22/07)

Masada is the next nobody who gets to reach some fame and later a big push through a standout match with Necro. I haven't seen this since it first happened so I dunno if it holds up, but the atmosphere (match takes place in a literal bar) and there's a few memorable spots. I also think around this time Necro was trying to turn his Small Package into a finisher.

 

12. Necro Butcher vs. Davey Richards (IWA-MS 8/4/07)

Never actually seen this, but I've heard people calling it Necro's master carryjob, so it's listworthy.

 

13. Necro Butcher & Mad Man Pondo vs. Briscoe Brothers (FIP 4/21/2007)

This is an awesome out of control brawl. Also, FIP is a fed that normally ran family friendly shows, so this sticks out like sore thumb, as you get kids in the audience looking shocked by the carnage while edgy teens cheer them on. Necro vs. Briscoes is a feud that would have fit right into the 80s.

 

14. Necro Butcher vs. Bryan Danielson (PWG 7/29/2007)

This is the match Necro talks about in his shoot where he thought Super Dragon had sent Danielson to stretch and stiff him, so Necro was hitting double hard here in the first place. Don't think that's actually true, but it's a great little bloody brawl with a great finish where Danielson elbows the maniac into oblivion.

 

15. Necro Butcher vs. Nigel McGuinness (PWG 9/2/2007)

Another good brawl against an RoH superstar. This was before every PWG match went 20+ minutes, and happened in the middle of the big workrate BOLA tournament to give all the spotty guys on the show a breather.

 

16. Necro Butcher vs. Chris Hero (PWG 1/11/2008)

Chris Hero debuts his new, super goofy look and "Young Knockout Kid" gimmick, and the crowd gleefully cheers as Necro murders him for it. This is when PWG discovered it's love for overbording epics so it goes 10-15 minutes too long, but it's a damn good match regardless, as Chris Hero is an underrated brawler.

 

17. Necro Butcher vs. Predator (IGF 11/24/2008)

Necro faces fake Brody and this is a better brawl than pretty much any Brody singles you're gonna find.

 

18. Necro Butcher vs. Bill the Butcher (IWA MS 1/3/2009)

Bill the Butcher was a guy with a great look that IWA MS had some hopes for at the time. Necro again in his role of getting a new guy over and this wouldn't have looked out of place on an 80s card. Freakish looking guys going at it.

 

19. Necro Butcher vs. Bull Pain (IWA MS 6/3/2009)

Main event of the first day of a deathmatch tournament. Bull Pain is an old vet and knows how to make stuff not only painful but also meaningful and is a good heel, so this is quality brawl.

 

20. Necro Butcher vs. Minowaman (IGF 2/22/2010)

Minowaman is a crazy MMA fighter who wants to play Pro Wrestler. Necro carries this guy to an awesome blood drenched 10 minute fight.

 

21. Necro Butcher vs. Yoshihito Sasaki (BJW 6/25/2010)

For some reason, Necro's matches in BJW don't come across as so out of control and reckless. This is still a pretty good match against one of the better japanese hard hitting indy heavyweights.

 

23. Necro Butcher & Yuko Miyamoto vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Kantaro Hoshino (6/27/2010)

Necro takes one of the dumbest bumps in his career. After that the match is about Necro's great selling of his broken leg (well may have been legit), where he must save his partner. Kind of channeling Terry Funk in this one with a 20 feet drop added to it.

 

24. Necro Butcher vs. Matt Tremont (CZW 6/25/2011)

Necro faces an actually talented young deathmatch guy and this is another great first round tournament match. Kind of a passing of the torch as Necro's body was really shot at this point.

 

25. Necro Butcher vs. Vader (PWS 4/14/2012)

We all got stupidly excited when this was announced. This is a squash but a very fun squash.

 

Summary: I think it's very clear that besides the high end stuff, Necro has more than enough to pad out his resume. He has his formulas that he can stick anyone into and produce a compelling match that is very remarkable. Still unsure if he belongs on my list personally, but I wouldn't argue with anyone who ranks him very high

[Dylan Waco]

I would add a few others matches of note include the Kevin Sullivan brawl which is not a great match, but a fun example of Necro going to war with another famous brawler who is really more mystique than ability and having a fun match, and the New Jack retirement match from PWS which has got to be the best New Jack singles match of all time by a wide margin.

 

Necro is a tough one for me because I find bad Necro to be absolutely unwatchable and depressing. I can't deny his all time great matches, or his aura, but I'm not sure he has the consistency I ideally want out of a top 100 candidate, and his duration of quality is limited. It's possible he has more years as a middling-to-poor worker than he does a great one, but I also think as a big match worker he is better than a lot of people who I will absolutely rate. He also is one of maybe two or three indie guys from the last fifteen years who I think has a transcendent quality to his best work.

 

He would absolutely make my top 10 indie guys of the last fifteen years, but not top five. I have room for five indie guys on my ballot, maybe even a few more, but not ten. So Necro is right on the bubble.

[Childs]

He also had a terrific match with Sami Callihan in IWA-MS in 2008.

[WingedEagle]

How much of his work is crazy brawling as opposed to death match stuff, with which I associate light tubes, glass panes or similarly homicidal foreign objects? Could be completely off base there but my impression has been he primarily works in that sphere and am curious if that's accurate. If not, definitely someone to look into more down the road.

[JRGoldman]

I would add a few others matches of note include the Kevin Sullivan brawl which is not a great match, but a fun example of Necro going to war with another famous brawler who is really more mystique than ability and having a fun match, and the New Jack retirement match from PWS which has got to be the best New Jack singles match of all time by a wide margin.

 

Necro is a tough one for me because I find bad Necro to be absolutely unwatchable and depressing. I can't deny his all time great matches, or his aura, but I'm not sure he has the consistency I ideally want out of a top 100 candidate, and his duration of quality is limited. It's possible he has more years as a middling-to-poor worker than he does a great one, but I also think as a big match worker he is better than a lot of people who I will absolutely rate. He also is one of maybe two or three indie guys from the last fifteen years who I think has a transcendent quality to his best work.

 

He would absolutely make my top 10 indie guys of the last fifteen years, but not top five. I have room for five indie guys on my ballot, maybe even a few more, but not ten. So Necro is right on the bubble.

 

I think that the variance in quality is a fair criticism of Necro Butcher, but I think that is also a fair criticism of a ton of other performers who will finish higher than him overall. There are a lot of wrestlers who have substantial down periods to their careers that are not discussed proportionally to the work that we view as transcendent.

[Dylan Waco]

I don't think that's wrong, but I'd like you to name names for comparison sake if nothing else.

[Jetlag]

Of the matches I listed above, only about 7 are lighttubes and barbedwire etc. deathmatches. Like I said, after the Joe match people got hip to Necro vs. regular wrestler matches, in regular matches. Those matches usually have hard hitting and stuff like bumps into chairs, tables or on the floor, but nothing more over the top than, say, ECW. Also, usually the matches are closer to something like a Tupelo Brawl and not like contrived spotfests. But part of his case absolutely rests on his deathmatch work, and is also hurt by some of his deathmatches being listless.

[WingedEagle]

Fair enough, will limit it to the post-Joe stuff. No appetite for the snuff film tributes.

[Childs]

Death matches stopped being his bread and butter around 2005. So yeah, he has a significant body of work outside that realm.

[Bierschwale]

I'm not sure that I'm capable of talking about that Minowa match enough. It is a masterful performance.

[Phil Schneider]

The Necro Butcher/Brodie Lee tags in JAPW were really great too, basically like new age Moondogs brawls

[NotJayTabb]

I had Necro in the 60-70 slots last time. I think he'll drop a bit this time, but I still think he'll be in my list. His rep has taken a bit of a hit in the last 5 years, partly due to his bad politics and partly due to that SHLAK match where he looked like a mummified corpse, but prime Necro had an aura like few others. I think his work has stood up better than a lot of 00s indie workers, his brawling still looks great, his selling is still surprisingly sympathetic, and his ability to turn his strengths to both deathmatch and non-deathmatch bouts gives him a bit of range. 

[Phil Schneider]

That SHLAK match hurting him would be like rating Negro Navarro poorly because he has begun to slow down in his 70s. I mean Necro isn't in his 70s, but he basically is. Also I actually thought that SHLAK match had some real moment of smart work, especially considering how awful SHLAK is and how physically limited Necro is. I am not going to rank Dynamite Kid but it isn't because of that MPRO match.

[Rah]

Navarro is a weird beast - he was still doing Vale Tudo as of 2 years ago (and won!). I'd guess a better lucha comparison would be Sangre Chicana - godlike highs but his last few years are woeful. His caballera match with Satanico in 2019 (his retirement match) is depressing to watch as he is so immobile. I think it's also a Mexican mirror to SHLAK/Necro as its equally/more so incredibly worked for who's in the ring. That said, it would be a crime not to rate him, and rate him highly. Much the same as Necro. Their peaks are too high to ignore but that tailend of their career exists and its bad.

If they had retired at the right time they'd be slam-dunks, but that footage exists and I'm not sure what to do with that.