The Wrestling Society Xperience - WSX Episode Nine (3/14/07)
A small doggie and an excellent main event highlight the final episode to air on MTV!
Wrestling Society X - Episode Nine
Good day!
We've arrived at the penultimate episode of the Little Promotion That Blew Stuff Up. As discussed before, this was the final episode to actually air on Music Television, as Episode 9 caps off the season finale marathon. Luckily, Episode 10 was included in the DVD release, so you won’t be deprived of the full oeuvre of Wrestling Society X. We’re getting down to the end, folks.
Luckily, I have a new project coming up right after this, so Ryan’s Reviews will continue chugging along.
Be on the lookout for Ryan Navigates ‘90 after The Wrestling Society Xperience wraps up!
Bret Ernst and Kris Kloss welcome us to another episode as we get clips of last week’s big title match between Vampiro and Ricky Banderas. Rapper Styles P joins the boys on commentary.
Arik Cannon & Vic Grimes vs. Luke Hawx & Alkatrazz
This came about as a result of a backstage confrontation between these two duos last week. I know I groaned about this in the last article, but I’ve always enjoyed Cannon in other promotions, and Hawxatrazz is a perfectly serviceable undercard heel unit. I also like the simple booking: skinny guy calls bald psychopath a fatass, everybody gets into a row, and BOOM, here’s the match.
Styles P notes that Grimes is very, very big.
Hawx gets some early chops on Cannon, but The Anarchist fights back with some neckbreakers. Grimey tags in and levels Hawx with one blow, but Luke comes back with a flying headscissors. Alakazam tags in for a big boy staredown, but Vic hits a facebuster and gets a ROPEWALK into a legdrop on Trazzy’s arm! Those ring ropes are made of truly stern stuff.
Cannon tags in and gets immediately slammed by Alkatrazz. Hawx tags in, and soon gets hit with a double-team high-angle spinebuster by Grimes and Cannon. The big guys brawl on the floor while Hawx hits a Death Valley Driver on Cannon.
Grimes and Alkatrazz tease throwing each other into a bunch of light tubes that spell “WSX”, but Grimes ends up blindly charging into them! They explode, because it’s Wrestling Society X. The WSX Bunker™ is engulfed in a cloud of smoke and SPOOKY GAS.
Back in, Hawx and Alkatrazz hit a dropkick Doomsday Device on Cannon for the pin. Vic Grimes charging into the light tubes like a half-sedated rhinoceros is your Quiznos SLAMWICH OF THE NIGHT.
The Take: Excessively explosive finish aside, this didn’t do much for me at all.
The Vibes: Somewhat feeble.
Backstage, Lacey talks with Los Pochos Guapos. They are none too happy about The Cartel, and Aaron Aguilera challenges them to a PIRANHA DEATHMATCH! Whoa.
This is one half of a DOUBLE DEATHMATCH season finale next week. We’ll hear about the other half later.
I love this stupid company.
6-Pac vs. Scorpio Sky
The last time we saw 6-Pac, he was chatting with Lizzy Valentine after she had a spat with Matt Sydal over a letter. Methinks Mr. Waltman penned that particular correspondence. He’s back in regular gear after dressing like a 2007 nightclubber his last couple of appearances.
Sky assaults 6-Pac as he glides into the ring and quickly gets a dropkick, but an attempt at another one is met with a powerbomb. Pac resumes control with kicks and a Bronco Buster, and a spinning kick gets a two. Scorp quickly dodges a charging Pac, sending him hurtling out of the ring. Sky follows with a pescado, but Pac catches him with a kick on the way down, then crotches him against the ringpost. That’s just rude.
Pac misses a senton in the ring, and Sky follows up with some corner punches. 6-Pac uppercuts him in the yambag and lands a 6-Factor for the three (with a humping pin for good measure).
The Take: This was somewhat disappointing as this could have been a fairly decent back-and-forth match, but this was mostly a squash for 6-Pac.
The Vibes: Rather meagre.
Backstage, Lacey goes to interview Lizzy Valentine, her little doggie, and Matt Sydal.
Lacey asks about all the rumors with Lizzy and 6-Pac. Valentine vehemently denies the scuttlebutt and abruptly storms out. Sydal starts to discuss the letter with Lacey when the screen cuts away. The dog was the best actor of the whole bunch, but that adds to the idiotic charm of this storyline.
Human Tornado vs. Jack Evans
As we saw on WSXtra, the dance contest between the two ended in a draw, though I felt Evans handed Tornado his ass.
We get more dancing from both guys to kick things off, with Tornado serving Jack this time. Evans slaps him, then they exchange extremely creative reversals ending with a Tornado hook kick. Evans evades a back body drop and sends Tornado out of the ring with a dropkick. An attempted dive is dodged, but Evans gets a flying knee off the apron for a two-count as WRESTLING SOCIETY X ROLLS ON…
…and we’re back with clips of the action from the commercial break, with Evans hitting a big release German suplex and a standing twisting senton. We pick it up with Tornado landing a leaping tornado DDT, resulting in a Skyrim NPC-like bump from Evans, for two.
Evans soon hits a poison rana for another close near-fall, but Tornado dodges a lionsault phoenix splash! Tornado hits a series of backbreakers and applies a nasty dragon sleeper. Evans goes for the ropes, but Tornado pulls him away and hits a lifting backbreaker. Tornado applies another dragon sleeper, with a bodyscissors this time, but the bell rings!
Fabian Kaelin comes in and gleefully declares the match a time limit draw! Kaelin seems rather pleased with himself after making that announcement.
The Take: Despite the sudden ending, this was an awesome spotfest; definitely one of the best matches in the (admittedly limited) WSX pantheon. It didn’t have pyrotechnics or cheesy sound effects; it was simply a very exciting contest between two freakishly athletic workers. Tons of highspots, big bumps, and lively character work in the beginning really make this one stand out.
The ending seemed to plant seeds for a Fabian Kaelin heel turn that was meant to bear fruit in a second season. Of course, that didn’t end up happening.
The Vibes: Immaculate.
Backstage, Lacey hangs out with Matt Classic, marking a rare non-WSXtra appearance for the masked Colt Cabana. Sakoda whispers something into Classic’s ear, and he surrenders his interview time to Team Dragon Gate. Genki Horiguchi and Masato Yoshino cut a promo on The Filth & The Fury in Japanese.
Sakoda clarifies that Team Dragon Gate wishes to avenge their earlier loss to Teddy Hart & Matt Cross by challenging them to an EXPLODING CAGE TIME BOMB DEATHMATCH! This gives us the other half of our Double Deathmatch finale.
I’m starting to understand why MTV didn’t air that episode in the series-ending marathon.
NEXT TIME: WSXtra Episode 9, with Trailer Park Boyz vs. Keepin’ It Gangsta and That 70’s Team vs. D.I.F.H.!
Nice recap and analysis. It was fun to revisit this show with your post. I have the DVD collection from years back, and remember enjoying watching it, but never watched the show when it originally aired, or even knew about it at the time.