The Flying Hammerlock Video Review #34: Necro Vs. Joe II

 

Samoa Joe vs. Necro Butcher,  IWA Mid-South New Year's Resolution: Revenge!, Midlothian Park District Rec. Center, Midlothian, IL, January 12, 2006.
 

This, of course, is the rematch from their epic brawl at Something To Prove.  Bryce Remsburg is even the referee again.
 

We actually get proper intros for both guys.  (Joe was the NWA TNA X-Division Champion at the time.)   They circle each other a few times as the crowd alternates between chanting "Let's go Necro" and "Let's go Joe."  They get in each other's faces and Necro pushes Joe away.  Necro chops Joe twice but Joe no-sells them.  A third chop, and Joe doesn't sell that either.  Joe responds with some hard kicks to Necro's legs and chest.  Necro comes back and chops Joe again, still nothing.  Again.  Joe responds with some hard Toshiaki Kawada-style kicks to the face.  Joe runs off the ropes and hits a lariat that has no effect on Butcher.  Joe tries again and they clothesline each other, with neither man giving an inch.   Butcher runs off the ropes and tries something but Joe blocks it and takes Butcher down with a lariat.  Joe stomps Necro, who is face down on the mat, and kicks his arm.  Joe brings Butcher up to his feet and brings him to the corner and unleashes a fury of jabs and chops.  Joe and Butcher meet in the middle of the ring and exchange hard forearms.  Joe runs off the ropes and delivers another forearm.  Butcher then does the same.  Joe runs off the ropes but Butcher catches him.   Joe rolls out to the floor.  Necro follows and Joe catches him with a shot to the throat and slams him off the apron onto the floor and into the chairs. (No pretty blue mats here.)  Joe brings Butcher to his feet and hits him with a Backdrop Driver on the floor.  Joe tries to bring Necro up to his feet but settles for kicking him twice.   Joe gets Necro up and whips him through three rows of chairs.  Joe brings Necro to his feet and chops him. Another chop.   Then a series of Kenta Kobashi-style chops.  Joe walks away and runs for the ¡Olé! kick, but Necro throws a chair at him to stop it.   Necro grabs a chair and hits Joe with it.   Necro just starts throwing chairs at Joe with Joe covering up until Bryce grabs a chair out of Necro's hands.  Butcher grabs Bryce by the shirt and is looking to hit him but Joe makes the save with a chair to Necro's arm.  Then a second shot.  Then Joe sets up a chair and grabs Necro's arm and starts banging the arm against the chair.  Yes, psychology in a Necro Butcher match.   Joe kicks Necro.  Joe then sits Necro up, positions Necro's arm behind a chair and kicks the chair.   Necro punches Joe and Joe responds with more kicks.  Joe hooks Necro for a Vertical Suplex on the floor but Necro blocks it and hits one himself.   Joe is down on all fours and Necro is favoring his wrist.  Necro gives Joe a Junkyard Dog-style headbutt on the floor and Joe responds with one of his own.  They exchange headbutts and Joe wins, with Eddie Kingston saying, "You don't headbutt a Samoan."   Necro is still favoring his wrist and Joe brings him to his feet and walks him over to a different side of the ring and sends Necro face first into a chair.   Joe follows that with a hard forearm and an European Uppercut.   Then a big kick to the jaw to knock Necro face first onto the floor.  Joe rolls back into the ring as Bryce begins the count.  Necro somehow gets up and rolls back into the ring.  He's still holding the wrist and Joe stretches out the arm and drops a big knee on it.   Joe covers and gets 2.  Necro is on his knees and Joe punches him twice in the face.   Necro responds with some shots to Joe's stomach, foolishly using the same hand Joe had been working over all this time.   Joe responds with a punch to the head, knocking Necro down to the canvas.   Into the corner and Joe unleashes another flurry of hard punches.  Joe sets Necro on the top turnbuckle and goes for the Muscle Buster but Necro escapes and gets one of his finishers, the Asiatic Spike (thumb to the throat)!  Joe is going down but Chris Hero out of nowhere trips up Necro from the floor with a towel around Necro's ankle to break the hold.  Necro looks to be going after Hero but Hero backs away.  Joe gets back up and levels Necro with a big kick to the face and goes for the pin but only gets 2.  Back to their feet, and Joe unleashes more punches and chops.  Joe runs off the ropes but Necro ducks and gets the Asiatic Spike again.   Joe hiptosses his way out of the hold and hits a big running knee.   Joe sets Necro up on top again and this time hits the Muscle Buster and follows with the Coquina Clutch.   Necro hangs on but Bryce finally calls for the bell at 10:45.  ****

Really good, and surprisingly bloodless, brawl.   While there was no way that they were going to recapture the magic of their first match, this was still a good stiff hard-hitting match.  (For the record, Hero's interference led to promoter Ian Rotten setting up a "European Rules" match between Hero and Necro at IWA Mid-South No Retreat...No Surrender on January 21st, with the stipulation that if Necro won or survived it, Hero would have to face Necro in a Barroom Brawl match that same night.  Necro fought Hero to a 1-1 draw and won the Barroom Brawl match.  You can see that whole match here.)  This match is recommended and you can see it here.