SLAMMIN – Maladroit
Saturday 5th June 2004
The Dome, Morecambe
Kurt Angle Vs Rhino
WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE:
Brian Kendrick Vs Billy Kidman
TAG TEAM BATTLE ROYALE:
Last Surviving Team gets World Title shot at Heat Wave!
Participants – Alias Storm & Haas, Matt Hardy & Jay Reso, The APA,
Jeff Jarrett & Bill DeMott, Tajiri & Funaki, Positive Role Models,
Ashten Drake & Mathuras, Ultimo Dragon & Koji Kanemento
Sean O’Haire Vs Mark Jindrak
(The Debut Of) “The Phenomenon” Paul Wardle Vs Jamie Knoble
review;
1) O’Haire Vs Jindrak ( * * ¾ ) – Oh how the mighty fall; once upon a time these two were on the fast-track to potential glory but these days they are just another pair of decent mid-card prospects waiting for that glorious opportunity. This was decent enough fare, but lacked a bit of the intensity that might have made it stand out. Still, O’Haire’s match winning Shawn-ton bomb was as impressive as ever and both showed glimpses that they may one day climb to the top of the ladder.
2) Wardle Vs Knoble ( * * ½ ) – Another Slammin, and another debut for an HWA alumni. “The Phenomenon” promo’s over the last month or so have been entertaining stuff, and Wardle’s pre-match promo was funny too. The match itself was a reasonable effort, with Knoble being allowed just enough offence to test Wardle without ever having him in serious danger. Wardle took the win with the “Awe-dacious” and for a first match in the big time he will have left the fans with a reasonable impression of his talents.
3) Tag Team Battle Royale ( * ¼ ) - As if the tag team situation isn’t uninspiring enough (nothing against the tag champs Edge & RVD but their transparent reign as a team to lead to their inevitable feud is doing no-one any favours) the best way that the IWF can come up with to crown number one contenders is this Battle Royale with half the participants about as over Vinnie Deal. The men tried their best but be clear, this sucked. The sheer apathy when Ashten Drake & Mathuras ended up the winners said it all. ORDER OF ELIMINATION; i) Ron Simmons (Matt Hardy); ii) Koji Kanemento (Ashten Drake); iii) Funaki (Steve Corino); iv) Jay Reso (Charles Haas); v) Lance Storm (Dash Riprock); vi) Bill DeMott (Corino); vii) Riprock (Mathuras).
4) Kendrick Vs Kidman ( * * * ) – Time to get the card back on track? Well to a certain extent yes, but time constraints really held this one back. For all the hoo-hah about getting serious with the Cruiserweight division, it’s still treated as a mid-card distraction rather than a genuine attraction. But the two did their best (especially Kendrick, who seems to be on a single handed mission to sustain any heel heat in the Cruiserweight division) and tossed together some exciting stuff, which finally came to a conclusion when Kendrick hit Kidman with the Sliced Bread to get the pinfall victory, which retained him his title.
5) Angle Vs Rhino ( * * * * ) – Well at least the main event ended the show on a high note. These two have always seemed well matched in the ring, and this proved to be no exception as the two went at it with a fury for nigh on 15 minutes of top quality action. This was back and forth all the way (with Angle being his usual selfless self) and the “anybody’s match” scenario really did boost the atmosphere. And the atmosphere turned up another notch when Eddy Guerrero made his way to the ring, and true to his Latino Heat form his distraction cost Angle the match (and the referee never saw a thing) and Rhino got the surprising victory. After the match Angle had a temper tantrum whilst Eddy just laughed.
A decent Slammin overall, albeit one which will only ever be remembered for the main event. Angle and Rhino put on a great display and one that was truly worthy of its status. The rest of the card was entertaining enough without ever being particularly great and only the tag team battle royale was a complete waste of time, but that was more the fault of the bookers than the actual workers involved. If you didn’t catch it live then borrow the video off your mate, but don’t be tempted to buy the event when they release it on DVD .
