Playboy Tripp, L.A. Stephens & Canadian Assassin vs Malaki, Seymour Snott & Johnny Blaze. Snott asks the Assassin what part of Canada he's really from and Canuck has no real good answer for that. After mucho stalling, finally Malaki and Tripp start. Malaki powers him and Tripp pretty much stumbles around until tags are made to Blaze and Stephens. Malaki is acting very Otto Schwanz-ish tonight. Blaze uses a lot of punches and not much else before Assassin tags in. Seymour gets the tag , as does Tripp, who goes to the middle turnbuckle with a fistdrop for two. Snott tries to implore some psychology but it's a lost cause. Stephens tags back in and the pseudo-heels work over Snott until he makes a barely room temperature tag to Malaki. Malaki and Blaze place Assassin on their shoulders and Snott comes off the top with a cross bodyblock for the merciful pin. Malaki and Blaze have definite potential and Snott is actually quite good, but match was a cluster. DUD
NiteStic Eddie Brown and Otto Schwanz are out for a promo where NiteStic voices some displeasures over being a lame-duck champion and says there is no one crazy enough to challenge him for the title. Schwanz runs down a very long list of his accomplishments and eventually answers the challenge, before engaging in a brief pullapart. Promo was actually pretty good, although having no real point other than to stroke Otto.
J.T. Sparxx vs Cham Pain. That annoying HYP manager cuts a promo before the match, mentioning that people see Sparxx as the weak link and insisting that any old timer come out and face them. Cue the Extreme Lucha Icon, who retorts with a promo of his own. Armbar exchanges and Pain gets a headlock, chain wrestling follows with Pain getting the upper-hand until a manager trip and double team occurs. Manager interference leads to a DDT from Sparxx. Clothesline and an arrogant cover from Sparxx, followed by choking against the middle rope. Pain rolls through a slam and gets a cradle for a nice hope spot. Double cross-bodyblocks takes both guys down but Sparxx gets a belly-to-belly and top-rope headbutt for nearfalls. Pain gets a flying bodypress but Sparxx rolls through for two. Manager interferes again and takes a full nelson-into-a-stunner from Pain, who counters a slam attempt with the Painkiller for the three count. Perfectly acceptable wrestling, **1/2
Commish Cross introduces Mikael Yamaha, who promises he'll be back in action next month. Statmark plays with the zoom to demonstrate just how serious Yamaha is. Fine promo.
GeeStar & Corey Edsel vs Gemini Kid & Amber Holly. More HYP, baybee! Corey looks entirely too much like a babyface when clean-shaven. The guys start with waistlock takedowns and reversals until Kid works the leg. Edsel takes the upperhand and they tag the chicks in. Gee works the arm until Amber goes behind and uses the hair for a takedown. Clotheslines and a powder as Edsel comes in and takes some cutesy offense from Holly. Gemini tags back in and goes back to the leg. Shining wizaaarrrrd is blocked by Edsel, clothesline blocked by Gemini, cross-armbreaker from Kid but Edsel goes to the eyes and hits a shining enziguri for two. Gemini gets some rollups and stuff for two before Edsel misses a kneedrop and takes a Shining. Gemini goes up top but gets powerbombed off the top (!) and Edsel tags in Gee, who works the knee but misses an avalanche and Amber tags in. Tide turns a couple of times, with Gee going for a Boston crab but getting rolled into an ankle lock. Gee goes back to the injured knee of Holly and then tags in Corey, who dominates and catches a cross body until Gemini takes his leg out from under him. Double tags and Corey cuts a complete 360 off a dropkick to the knee. Annoying manager with cookie sheet strikes Gemini in the back of the head and Edsel gets an avalanche brainbuster for the pin. Hard to be objective, but I'd go **3/4 minimum.
Babyface Schwanz vs Heavyweight Champion NiteStic Eddie Brown. Schwanz works a sideheadlock for a couple of minutes then and armbar, top wristlock and hammerlock. Brown gets his own hammerlock but gets run out of the ring. Big clothesline and reverse neckbreaker followed by charge into the corner from Schwanz, they take it the floor with Stic getting some offense but Schwanz nails the big splash for two. DDT from Stic and an Otto-esque series of headbutts. Stic chinlocks Otto as the fans rally and he powers out but eats a spinkick for two. Vertical suplex is countered and Otto gets a belly-to-back. Clotheslines, big boot and stomps from the challenger as Eddie resorts to a shot with the 'stick but that gets two. NiteStic comes off the ropes but Otto scores a powerslam and the title. Nothing wrong with this one, **1/2
Main Attraction vs Tag Champions $outh$ide Playas. Quick MA thoughts: Christopher Steele's got a ton of charisma and maybe it's just me, but Scott Powers reminds me a lot of Terry Gordy. Playas take a looong time to get to the ring. Finally Cash and Steele start, with some counter-reversal spots not quite up to the level of Van Dam/Lynn. Japanese armdrag from Cash that was ALL Steele and Steele eventually gets dropkicked into his partner, taking him down, before Money sails in with a beautiful top-rope missile dropkick. Double tags and Powers, well, powers Money for a while, but Money pulls out a nice frankensteiner to take the advantage. Double dropkick from both Playas an axe kick from Cash before Steele tags in and Money takes the heat. No, really, he does. Wheelbarrel double-team gets two as does a double-team hip toss. Lukewarm tag to Cash and the Cash legdrop gets two. Neckbreaker from Steele and a top-rope forearm drop. Tag to Powers, who takes a nifty spot from Cash in the corner, kind of a senton, then a springboard, then a back senton. Tag back into Money and the Brick-City High gets two. Steele tags in, Samoan drops and hits a pretty top-rope moonsault. Money goes up top but gets flapjacked. MA make quick tags and Powers misses a fucking gorgeous top-rope elbow, leading to double-tags. Clothesline over the top to Steele, tilt-a-whirl on Cash, DDT on Powers and everyone is down. 3-P on Powers but he kicks out. Cool fireman's carry/neckbreaker combo from MA. Significantly less than fucking beautiful clothesline from Powers on Money followed by a lame belt shot for the pin to give the belts to Main Attraction. Good, not great match, but enough to make me want to see more of Steele and Powers. **. Heel beatdown follows until Sweet Diddy makes the save and Cash cuts a rambling promo that wasn't necessary at all with the show already running long.
Sexton Tyler vs. Ric muthafuckin' Converse. Strap is on the line and your referee is HYP sympathizer Charles Richardson. These two absolutely stole the first show they were on, just for the record. Ric starts off with shoulderblocks and a back elbow into the corner but gets hiptossed, Sexton walks the ropes and takes him down as HYP regroups on the outside. Headlock takedown from Tyler but he gets tripped up and Ric hits a nice side suplex and a near chinlock with forearms. Jawbreaker counters and they fight their way up, including a leaping leg lariat from Tyler. Hiptoss blocked by Ric with a swinging neckbreaker. Snap suplex and choke against the ropes as K gets a little bit involved. Ric charges the corner but takes the Shane Helms flying neckbreaker. He regroups and gets a Dragon Sleeper that gets reversed. Ric breaks it and stomps away. We go back to choking against the ropes but Tyler gets in an inside cradle for two. Backslide for two. La magistal cradle for two. Finally Ric cuts him off. Simultaneous cross-bodyblocks with both guys moving pretty fast takes both men down. Foot gets caught and Tyler hits the Sexplex but ref Richardson goes down. K gets involved with a chain, but the ref is still down. Ric wants to finish the job and annoying manager with cookie sheet strikes again, but this time Sexton moves and he nails his own man. Tyler quickly rolls him up and head referee Vern Stephens slides in for the three count as the roof nearly blows off the place. Really good. ***
Afterwards, babyfaces attack annoying manager and announce that at the next show, he'll be in a small cage at ringside during all of HYP's matches.
Final analysis: Definite thumbs up, buy the tape and buy it quickly, Grant's got gimmicks to pay for. :-p