Wresting is Art “Impression” Review

I stated in my previous review that I was anticipating the second weekend of “Wrestling is Art” because I thought the first one had a lot of quality wrestling on it. I was a bit more concerned with this card because not much had been announced, but the few matches advertised did look promising, so I went in hoping for the best.

The opening match was the one I was most looking forward to. Jaka vs. AR Fox was exactly the power and strikes vs. speed and agility contest I wanted to see. Both guys bust their humps in every match and this match was no different. Jaka targeted Fox’s back while Fox snuck in a kick and a flip wherever he found the opportunity. He even withstood Jaka’s double choke bomb, which Jaka won with the previous evening. Jaka went for a Superfly splash and missed, allowing Fox to hit a 450 splash to earn the victory. I liked this finish because it was foreshadowed earlier. Sidney Bakabella called “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka a Jaka knockoff, then was whisked away due to a signal on his beeper (yes, he had a real life beeper with him in 2013) which also meant that we were going to get a clean finish. When you have guys like Jaka and Fox, you don’t want to cheat the fans with nonsense, so getting rid of Bakabella in this manor was clever and the best practice.

On the Wrestling is Art show from the previous evening, I said that I liked the Batiri’s team work against the Devastation Corporation. They picked apart Smashmaster’s knee and made that the crux of their offense. They deserve that same compliment tonight for how well they went after The Estonian Thunderfrog’s stomach. The majority of their offense was centered on that and came back in the end to earn them the victory. They also had a segment of the match where the Lithuanian Snow Troll dragged the Batiri and referee underneath the ring to add some humor into the bout. Nevertheless, all the work put into the Thunderfrog’s ribs came back and paid off in the finish. They also teased the move that would take the Troll out of the equation (a waterwheel slam into a knee strike) very early on. Between this match and the bouts they have had in “Wrestling is Fun!”, these two factions have good chemistry with one another. They know how to have the right amounts of wrestling and comedy in each of their bouts.

Unfortunately the third member of the Batiri, Kobald, had no such luck. He faced Anthony Stone who I enjoy watching and actually had an encounter with Kobald last summer during the Young Lions Cup tournament. This match here was pretty mindless. Strikes, stuff on the floor, no rhyme, reason or flow to it. Ending the match by having Kobald pin Stone with a backslide with his feet on the ropes. Stone had such a great match with O’Rourke the night before that it was a shame to see him in a contest like this. It wasn’t terrible, but utterly pointless and a waste of both participants time.

Green Ant and Drew Gulak put on a masterful mat classic. They’re two of my favorite guys when put in this type of environment. The counter wrestling, the mat work, it’s all such a treat to watch. Gulak had a great match with Mike Quackenbush in the first set of “Wrestling is Art” shows and here he delivered something similar. Both guys took the route of going after each others’ leg. Being as smart as they are, both guys would lunge to the ropes to break the submissions as quickly as possible. In the end, a double cradle led to what looked to be an inconclusive finish. The referee rewarded it to Green Ant. Although he was the victor, Green Ant (and Gulak) were dissatisfied with the finish and decided to re-start the match. Once more both guys went after each others legs. This time it was Gulak who caught Green Ant in a cradle to get the pin, technically sending each man home with a win over one another. A rubber match seems imminent and I for one am all for it. I hope more competitors like them are brought in to have similar matches. For example, Cabana vs. Gulak would be a real treat. These segments together equaled what would end up being the match of the night.

Right after this we had two inconsequential matches. The Devastation Corporation killed two jobbers named Captain and Tenille. Not much else to say there. Jigsaw, Juan Franscisco de Coronado, and Brian Fury had a match that was exactly what you would expect. Jigsaw and Coronado were partners against Fury, then enemies, then Coronado’s manservant Herbert helped him get the pin on Fury. Nobody advanced forward and nobody looked worse than they did before going into the match.

The main event I thought was going to end the show on a high note. Funaki took on Francis O’Rourke, who actually trained with Funaki for a period of time in Texas. This is in addition to O’Rourke’s tutelage under Lance Storm. I was really pleased because O’Rourke took most of the match. He should have. He’s the regular in Wrestling Is while Funaki is the special guest. The problem is, he had to utilize a low blow and grab Funaki’s tights to get the win, so how many favors does that do him? Should he not have been able to win clean after controlling so much of the match? The match was still good but not as good as I hoped or wanted. Honestly there wasn’t much to sink your teeth into or to remember once it was over either. Of all the matches over this weekend, this was my biggest disappointment.

Overall: This was a slight step down from the previous evening’s show and a big step down from the first Wrestling is Art weekend. Jaka vs. Fox and Gulak vs. Green Ant matches are the only two worth your time, so you can make the call whether those two matches are worth your $5 alone. Honestly the quality of them is enough to give the show a thumbs in the middle. Hopefully Wrestling is Art can capture the magic their first weekend had again.

For the low price of just $4.99, you can purchase the show on mp4 from Smart Mark Video or stream it on SMVOD.

For more information on Wresting is Art, visit their website and follow them on Twitter. Also check out my “Wrestling Is” Tumblr for information on all the Wrestling Is companies, which is also siphoned through the CHIKARA Special Twitter.

Results/Match times/Ratings

1. AR Fox defeats Jaka with a 450 splash at 11:14. ***

2. The Batiri (Obariyon & Kodama) defeat The Baltic Siege (The Estonian Thunderfrog & Lithuanian Snow Troll) with the Skull Bronzing on Thunderfrog at 11:17. **¾

3. Kobald backslides Anthony Stone with his feet on the ropes for the pin at 11:44. **

4. Green Ant is declared the winner over Drew Gulak with a indecisive small package at 16:35. The match is re-started as both men are dissatisfied with the finish.

5. Drew Gulak catches Green Ant with a cradle at 3:30. ***½

6. The Devastation Corporation (Max Smashmaster & Blaster McMassive) squashed The Captain and Tenille in 1:07. McMassive chokeslammed The Captain and Smashmaster powerbombed Tenille on top of them. McMassive pinned them both. ¼*

7. Juan Francisco de Coronado was victorious over Brian Fury and Jigsaw when he rolled up Fury at 6:37. *½

8. Francis O’Rourke low blows Funaki and rolls him up for the pin while holding the tights for the pin at 11:09. **¾