2 Cold Scorpio Documentation Project #6

 

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Rob Van Dam, ECW 3/20/1998 - GREAT

This was apparently provided by RVDs personal channel, so thanks to Mr. Van Dam for providing the hidden gems. Really athletic match with a lot of heat garnering from Van Dam and Alfonso. RVD has a rep for super choreographed sequences but they largely avoided that here. Opening grappling was really good, with both guys having really good mat movements, Scorpio rips out a really fast Fujiwara Armbar and RVD has a super impressive bridge walkover, wish that section lasted longer. The Zbyszko stalling from RVD mixed with the athletic basic exchanges was really effective. Both guys bust out some impressive counter sequences, with Scorpios kicks looking especially awesome. Finishing run had some great old school junior moves like a huge back suplex off the top and a beastly powerbomb from Scorpio. Scorpio really wrestles with a ton of faith in the basic moves, like he comits to a basic mat return as much as he does to a plancha or twisting splash, and both look awesome and believable. It’s a nice change of pace from todays trained monkey show approach to this kind of wrestling. Some of the floor brawling was a bit listless and the finish was a run in, but a really cool match outside of that.

2 Cold Scorpio vs Paul Orndorff, WCW 5/18/1993 - GREAT

Wonderful TV match which was basic but executed amazingly. I think early 90s WCW is some of the best TV wrestling the US ever had, everything is nice and snug, and everyone is putting in the work. Orndorff really can work a basic wristlock even to perfection, and Scorpio is so good. All of Scorpios stuff really pops, yes he has the fancy high spots, but he makes even somtehing as basic as a crossbody look amazing. I also loved him throwing punches. Orndorff is really good, nothing fancy, but he knows how to be dominant so the crowd will be extra hot for all of Scorpios offense, and he looked mean as hell when he was attacking Scorpios riffs. Really simple classy match that had the crowd the whole time, down to the “Whoop there it is” chant and everyone jumping up and pointing fingers when Orndorff pulled a foreign object. Great stuff.

2 Cold Scorpio & Richard Slinger vs Akitoshi Saito & Makoto Hashi, NOAH 7/10/2004 - GREAT

Fuck yeah Scorpio and Slinger getting to tear it up in the dome for 15 minutes. This was mid paced, but had a ton of good shit in it. Namely from Slinger, who is really working hard in this match, busting out lots of awesome kicks. His pump kick in the corner is probably the best that move has looked, and his spin kicks were really cool. Scorpio was awesome here, he makes everything he does look so good, down to his great heavyweight flying, and uncorking some great strikes. It is telling that in a match with some great strikers in it Scorpio has the best looking strikes. His jumping knee nearly caved Hashis face in, and later he hits a picture perfect jumping face kick. I would’ve liked to see him go head to head with Saito a bit more, instead of having Hashi kick out of a bunch of offense, but Scorp and Saito wailing on each other early on was pretty cool too. In the end it was Slingers night and he made the most of it.

 

2 Cold Scorpio Documentation

2 Cold Scorpio Documentation Project #5

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Mitsuharu Misawa, NOAH 6/9/2001 - FUN

One of those short matches that was meant to showcase how much stronger Misawa is than the midcarders. For a 3 minute match Scorpio really gave Misawa some hellish chairshots and hit a cool punch combo on the floor. Effective for what it was, but you do wish they had done a bit more.

2 Cold Scorpio & Vader vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Izumida, NOAH 11/20/2002 - GREAT

Routine tag but with every part being extremely well executed, a testament to the skill of these guys. Scorpio vs. Misawa exchanges were brief but really good, I imagine if you edited all their 30 second exchanges they had in various multiman tags together you’d have an excellent singles match. Vader is great as a force that waltzes in and destroys people, and he and Scorp set each other up extremely well. There is a heat section on Izumida where you actually buy Izumida getting pinned before the hot tag, and the ending with Scorpio refusing to be a loss post is all kinds of fun.

2 Cold Scorpio & Vader vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Daisuke Ikeda, NOAH 12/2/2000 – FUN

Slower paced beginning here, which is good because it means we get Scorpio working segments with Ikeda and Misawa. You’re not sure how Scorpio would do with Ikeda but they mesh really well, with Scorp doing smooth movements and Ikeda kicking him really hard. I love how they played with averting the expectations of a heat section, and Vader continues to be awesome in these matches. Everytime he steps in and does something it feels like it could believably turn the match. Ikeda trading blows with Vader was also great. The match was cut short by Ikeda getting pinned early, but it was still a cool 8 minutes where every part was a hit.

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Satoru Asako, NOAH 11/4/2000 - GREAT

Extremely routine singles match, but every part was very well executed. Scorpios basic rope running and matwork looks really really good as always. Asako is one of the least talked about Japanese wrestlers ever, he’s not bad but he doesn’t do a ton to stand out either, that said if Bret Hart did the leg work segment Asako does here, hitting Scorp in the leg with the ring bell and then working him with a bunch of nice stretches, a lot of people would fawn. Scorp coming back with some well timed kicks while selling the leg was great. Good stuff that does as decent of a job of an opening match you can ask for.

 

2 Cold Scorpio Documentation Project Master List

2 Cold Scorpio Documentation Project #4

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Taz, ECW 1/10/1998 - GREAT

Cool TV match. Taz has his flaws, but the suplex and submission style is crazy over with me. This had a nice opening with both guys going to the mat and working some cool basic exchanges, with the ECW crowd showing an unusual appreciation for the mat stuff. They get more into ECWisms as they start brawling around the ring and smashing into chairs, but the finishing run was really nice with Taz busting out gnarly suplexes that Scorpio bumps huge for and Scorpio hitting some devastating highspots before a neat finish. A good night of work from Scorpio.

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, NOAH 11/5/2005 - GREAT

This was for NOAHs 'Hardcore Title'. Not a great title, but god damn this was Scorpio with his working boots on, and working boots Scorpio is amazing. He hits some cool punch combos, talks shit and really goes out of his way to make Kanemaru look amazing. I imagine Scorpio called the action because I don't recall many instances where Kanemaru looked as great as he did here, hitting some cool twisting headscissors before connecting with a huge dropkick to the outside and a big knee drop to the back of the head as Scorpio was dangling from the ramp. Scorps selling was pretty much masterful as he sold the fuck out of Kanemarus shitty low blows, to the point where even the crowd started giving a shit and caring for the possibility that Kanemaru might upset Scorpio and take that stupid belt. Even paying attention to the time limit rule in Hardcore title matches! The clothesline Scorp hit during the finishing stretch felt more important than a probably 99.9% of clotheslines ever thrown and Kanemura did something right by taking a hellacious bump for it. Really amazing what you can get when you let a guy like Scorpio do his thing.

 

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Go Shiozaki, NOAH 4/3/2005 - GREAT

Scorp leads Shiozaki through a really nice solid match. Really liked the opening hold exchanges, Scorpio feels so forceful  when he takes a guy down. Shiozaki was just doing basic stuff but that was alright. Loved Scorpio kneeing Shiozaki in the kidney and slapping him in the face to escalate the violence. We get some brutal kicks from Scorpio in this, some great jumping knees and big boots that left Shiozaki bleeding from the nose. Scorpio pin point punching a bleeding Shiozaki in the face was about as good as pro wrestling gets. Finish was somewhat routine, but you have to remember Shiozaki was a rookie at this point. It does make you wonder why they didn't let Scorpio do this kind of match more often because he looks great leading to a guy to a classy 15 minute bout. Certainly, Shiozaki might have turned into a good wrestler if they had let him wrestle Scorpio more often.

2 Cold Scorpio Documentation Project

2 Cold Scorpio Documentation Project #3

 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Dean Malenko, ECW 3/3/1995 - FUN

Cool houseshow match with Scorpio doing some more technical work. It's funny how you can watch a ton of wrestling and a random Scorpio houseshow match from 27 years ago has some stuff you've never seen. Really liked Scorpios kneedrops on Deans face too to break up the niceness of their wrestling. Malenko is bland but insanely crisp. His control segment was a bit trite, but I liked his big stomp to cut off Scorpio. Boring chants start to come up so Scorpio just punches back to offense and starts hitting his high spots to shut the crowd up. The timing on the time limit draw was really impressive as the bell rung just as Scorpio hit the moonsault and had Dean beaten, although it may have been worked time.

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Lord Steven Regal, WCW 7/27/1993 - GREAT

Regal trying to take Scorpio apart in a really technical manner for 10 minutes. Great stuff, and Scorpio can hang very well in this kind of mat based match. When Scorpio got the advantage, Regal just stomped on his face  and proceeded to grind him down even more viciously. Some great stretches and holds in this. Scorpio makes this big comeback with a great punch combo and starts blasting Regal with his supreme high spots just as the time runs out. Regal getting hit with a 450 splash in 1993 is something else, would he have thought that would happen within 5 years as Kendo Nagasaki put a spell on his partner in Britain in 1988? Really good match though.

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Minoru Suzuki, GCW 4/23/2022 - FUN

Fun veteran match. I enjoyed these two trading holds and wish they had done a bit more of that, and Scorpios awesome punch combo on the floor. Could have done with a bit less back and forth strike exchanges, but that is how these guys get their paycheck now, and Suzuki doing stares to get reactions is effective. Scorpios high kicks and splashes aren't as smooth as they used to be but still look good, and I didn't expect him to take a boot to the face from Minoru.

2 Cold Scorpio Documentation Master List

2 Cold Scorpio Documentation Project #2

 2 Cold Scorpio & Vader vs. Daisuke Ikeda & Takashi Sugiura, NOAH 10/16/2001 - GREAT

Scorpio and Vader had a great dynamic as a team. Scorpio the more elegant wrestler, while Vader is just this hulking beast. As partners they act as foils for each other in a really unique way. This went a little under 7 minutes, but it was laid out nearly perfectly. Everything Vader does looks like he‘s just killing dudes, bashing guys heads in with his arms, body checks that look like they run you over. The crowd even buys a basic back suplex from him as a nearfall. Between Scorpio and Vader laying guys you get some fun character moments from both of them. Ikeda and Sugiura are mostly blown away but they get in some good hopespots. I liked the brief Ikeda/Scorpio section a lot. Ikeda was teeing off on Scorpio with stiff lariats until Scorpio was able to get in some beautiful (probably much less painfull but still hurty looking) kicks. Finish was fun too as Vader randomly seemed to hurt his leg. It may have been a shoot but probably not because Vader kept working matches the next couple days, but it gave the illusion that Sugiura might come back against the monster. The match ended early like a few NOAH matches did back in the day, to remind the crowd that things are important. Not the epic you might hope for when you see Ikeda and Vader and Scorpio in a match but it was healthy booking and the match was still really cool without burying Ikeda and young boy Sugiura.

2 Cold Scorpio & Vader vs. Jun Akiyama & Akitoshi Saito, NOAH 10/19/2001 - GREAT

Another match with a really great layout. Basically Vader is this ridiculously overpowered, but slightly banged up monster. You buy that he can KO people with a random punch or clothesline, or that a random leglock from him might dislocate someones leg. At the same time he‘s vulnerable and you think a random leg kick from Saito might make him give out. Akiyama and Saito try to zone in on Scorpio, he‘s not really the weak link, he‘s just the only one there that they have a chance in hell against. Scorpio feeds really well into their stuff and also sets up Vaders monster spots extremely well while hitting some graceful offense of his own. But the whole match was basically about Vader being an unstoppable force, while Akiyama and Saito still get close to turning the tide. I imagine it‘s pretty difficult to work a match like this and make it compelling but they succeeded here. Great stuff, early NOAH was the best.

2 Cold Scorpio vs. The Goon, WWF 12/2/1996 - FUN

This was Scorpios WWF debut using the terrible Flash Funk gimmick. Nowadays I imagine a guy with spectacular highspots making his debut would just eat the other guy up busting out all his stuff, but here the Goon controls a bit while Scorpio gradually does his stuff. The Goon who looks like some bush league indy dude in his hockey gear has some fun brawling, a nice bump through the ropes and a really nice posting. And Scorpio was pretty much the most spectacular guy in the world in 1996, really busting out complicated dives and rollups on a different level. And because of the match layout he gets over as more than a highspot machine. Fun match despite the unfortunate gimmick.

2 Cold Scorpio Documentation Project 

2 Cold Scorpio Documentation #1

 

Fit Finlay vs. Too Cold Scorpio (CWA 11/27/1994) - EPIC

Scorpio is really a phenom. No matter the environment, he rules. This is all about Scorpio unloading his ridiculously high end flying offense and paying for it by clashing with the archaic euro rules. Finlay is at his usual heel game here, but the match is all about Scorp. Even with him rolling out high spots, there are fun bits of simple wrestling such as the spot where they struggle over a backslide as the crowd is roaring. This basically opens as a long Scorpio shine segment before Finlay takes out his leg. Finlay taking out a leg is fun and it sets up the great last round where Scorpio sells the fuck out of that leg. He hits a gorgeos moonsault and basically has Finlay beat but the rules won‘t allow it and he gets carded. Really dramatic and well executed stuff, and a very satisfying dream matchup.

 

Tamon Honda vs. 2 Cold Scorpio, NOAH 3/21/2003 - GREAT

This is a matchup you can‘t really wrap your brain around. Obviously both guys are good, but Honda is very different from Scorpios usual opponents. But they mesh really well. Scorpio is ultrasharp as usual, busting out some great looking strikes. Honda was great in the early minutes, constantly going for chokeholds and suplexes, which Scorpio sells great. You get the sense that Honda makes up for his lack of mobility by just glueing himself to his opponent. We get Scorpio working over Hondas leg, doing some cool sharp legwork and Honda having some great selling. Honda. Honda countering a superkick into the Olympic Hell was really choice, as was the finish. Short but good, and felt like it could end at any time.

2 Cold Scorpio Documentation

2 Cold Scorpio Documentation Project

 

2 Cold Scorpio is a wrestler everybody knows is awesome, but few can tell how awesome exactly. Most of that is due to his insanely extensive career that took him to all kinds of places, from Mexican organizations to German beer halls to all the major American organizations to Japanese indies, then NOAH and back to US indies. There are few wrestlers more deserving of an in-depth look at their careers so it's time to do it and scrape for hidden gems. As always matches are broken down into SKIPPABLE, FUN, GREAT and EPIC.

1993

vs. Paul Orndorff, WCW 5/18/1993 - GREAT

vs. Lord Steven Regal, WCW 7/27/1993 - GREAT

1994

vs. Fit Finlay, CWA 11/27/1994 - EPIC

1995

vs. Dean Malenko, ECW 3/3/1995 - FUN

1996

vs. Sabu, Tokyo Pro 8/25/1996 - EPIC

vs. The Goon, WWF 12/2/1996 - FUN

1998

vs. Taz, ECW 1/10/1998 - GREAT 

vs. Rob van Dam, ECW 3/20/1998 - GREAT

2000

vs. Satoru Asako, NOAH 11/4/2000 - GREAT

w Vader vs. Daisuke Ikeda & Mitsuharu Misawa, NOAH 12/2/2000 - FUN

2001

vs. Mitsuharu Misawa, NOAH 6/9/2001 - FUN

w Vader vs. Daisuke Ikeda & Takashi Sugiura, NOAH 10/17/2001 - GREAT

w Vader vs. Jun Akiyama & Akitoshi Saito, NOAH 10/19/2001 - GREAT

2002

w Vader vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Izumida, NOAH 11/20/2002 - GREAT

2003

vs. Tamon Honda, NOAH 3/31/2003 - GREAT

2004

w Richard Slinger vs Akitoshi Saito & Makoto Hashi, NOAH 7/10/2004 - GREAT

2005

vs. Go Shiozaki, NOAH 4/3/2005 - GREAT

vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, NOAH 11/5/2005 - GREAT

2022

vs. Minoru Suzuki, GCW 4/23/22 - FUN

Tokyo Pro 8/25/1996

 

TWA World Tag Challenger Team Decision Match: Yoji Anjo & Tiger Mask vs. Takashi Ishikawa & Yoshihiro Takayama

This was a fun match with everyone dishing out stiff shots and Anjoh making jokes. Takayama was wearing biker gloves for some reason, but other than that his exchanges with Anjoh and Tiger Mask were the highlight of the match. Tiger Mask works best against heavyweights because it adds some restraint to his work and Takayama forces him out of his usual spiel by not going along and making him actually hit the mat and work exchanges instead of just hitting his spots.

 

Sabu vs. Black Wazuma (2 Cold Scorpio)

Really good match which may be the best I've seen between the two. They start slow with a lot of matwork and cool rope running exchanges which added a ton to the build of the match. These two have wrestled each other many times especially on this tour but they did a good job making everything come together organically and not making the match look like an exhibition. Sabu hits a really nice low dropkick into a spin kick transition and I'm wondering when the hell did Sabu turn into a graceful junior wrestler but then he goes for a dive and Scorpio just hurls a chair into him and the match goes awry. They move into the spots and reversals you expect from a Sabu/Scorpio match. All the spots still look cool and everything made sense, the only minor upfuck was Sabu's slightly delayed bump on a headscissor. Sabu using the chair to crotch Scorp when he tried his extra flippy legdrop was a really smart spot to allow himself extra breathing space. I dug them going back to some cool mat stuff for a bit in the middle. Match went the right length. Feels weird how out of style Sabu worship is with the indy wrestlers of the last few years, I enjoyed this a lot.

 

NWA Light Heavyweight Title Match: El Dandy vs. Masao Orihara

Looking at this matchup taking place in a sleaze indy fed I was expecting a wild brawl but instead they stick to working a WCW Worldwide match. These are two guys with some fun snappy offense though and they trade some big suplexes, powerbombs and dives. They end up working some bullshit non-finish so they can do a restart with a few minutes overtime and then work a time limit draw. Lazy tricksters.

 

TWA Tag Title Match: Abdullah The Butcher & Daikokubo Benkei vs. Yoji Anjo & Tiger Mask

 Way too fun. This was about the best match you can possibly get out of two dudes as limited as Abby & Benkei. First Anjo and Tiger take turns laying into pudgy old sumowrestler Benkei before Abby comes in for the old stab & chop. Anjo ends up bloodied and playing a really good Ricky Morton for such a natural dipshit heel before coming back by beating the shit out of Abby and bloodying him in return. Undeterred by the potential Hep infection Tiger Mask comes in and beats the shit out of a bloody Abby aswell. Tiger can't really do highspots against these fat dudes so he just throws a bunch of kicks to the face and kneedrops and it's awesome. Abby trapping Anjo with his blob physique was a great spot too. Tiger Mask & Anjo looked super here and Abby selling and coming back with a last ditch throat chop was genuinely exciting stuff.

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