Top 4 of FCW Final Episode

The last aired episode of FCW gives us a goodbye match that is intense and still could leave the rivalry open, or it could have ended a career. Dusty Rhodes and Jim Ross commentate this match and together it’s sort of a mess. I respect both of these men for what they have done for the company over their years and their dedication, but considering the matches that we faced tonight I would have loved an epic commentary team. No, for those who immediately think I’m going to say Scott, I will tell you no. This is FCW, leave Jim Ross or leave Dusty Rhodes, but together they could not pull full duty. Would have been nice to hear Chris Russo or Byron Saxton, a legend with someone who gets passed the torch on commentary, someone who had been there. Alas, it was not to be, but that’s the end of the rant on FCW and onto the Top 4…ish.

4. Audrey Marie vs. Paige

As no disqualification matches go there were many different combos that would have worked. Paige is brutal and lovely to watch in the ring and she would be queen of this type of match. Audrey Marie is not made for brutality, she’s pretty to look at with wrestling skills that have yet to match any of her opponents. Still, for Paige alone, this is worth watching, because Paige is a diva with power. Or anti-diva.

3. Mike Dalton & CJ Parker vs. Corey Graves & Jake Carter

Can I just say wow? All four men show off their skills with Dalton and Parker working as a team on quite a few moves that were almost perfectly synchronized. The commentary team gives us a little info on Jake Carter (for those who do not know, he is Vader’s son) and his football playing years and how much he has slimmed down from that time. Carter and Graves, current tag champs in the episode, show why they have the skills to retain at the end of the match. A lot of excellent back and forth with hardly a dead spot the entire time. And, of course, Dalton is wearing those pants that are just perfect. Perfect.

2. + 1. William Regal vs. Dean Ambrose

And I thought the last match was great. This proved that things could get better. As the match that closes out the show this lived up to what it needed to be. Regal works on Ambrose’s arm and shoulder, Ambrose works on Regal’s ear, and the two are just all out brutal with one another. There is no winner of this match, and there did not need to be. The tension built and continued and it took an entire roster to keep Ambrose from continuing to attack Regal when he was down. There are not words that properly explain why this is an excellent match. This is one you have to see.

Top 4 of FCW 4/15/12

This week’s FCW was all about the matches. There were three promos, but they were relatively short, and one of them (Husky’s) was a re-run of last week’s. Mercer’s was interesting, and the way he had him made-up and with the gray-scale he appeared like a less tattooed Orton, though in pictures I’ve never been able to make the comparison. The third promo slides in because it was the after effect of a match.

4. 6 Man Tag Match

Now that Xavier Woods has gained control of his hair, he seems to have gained control of his talent as well. Or maybe he just decided to stop giving those, “Good job, good job,” promos. I don’t know. He didn’t annoy me this week. He teamed up with Jason Jordan and CJ Parker, all guys whom I like. But, and it’s a big one, they went up against “Beefy” Brad Maddox, Jake Carter, and Corey Graves. Oooh, this is the team I am rooting for, even if they appear to be managed by Abraham Washington, who only seems to be good at being loud.

3. Jiro vs. Big E Langston

In this match, Regal notes that he would like to see Mark Henry take Lagston under his wing and be his mentor. I would love to see this. As I have never heard Langston speak, only seen him in the ring, it would be nice to see what else Henry could teach him. And really, once Henry was finally given the opportunity that he was meant for, he was incredible. It would be nice to see him pass that one to Langston. Jiro was destined to lose this match from the onset, but Jiro does a great showing against the big man that holds up. Another great thing about Langston as the big man is that because he moves well it’s almost believable when someone takes him down, unlike say Big Show or Mark Henry. These men stand in place and do not need to or try to move much, making it hard to take them down. Langston in motion would be easier to take down for that reason.

2. Benicio Salazar vs. Kassius Ohno

My comparison of Ohno is not to other men in the WWE, but to Cesaro alone. Ohno and Cesaro, in case you live under a rock, used to be tag partners under other names under another company. Cesaro has now been passed through and is on Smackdown. I was never a big fan of Cesaro. When Ohno finally debuted my thought was, “Okay, is he like Cesaro?” and no, he’s not. He’s better, in every way. This match was also the tv debut of Benicio Salazar, a masked luchador. He was fascinating. Together they put on quite a great match, but no one really compares to…

1. Dean Ambrose vs. James Bronson

Bronson is great in the ring. Though I may have had no clue what they were actually doing with the whole psychiatry thing, in the ring he’s stellar. Then they put him against Ambrose and Ambrose still managed to steal the show. This match, while excellently conducted, is about the ending. Ambrose gets Bronson in a Regal Stretch and William Regal gets up and walks about as Ambrose is applying the finisher. The look on Ambrose’s face is enough reason to watch as you see some of the best acting in sports entertainment. After he wins he goes backstage and flips out on the camera, mentioning that Regal has broken his heart and is just like everybody else. Epic.