Beef Most Distinctive

Nick Gage VS Pagano VS Psicosis VS Joe Lider - EMW DeathMatch 7/12/2019

CJD: Well this isn't where I expected to take you next. Especially after just playing a wild 4 way gimmick match for my last pick. But an important lesson in life is sometimes you have to play the hand you're dealt. My favorite part of this match is how well Psicosis and Gage work together. Psicosis/Rey was the feud that introduced me to the concept of what a great touring match is in the '90s, and here in 2019 he's pulling Gage's GCW shirt over his head like it's a hockey fight and smashing him through lighttubes. If we were watching wrestling all night long (as we have many times before) this would be the match I'd put on while we ordered mediocre Chinese food or while it was about to arrive. It doesn't need your undivided attention by any means but it's still a wild ride.

JJZ: I couldn't have predicted this in 100 guesses. My first thought is, is Pagano PCO? Is it just me or does he look a lot like him? Loving this dollar store barbedwire and how it keeps getting stuck on the wrestlers. The fan cam aspect to a death match makes it feel so much more grimeier (I know I spelled that wrong) than they already are. I like to call these matches junk food matches and yes it would be perfect for some 2AM Chinese food and a few beers. Gage and Psicosis are the stars of the match but Pagano and Lider keep adding holy shit moments. Is Pagano PCO? Seriously the camera isn't helping figure this out. This match was fantastic. Fun easy watch, with jaw dropping spots.

And Justice For All

Nick Gage (c) VS Matthew Justice - AIW Absolute Championship 3/23/2018

JJZ: So as soon as I saw a Nick Gage match I said "Yup!" If someone asked me to describe this match knowing nothing about AIW I'd say it's the most ECW match I've seen in years. Gage is a mad man that I would be very afraid to meet in a dark alley. Justice has a goddamn death wish. The stuff he takes in this match makes me feel a little bad that I get entertainment out of it. He can give it back as good as he gets but in this match I wouldn't be surprised if he had to take a trip to the hopbital after it was over. These two could have an insane long term feud if they haven't already. Heyman could've put some asses in seats with these boys. The home stretch got a little sloppy joe but the best sandwhiches are a little messy.

CJD: Ooof! What a fight. This definitely would have made a young CJD yell out in a drunken stupor "they need to go to the hopbital!!" It's been said before but AIW is the only promotion that actually captures a little of that ECW magic. I would credit it to them always being inspired by ECW but never exactly trying to emulate it. Gage is a great example. They booked him as a tough as nails fighting Champion instead of just a deathmatch guy, which is a stroke of Heyman genius like you said. That sort unexpected depth is exactly what made ECW special, but when people try to recreate it most of the time they just focus on the violence. This match had that too, and had it in spades. Something I loved about Necro/Kasai that I forgot to mention is what a lost art good crowd brawling is. Most use it as filler, but in that match and this one it actually drives the story and feels warranted. The intensity of the collar & elbows on the outside set the tone for this one right off the bat and they never took their foot off the gas.