by Daniel Johnson
CM Punk vs. Chris Hero
Before one was Kassius Ohno and the other was…well CM Punk in WWE, they were Chris Hero and basketball shorts wearing CM Punk. Fortunately, the IWC posts some great matches from the indie heydays of guys like Hero and Punk with the IWC Video Archive.
So let’s take a look at the first ever match from the the first ever IWC Super Indy, bullet point style:
*Before the match, the camera clearly shows a fan wearing a NWO Wolfpack shirt. According to Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling for years after the NWO ended Vincent/Virgil used the gimmick that Hogan sent him down to whatever indie he was booked at to handle some business. Who knew that Kevin Nash was doing the same as Hogan?
*Hero is pretty chunky here. It is tough to appreciate how lean and toned Ohno has gotten without watching one of these old Hero matches. Although he was never fat, fat, he was still Matt Hardy fat. Okay, maybe not as bad as Matt Hardy at his worst, but still.
*Punk sells the test of strength in this match way too hard and Hero looks a little confused by it. I guess it’s just CM Punk being a goof.
*When Punk gains the upper hand he wrenches on Hero’s neck and yells, “ask him, ask him” in a very Chris Jericho kind of way.
*Hero hits what is described as a, “fisherman buster into a shoulder breaker.” Why has no one used that as a finisher yet?
*Some more sweet moves from Hero include delivering a fantastic moonsault…that misses, Hero gaining back some momentum with a release tiger suplex and even getting a brief chopfest in on Punk.
*The bout ends when Punk goes to the top and slips, luring Hero in for a Pepsi plunge and a three count.
*As popular as Ohno and Punk have gotten, the tournament was won by Super Hentai. If you’ve never heard of him, try typing the latter half of his name in on Google and see what comes up (unless you’re under 18 of course).
Categories: Wrestling Clips
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