Welcome, one and all, to another edition of the Dark Match Dungeon! This is where we turn back the clock and look for forgotten footage of today’s wrestling stars. Basically, it’s Throwback Thursday, except it happens on Tuesday and you don’t have pull out cringeworthy yearbook photos.
One of my earlier installments of the Dungeon was a three-for-one special featuring the members of The Shield. Because I am well and truly off my rocker, I decided to top myself today and cover four wrestlers at once. It probably wouldn’t have happened had it not been such an interesting mix of wrestlers who now represent different promotions… namely, Ethan Carter III and Matt Morgan from TNA, Ray “Death” Rowe from Ring of Honor, and the previously-covered Corey Graves representing NXT. Take a look!
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What To Look For:
- Matt Morgan looks pretty much the same as we’ve always seen him, but everyone else is in their larval form. I think Rowe’s transformation has been the most striking, personally. He still looks scary here, but it’s a far cry from his 2015 look, which I can only describe as “Motorcycle Viking.”
- Is that… is that a replica WWE Championship belt they’re using as the title?
- A “kiss the valet against her will” spot, because indy wrestling.
- Do you like audibly called spots? You’ll love this.
- That ref bump around the 15-minute mark. They should have sent a poet.
This March 2007 match is from Cleveland-based Absolute Intense Wrestling, in case the watermark didn’t tip you off. I’m not sure who the henchmen helping Ray Rowe retain the Absolute Championship are, but it looks like they were effective. Interestingly enough, EC3 and Rowe teamed up and made a return to AIW as part of the Dudes On TV stable. Matt Morgan and Corey Graves have since hung up their boots, but Carter is currently your TNA champ and Rowe just finished up a tour of Japan as a Ring of Honor representative. I kind of feel like everyone won here.
