I feel like so far, I’ve done a decent job proving CWF provides excellent weekly, episodic wrestling. However, I feel like I would be doing any fan that reads my reviews a disservice by only reviewing WorldWide episodes. Because of this, I want to cover other topics like CWF’s best rivalries, individual matches that I’m particularly fond of, etc.
For this review, I’m focusing on my favorite rivalry in CWF history: Kamakazi Kid vs Nick Richards. Our sport of Professional Wrestling is heavily rooted in the battle of good vs evil. At the same time, due to the nature of the sport, there is no constant good or constant evil. Even Ricky Morton was on the dark side at some point. As this particular feud goes on, the allegiance of the fans changes several times.
Kamakazi Kid A.K.A Kazi was CWF’s resident daredevil superhero. The man never met a risk he didn’t like. The fans adored Kazi and his dangerous, fan-friendly style. But what if their superhero was matched against a beloved underdog?
The man you see cutting the promo above is Nick Richards. Nick, especially in his younger days, was in my opinion, the best epitome of an underdog in the history of CWF. Nick was never the biggest guy. He wasn’t blessed with the most power, technical prowess or even aerial ability. What sets Nick apart from his peers is his unmatched ability to fight no matter how stacked the odds are. In order to survive, Nick had to be tough. He began professionally battling grown men in 2006, when he was 15. For the first 5 years of his career, Nick gave fans hints of his hardcore potential. This match right here was the birth of Deathmatch Richards.
The year was 2011. Kazi wasn’t as crazy as he was in say 2006 or 2007 but he was still a maniac! Nick was the adored up and comer determined to prove his worth and toughness. Kazi’s open challenge is a sure-fire way to accomplish that. You see, Kazi isn’t just issuing an open challenge for your typical singles match. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. Kazi is challenging anybody to a Kazi Rules match. Rule number 1 about Kazi Rules matches is simple: there are none!
You can tell the crowd is already hooked by the reactions both competitors get. It’s a pretty even split between those on team Kazi and those on team Richards. Both men believe the crowd is on their side and trash talk ensues. Kazi decides to take advantage of Richards being distracted by attempting a cutter. Normally, that’s a good move. However, Nick’s finisher is the cutter. In the opening 30 seconds, Kazi has already disrespected his opponent.
It wouldn’t take long for Nick to retaliate.After backing Kazi up in the corner, he defiantly shoves his veteran foe. The youngster will not be intimidated and he will not be disrespected! I can only describe what follows as a “tough-off”. Nick and Kazi blasted each other with chops, soccer kicks to the back, and mean forearms to the jaw. Kazi’s blows had a little more pepper on them, but Nick held his own and wouldn’t budge. Momentum swung in Nick’s favor when he dodged an attack in the corner and booted Kazi out of the ring.
Nick would capitalize with a suicide dive. For the next few minutes, he would continue his offensive attack on the outside.His best move on the outside was a cannonball from the apron. Nick was in control and he knew it, even boastfully yelling “I can play your game just as good as you, Kazi!” Next, Nick would take things back to the ring. His confidence would almost get the best of him, as he almost got catapulted into a chair propped in the corner. Fortunately for Nick, he had the presence of mind to counter the counter and use the momentum to deliver a beautiful springboard elbow drop. he would follow up by using one of Kazi’s finishers against him.
This dangerous action payed off and got him a fairly close 2 count. If his second finisher got a 2 count, why not pull out the big gun? Well, unfortunately, Nick received a mid air cutter for his troubles. This is where things begin to get ugly. At first, they just brawl on the outside. Then, the weapons get introduced. The warriors start targeting each other’s back’s. If you’re back is destroyed, how are you going to win a fight?
Nick gives Kazi a sidewalk slam on a ladder. Kazi retaliates by giving Nick a back body drop on the ladder. As an exclamation point, he crushes Nick with a disgusting running sidewalk slam on the ladder.Nick survives, but takes a brutal german suplex on a chair propped up in a corner.
Obviously, Nick’s back has been majorly damaged. He collapsed when Kazi attempted to whip him into a ladder. Somehow, Nick uses his trademark A+++ toughness to survive and ram Kazi’s back and neck into the ladder over and over. His next move is an attempted superplex. Kazi shuts him down by knocking him down and launching a ladder at his injured back. He follows up with a crushing double stomp!
Kazi then goes for the death blow. Nick cuts him off but ends up smashing his back on a ladder! Kazi attempts to squash him with a frog splash but the results aren’t pretty. Both men are wounded and go under the ring for weapons. Kazi has a pair of light tubes while Nick has a barbed wire wrapped kendo stick. Nick strikes first and gains the upper hand. To add insult to injury, he breaks the light tubes over Kazi’s back! His back is bleeding hard and bleeding fast.
Then, thumbtacks come into play. Nick goes for the winning move and tries to hit a cutter onto the thumbtacks. Kazi had different plans involving a low blow. The crowd responds to this villainous act with a chorus of boos. Could the superhero be turning to the dark side?
Now, both men are trying to make the other submit with the thumbtacks. Of the two, Nick appears to be much closer. After trapping Kazi in Cattle Mutilation on the thumbtacks, he attempts the cutter on the thumbtacks one more time. This leads to him getting slammed back first on the tacks.
Kazi tries to capitalize with a chair shot. He’s met with a surprise cutter for a very exciting nearfall! Both men go for the chairs. Kazi lands first and strikes Nick right in the spine. He then hits him in the gut and in the back one more time for good measure. He ends with a kneeling Kawada style powerbomb on the tacks for the win! If these two were friends, then what will they do when they hate each other?
Our next chapter begins in 2014. Both men have gone through big changes in the past 2.5 years. Kazi wrestles sporadically and Nick is now one of the most hated men in the company. As a heel, Nick kind of reminds me of pre-WWE Dean Ambrose/Jon Moxley. He’s got that hardcore lowlife feel to him but he also has the amazing toughness to go with it.
Nick and his partner, Jason Miller try to get the jump on Kazi before the bell. Kazi uses his experience to outsmart them and take them out with a slingshot somersault plancha. He takes it to the ring and immediately starts laying in to Richards with gut punches and a nasty chop. He stays in control with a nice back suplex and a Jeff Hardy-esque corner dropkick. Ultimately, Kazi loses control when Miller distracts him and he eats a butterfly suplex into the buckles.
Richards furthers momentum with a Shinsuke Nakamura style knee drop on the apron. Not long after, Kazi would send Nick crashing to the outside. When he tried to go back inside, Kazi cut him off with some wicked knees and a painful double stomp.
Just when you think Kazi has this in the bag, Richards blasts him with a knee to the breadbasket and unleashes a gruesome back rake. Nick follows up with a surprisingly pretty Michinoku Driver for 2. Next, Richards uncharacteristically went to the air and ate a superplex for his troubles.Both men were hurt, but they refused to give.
Nick fought back with some meaty forearm shots to the dome. Kazi was fed up with that and just smacked Richards into next month! Kazi charges but ends up smashing the post with his shoulder. Nick looks for a butterfly superplex but Kazi throws him off. Kazi takes advantage of Nick being prone and goes for his patented frog splash, which gets nothing but knees. Kazi is hurt and Nick wants the cutter. Kazi counters and muscles Nick up into a fireman’s carry. Miller intervenes before Kazi can hit his Death Valley Driver. Nick almost hits the cutter off the distraction but Kazi counters into the backslide for 3! After the match, Nick lays out Kazi with a cutter. Lee Valiant, Kazi’s former partner turned bitter rival arrives and joins the attack.
The next month, Lee and Kazi fought in a Kazi Rules match. It was a back and forth war, but Lee got the W with Richards and Miller’s help. While Nick wasn’t in that match, his actions had a huge effect on the path of Kazi’s career.
We wouldn’t see Kazi for more than a year. In his first match back, he wrestled the evil, yet equally technically skilled Roy Wilkins. It all started when Roy bailed on a challenge from Kazi.
When we eventually got the match, there were some stipulations added. If Kazi won, Coach could never blow his annoying whistle again. If Roy wins, Kazi is officially the “water boy” of Coach’s All Stars.
Unfortunately, the dastardly heels cheated to come out on top. Consequentially, Kazi is now an All Star. Could the superhero be corrupted by their villainous ways or will the fans and his conscience give him the sheer willpower he needs?