John Morrison vs. Sami Callihan from 2CW’s All or Nothing 2012

Sami Callihan vs John Morrison 8.3.12 from 2CW Squared Circle Wrestling on Vimeo.

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Recap from TJ Hawke:

This is the first Morrison match I’ve seen since he decided to not re-sign with the WWE.  His abs look as good as ever.  He came out to his WWE music, and he even got the slow motion entrance.  The crowd loved him, but then they gave him “Sami’s Gonna Kill You” chants, which seemed to amuse Morrison.

They went back and forth at the start.  Sami eventually sent him to the floor. Morrison got back on the apron, but Sami hit the Silverking Lariat and followed it up with a tope suicida.  They brawled for a bit on the floor.  At one point, Morrison jumped up on the apron and the guardrail and hit a moonsault. That was awesome. My description didn’t do it justice.  Morrison brought him in the ring, and he started to work him over.  .  Morrison went for the ten punches in the corner, but Sami escaped and hit his superkick to the leg. Sami then went after Morrison’s now injured leg.  Morrison eventually managed to hit a big DDT.  They then traded some strikes.  Morrison hit the C-4: 1…2…NO!  Morrison went for Starship Pain, but Sami got his knees up. Sami hit a big lariat: 1…2…NO!  Sami then got a Figure Four variation, but Morrison made it to the ropes.  Morrison hit The Flying Chuck: 1…2…NO!  ”THIS IS AWESOME!” chants.  Morrison tried to get Starship Pain, but Sami caught him with a saito suplex.  Morrison came back with an enzuigiri and then the Starship Pain: 1…2…3!!!

This was a super entertaining match. Both guys worked hard, and the typical hot 2CW crowd didn’t disappoint.  With ex-WWE guys, there always seems to be a chance that they will phone in these independent performances, but I was really happy with Morrison’s effort here.  Other promotions would probably be lucky to have him make a guest appearance here and there. I wish Sami went over though.

Match Rating: ***3/4

Thoughts from Lee Goodfellow:

I’m so pleased 2CW released this! I’ve had major Morrison withdrawal since his departure from WWE; I’ve been a big fan of his since 2006. Sami is one of my indie favourites so this was an ideal matchup for me. The match was fun, with Morrison’s crazy split-jump-dodge-onto-railing-and-apron-backflip being the highlight. Mega hot crowd too, with Sami actually being more popular with the 2CW faithful.

Match rating: ***1/4

Thoughts from Gage Davis:

What a surreal match. I had heard about this match around the time the show was getting promoted ,and I had wondered how Morrison was doing in the indies since his release.  This match right here shows that Morrison is the real deal and can be one of the biggest stars in the independents if he keeps up matches like this. Sami and Morrison worked a smartly wrestled match with Sami dominating most of the match due to him being used to the indie style, but Morrison’s comeback spots and his eventual comfort into the environment made this match so enjoyable. I would definitely love to see Morrison get booked in more places.

Match Rating: ***3/4