1 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:16,849 When people say, 2 00:00:16,850 --> 00:00:19,101 "What's the roughest match you ever saw?" 3 00:00:19,102 --> 00:00:20,394 Oh! 4 00:00:20,395 --> 00:00:23,189 That's the one, that's... man. 5 00:00:23,315 --> 00:00:27,234 If I could describe that match in one word... 6 00:00:27,235 --> 00:00:28,944 Oh! 7 00:00:28,945 --> 00:00:30,654 It was real. 8 00:00:30,655 --> 00:00:32,865 It was shocking at times. 9 00:00:32,866 --> 00:00:35,075 It's personal. 10 00:00:35,076 --> 00:00:36,869 It was unbelievable. 11 00:00:36,870 --> 00:00:39,371 One of the most brutal wrestling matches ever 12 00:00:39,372 --> 00:00:41,832 took place far from the big leagues. 13 00:00:41,833 --> 00:00:43,543 This wasn't on national television. 14 00:00:43,668 --> 00:00:46,379 This was in Philadelphia, in the arena. 15 00:00:46,504 --> 00:00:48,256 It happened on the independent wrestling 16 00:00:48,381 --> 00:00:50,925 circuit in the early 2000s. 17 00:00:51,051 --> 00:00:52,676 They were two guys at the tops of 18 00:00:52,677 --> 00:00:53,928 their own mountains. 19 00:00:54,054 --> 00:00:55,847 Samoa Joe was carrying the flag 20 00:00:55,972 --> 00:00:57,432 of pro wrestling. 21 00:00:57,557 --> 00:01:00,560 Undeniably a world champion level talent. 22 00:01:00,685 --> 00:01:02,102 I'm Samoa fucking Joe. 23 00:01:02,103 --> 00:01:03,396 I know how to whip somebody's ass. 24 00:01:03,521 --> 00:01:06,107 And then you had Necro Butcher, man... 25 00:01:06,232 --> 00:01:08,068 who was king of the deathmatches. 26 00:01:08,193 --> 00:01:11,320 Necro Butcher was the wild-eyed monster 27 00:01:11,321 --> 00:01:13,073 of deathmatch wrestling. 28 00:01:13,198 --> 00:01:15,116 When he'd just punch the guy in the face, 29 00:01:15,241 --> 00:01:17,576 the fans heard the punch connect. 30 00:01:17,577 --> 00:01:18,452 Oh! 31 00:01:18,453 --> 00:01:20,914 Necro would just plain kick your head in. 32 00:01:21,039 --> 00:01:23,458 He was also in this movie called The Wrestler. 33 00:01:23,583 --> 00:01:27,294 There's a fine line between madness and genius, 34 00:01:27,295 --> 00:01:28,963 and that was Necro. 35 00:01:29,089 --> 00:01:30,131 The mainstream wrestlers, 36 00:01:30,256 --> 00:01:32,007 they thought I was beneath them. 37 00:01:32,008 --> 00:01:34,302 So, when I got Samoa Joe to fight me, 38 00:01:34,427 --> 00:01:37,304 I wanted to show the world what I could do. 39 00:01:37,305 --> 00:01:39,099 For Necro Butcher, 40 00:01:39,224 --> 00:01:40,975 it was an opportunity for redemption. 41 00:01:41,101 --> 00:01:43,728 This match had an air of danger. 42 00:01:43,853 --> 00:01:45,437 This is not fake. 43 00:01:45,438 --> 00:01:47,106 They just beat the shit out of each other. 44 00:01:47,107 --> 00:01:48,857 The energy was like, you know, 45 00:01:48,858 --> 00:01:50,110 somebody's gonna die tonight. 46 00:01:50,235 --> 00:01:52,278 Holy! 47 00:01:52,404 --> 00:01:55,197 Decades later, those who were there 48 00:01:55,198 --> 00:01:56,783 reflect on the legacy... 49 00:01:56,908 --> 00:01:58,158 Oh, my God! 50 00:01:58,159 --> 00:01:59,952 ...of one of the most violent matches 51 00:01:59,953 --> 00:02:01,121 of all time. 52 00:02:01,246 --> 00:02:03,372 This is a fight, but it got pretty crazy. 53 00:02:03,373 --> 00:02:06,166 Forearms. Suplexes. Punches. 54 00:02:06,167 --> 00:02:08,794 Chairs thrown. Power bombs. 55 00:02:08,795 --> 00:02:09,671 Holy shit! 56 00:02:09,796 --> 00:02:11,131 This is fucking nuts. 57 00:02:11,256 --> 00:02:12,172 That was the breakthrough moment 58 00:02:12,173 --> 00:02:13,341 for deathmatch wrestling. 59 00:02:13,466 --> 00:02:16,301 Whatever he was going to do to me would not stop me. 60 00:02:18,304 --> 00:02:24,227 Holy shit! Holy shit! 61 00:02:33,278 --> 00:02:35,237 The world's a dark place sometimes. 62 00:02:35,238 --> 00:02:37,865 The world can be really mean. 63 00:02:37,866 --> 00:02:40,200 I've had so many horrible things happen to me 64 00:02:40,201 --> 00:02:42,494 when I was young. 65 00:02:42,495 --> 00:02:46,915 And wrestling became my escape. 66 00:02:46,916 --> 00:02:49,210 It was a false reality. 67 00:02:49,336 --> 00:02:52,380 A place where no one can hurt me. 68 00:02:52,505 --> 00:02:55,174 You know, that's why I get into wrestling. 69 00:02:55,175 --> 00:02:57,886 Maybe I could be somebody else's escape. 70 00:02:58,011 --> 00:03:00,637 Holy shit! What the fuck? 71 00:03:00,638 --> 00:03:02,973 But I wanted to make it more believable. 72 00:03:05,477 --> 00:03:08,021 I take incredible amounts of punishment... 73 00:03:08,146 --> 00:03:09,229 Oh! 74 00:03:09,230 --> 00:03:11,232 Because the more believable that is, 75 00:03:11,358 --> 00:03:12,983 the more they're going to get into it. 76 00:03:12,984 --> 00:03:15,403 Someone call 911! 77 00:03:15,528 --> 00:03:17,237 You know, and forget about what's bothering them. 78 00:03:17,238 --> 00:03:18,989 My name is Dylan Summers. 79 00:03:18,990 --> 00:03:20,407 But you probably know me better as 80 00:03:20,408 --> 00:03:22,534 the "Necro Butcher". 81 00:03:22,535 --> 00:03:24,579 Necro! Necro! 82 00:03:24,704 --> 00:03:26,372 I got into deathmatch wrestling 83 00:03:26,373 --> 00:03:30,000 because I wanted to test myself, 84 00:03:30,001 --> 00:03:31,211 and I saw the guys in the main event 85 00:03:31,336 --> 00:03:34,089 doing deathmatches, and I said, alright, 86 00:03:34,214 --> 00:03:35,881 I want to be in the main event, 87 00:03:35,882 --> 00:03:36,925 so that's what I have to do. 88 00:03:37,050 --> 00:03:39,760 - Agh! - Oh! 89 00:03:39,761 --> 00:03:42,721 A deathmatch is death defying wrestling. 90 00:03:42,722 --> 00:03:45,140 My name is Dave Prazak, and I was one of the 91 00:03:45,141 --> 00:03:47,142 commentators for Necro Butcher 92 00:03:47,143 --> 00:03:48,561 versus Samoa Joe. 93 00:03:48,687 --> 00:03:51,231 Necro Butcher developed a reputation as one of the 94 00:03:51,356 --> 00:03:54,441 very best at the deathmatch style of wrestling. 95 00:03:54,442 --> 00:03:57,611 He was very reminiscent of someone like a Bruiser Brody, 96 00:03:57,612 --> 00:04:00,489 with the crazy hair, a wild demeanor. 97 00:04:00,490 --> 00:04:03,158 You never knew what he was going to do next. 98 00:04:03,159 --> 00:04:04,326 He's got barbed wire 99 00:04:04,327 --> 00:04:05,744 wrapped around his fists! 100 00:04:05,745 --> 00:04:07,414 I've seen that guy do things to his body 101 00:04:07,539 --> 00:04:10,250 that I couldn't ask a man to do. 102 00:04:10,375 --> 00:04:12,961 Glass, thumbtacks... 103 00:04:13,086 --> 00:04:14,086 Oh! 104 00:04:14,087 --> 00:04:15,838 Mousetraps. 105 00:04:15,839 --> 00:04:17,924 Fluorescent light tubes. 106 00:04:18,049 --> 00:04:18,925 Anything that might cut you. 107 00:04:19,050 --> 00:04:20,260 Jesus! 108 00:04:20,385 --> 00:04:23,096 Night after night, he volunteers himself 109 00:04:23,221 --> 00:04:24,973 and he will always be the 110 00:04:25,098 --> 00:04:26,807 king of the death matches to me. 111 00:04:26,808 --> 00:04:27,850 - That hurt, man. - Jesus! 112 00:04:27,851 --> 00:04:29,436 I'm Mad Man Pondo. 113 00:04:29,561 --> 00:04:32,480 Me and Necro, we wrestled each other for years and 114 00:04:32,605 --> 00:04:34,858 always left a statement anywhere that we went. 115 00:04:34,983 --> 00:04:36,317 No, he's not! 116 00:04:36,443 --> 00:04:38,528 I want people to believe 117 00:04:38,653 --> 00:04:40,780 they're watching a physical confrontation. 118 00:04:40,905 --> 00:04:43,323 - Agh! - Oh! 119 00:04:43,324 --> 00:04:46,995 That psychology comes from a very real place. 120 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,457 As a child growing up in rural West Virginia, 121 00:04:50,582 --> 00:04:52,916 Dylan Summers excelled in school, 122 00:04:52,917 --> 00:04:55,336 setting him apart from those around him. 123 00:04:55,462 --> 00:04:57,463 West Virginia isn't exactly known 124 00:04:57,464 --> 00:04:59,840 for academic excellence, 125 00:04:59,841 --> 00:05:03,470 so I'd face the wrath of my schoolmates. 126 00:05:03,595 --> 00:05:06,348 That was like a daily thing when I was in school. 127 00:05:06,473 --> 00:05:07,514 If I had a bad day in school, 128 00:05:07,515 --> 00:05:08,475 I was going to watch wrestling 129 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:10,684 with my dad on the weekends. 130 00:05:10,685 --> 00:05:12,352 You know, that's what I looked forward to. 131 00:05:12,353 --> 00:05:14,521 My dad was my best friend. 132 00:05:14,522 --> 00:05:16,649 And then I woke up one morning and 133 00:05:16,775 --> 00:05:18,818 my mother said there was a fire. 134 00:05:21,446 --> 00:05:23,155 My father was burned up. 135 00:05:23,156 --> 00:05:25,282 So... 136 00:05:25,283 --> 00:05:26,868 you know, didn't even get, didn't even get to 137 00:05:26,993 --> 00:05:27,827 see him at the funeral. 138 00:05:27,952 --> 00:05:29,996 Had a closed casket. 139 00:05:31,414 --> 00:05:35,417 I just really dove deeply into wrestling because 140 00:05:35,418 --> 00:05:38,171 it's something I did with him. 141 00:05:38,296 --> 00:05:40,840 After that, I was by myself all the time. 142 00:05:41,966 --> 00:05:44,176 It was super tough. 143 00:05:44,177 --> 00:05:45,886 Through my entire school years, 144 00:05:45,887 --> 00:05:47,971 bullying is not the word, like it was way worse. 145 00:05:47,972 --> 00:05:51,226 I mean, punched, kicked, knock you down stairs. 146 00:05:51,351 --> 00:05:52,726 I couldn't tell you how many times 147 00:05:52,727 --> 00:05:54,770 my head was in toilets in high school. 148 00:05:54,771 --> 00:05:56,690 You know, and I just learned to flip that switch. 149 00:05:56,815 --> 00:05:58,358 You know, I'd just act like I was fine, 150 00:05:58,483 --> 00:06:00,109 and I just didn't want to let them know 151 00:06:00,110 --> 00:06:01,403 they were hurting me. 152 00:06:01,528 --> 00:06:04,239 That's why sometimes I can take 153 00:06:04,364 --> 00:06:06,323 incredible amounts of punishment. 154 00:06:06,324 --> 00:06:08,409 When I flick that switch, you can't hurt me. 155 00:06:08,410 --> 00:06:09,369 You can't hurt me. 156 00:06:09,494 --> 00:06:11,453 No matter what you do, you can't hurt me. 157 00:06:13,331 --> 00:06:15,208 And once I showed 'em what I could do, 158 00:06:15,333 --> 00:06:17,252 I was the main event to stay. 159 00:06:17,377 --> 00:06:19,796 Necro! Necro! 160 00:06:19,921 --> 00:06:21,797 Necro Butcher, man, my dude was 161 00:06:21,798 --> 00:06:24,341 carrying the flag for deathmatch wrestling. 162 00:06:24,342 --> 00:06:26,218 I'm Eddie Kingston, pro wrestler, 163 00:06:26,219 --> 00:06:28,929 and I was there when Necro and Joe 164 00:06:28,930 --> 00:06:30,431 decided to go at it. 165 00:06:30,432 --> 00:06:32,267 In the early 2000s, 166 00:06:32,392 --> 00:06:33,727 there was one company, folks... 167 00:06:33,852 --> 00:06:35,352 WWE. 168 00:06:35,353 --> 00:06:36,979 Here's how we're kicking it off! 169 00:06:36,980 --> 00:06:38,231 That's on TV. 170 00:06:38,356 --> 00:06:40,275 Then you got guys over here killing themselves 171 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:42,276 doing independent wrestling. 172 00:06:42,277 --> 00:06:45,529 We wanted to show we're different from WWE. 173 00:06:45,530 --> 00:06:47,115 Doing it our way. 174 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:49,783 Dissatisfied with mainstream wrestling 175 00:06:49,784 --> 00:06:50,784 on TV, 176 00:06:50,785 --> 00:06:55,123 hardcore fans flock to the independents... 177 00:06:55,248 --> 00:06:57,416 where performers push the limits. 178 00:06:57,417 --> 00:06:58,585 Almost every company, 179 00:06:58,710 --> 00:07:00,335 there was some type of deathmatch in it. 180 00:07:00,336 --> 00:07:02,671 - Oh! - That is not right. 181 00:07:02,672 --> 00:07:05,049 But some people considered it 182 00:07:05,050 --> 00:07:06,426 garbage wrestling. 183 00:07:06,551 --> 00:07:07,718 Then Ring of Honor came out. 184 00:07:07,719 --> 00:07:10,804 You know, hold for hold, hard hitting, all that stuff. 185 00:07:10,805 --> 00:07:13,474 The Ring of Honor set a standard for 186 00:07:13,475 --> 00:07:17,102 independent wrestling with guys like Homicide, 187 00:07:17,103 --> 00:07:19,606 Low Ki, Bryan Danielson, 188 00:07:19,731 --> 00:07:22,275 Christopher Daniels, CM Punk. 189 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:24,860 Then you had Samoa Joe, 190 00:07:24,861 --> 00:07:27,614 who was carrying the flag of pro wrestling. 191 00:07:27,739 --> 00:07:31,241 Samoa... Joe! 192 00:07:31,242 --> 00:07:33,786 Although Samoa Joe is a top star today, 193 00:07:33,787 --> 00:07:36,289 in 2005, he was still making his name 194 00:07:36,414 --> 00:07:37,790 on the indie scene. 195 00:07:37,791 --> 00:07:39,917 There was never a doubt in my mind that 196 00:07:39,918 --> 00:07:41,461 I was one of the best wrestlers in the world. 197 00:07:41,586 --> 00:07:43,672 Once that curtain brushes past my face, 198 00:07:43,797 --> 00:07:45,465 and we're out there in front of the crowd, 199 00:07:45,590 --> 00:07:48,133 the switch is turned and we're ready to go. 200 00:07:48,134 --> 00:07:50,178 Agh! 201 00:07:50,303 --> 00:07:52,472 My name is Nuufolau Joel Seanoa. 202 00:07:52,597 --> 00:07:55,432 And I'm one half of the war that was... 203 00:07:55,433 --> 00:07:57,352 Joe versus Necro. 204 00:07:57,477 --> 00:08:00,145 My whole life is pretty much been on stage 205 00:08:00,146 --> 00:08:01,815 with my family's Polynesian show. 206 00:08:01,940 --> 00:08:03,691 I probably did 2 or 3 world tours before I ever 207 00:08:03,692 --> 00:08:05,150 stepped foot in a wrestling ring. 208 00:08:05,151 --> 00:08:07,569 You know, it definitely prepared me for this career. 209 00:08:07,570 --> 00:08:09,405 In entertainment, you need your hook. 210 00:08:09,406 --> 00:08:13,742 And, at my core, my style is... 211 00:08:13,743 --> 00:08:16,204 walk you down, smash you in the face. 212 00:08:16,329 --> 00:08:18,372 - Ah! - Oh! 213 00:08:18,373 --> 00:08:19,498 The Ring Of Honor, at the time, 214 00:08:19,499 --> 00:08:20,666 I had become champion. 215 00:08:20,667 --> 00:08:21,835 I've had a two-year run with the 216 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:24,545 heavyweight championship, and the rest is history. 217 00:08:24,546 --> 00:08:26,922 Oh! 218 00:08:26,923 --> 00:08:29,342 At the time, I was a consistent 219 00:08:29,467 --> 00:08:31,886 main eventer doing deathmatches. I said, 220 00:08:32,011 --> 00:08:35,347 "Alright, now what?" And I wanted to test myself 221 00:08:35,348 --> 00:08:37,725 against the best in the business. 222 00:08:37,726 --> 00:08:41,437 But, what had gotten to me was that 223 00:08:41,438 --> 00:08:43,939 he didn't want no part of that. 224 00:08:43,940 --> 00:08:46,233 At the time, Ring Of Honor wrestlers 225 00:08:46,234 --> 00:08:48,027 had a reputation for dismissing 226 00:08:48,028 --> 00:08:49,696 the deathmatch style. 227 00:08:49,821 --> 00:08:53,116 So crossovers were rare. 228 00:08:54,534 --> 00:08:55,576 I always saw this with a lot of 229 00:08:55,577 --> 00:08:57,619 deathmatch wrestlers, they always felt like 230 00:08:57,620 --> 00:08:59,247 they were kind of looked down upon. 231 00:08:59,372 --> 00:09:00,373 The truth of it is, you know, 232 00:09:00,498 --> 00:09:02,541 guys in ROH, we had our style. 233 00:09:02,542 --> 00:09:03,751 You know, we had what we were proud of, 234 00:09:03,752 --> 00:09:04,918 what we were doing. 235 00:09:04,919 --> 00:09:06,421 It's a very different world. 236 00:09:06,546 --> 00:09:08,339 I mean, me personally, you know, 237 00:09:08,340 --> 00:09:10,340 I'm down to wrestle whoever. 238 00:09:10,341 --> 00:09:11,925 That's never been an issue for me. 239 00:09:11,926 --> 00:09:14,220 But as far as, like, wrestling Necro Butcher, 240 00:09:14,346 --> 00:09:15,596 you know, it was never brought up to me 241 00:09:15,597 --> 00:09:17,724 or ever brought up ever. 242 00:09:19,851 --> 00:09:21,769 I think the fans probably have more 243 00:09:21,770 --> 00:09:24,980 to do with this than anything else. 244 00:09:24,981 --> 00:09:27,108 Before social media, we had message boards 245 00:09:27,233 --> 00:09:30,778 where super hardcore nerdy fans like me would go, 246 00:09:30,779 --> 00:09:31,945 and they would just talk to each other and 247 00:09:31,946 --> 00:09:33,448 talk about matches they've seen. 248 00:09:33,573 --> 00:09:35,450 If you went to the Ring of Honor board, 249 00:09:35,575 --> 00:09:36,993 it was a little bit like noses up in the air, 250 00:09:37,118 --> 00:09:39,454 like all of the wrestling was beneath it. 251 00:09:39,579 --> 00:09:41,372 My name is Rob Naylor, 252 00:09:41,373 --> 00:09:43,792 and I worked at places like CZW and 253 00:09:43,917 --> 00:09:46,753 NXT and FCW, and I at the time went on 254 00:09:46,878 --> 00:09:48,295 the Ring of Honor message board, 255 00:09:48,296 --> 00:09:50,005 and I was like, "I want to see 256 00:09:50,006 --> 00:09:53,968 Samoa Joe wrestle Necro!" And then, oh my God, 257 00:09:54,094 --> 00:09:56,845 the barrage of other angry other wrestling fans. 258 00:09:56,846 --> 00:09:58,639 "You're an idiot! He sucks!" 259 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:00,433 They just didn't want big bad Necro Butcher to 260 00:10:00,558 --> 00:10:03,352 sully their wonderful organization. 261 00:10:03,353 --> 00:10:05,312 But then, 262 00:10:05,313 --> 00:10:07,690 there was an incident at Chikara! 263 00:10:07,691 --> 00:10:09,233 Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, 264 00:10:09,234 --> 00:10:12,319 and welcome to Chikara! 265 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:14,488 Stepping out of the hardcore scene, 266 00:10:14,489 --> 00:10:16,616 Necro Butcher and Mad Man Pondo 267 00:10:16,741 --> 00:10:19,619 enter a family friendly tag team tournament, 268 00:10:19,744 --> 00:10:21,495 putting Necro on a collision course 269 00:10:21,496 --> 00:10:23,330 with Samoa Joe. 270 00:10:23,331 --> 00:10:25,833 Chikara was, bring Grandma, 271 00:10:25,834 --> 00:10:27,334 bring the kids, you're gonna have 272 00:10:27,335 --> 00:10:29,003 a fun time watching the wrestling, 273 00:10:29,004 --> 00:10:31,213 in this lovely, little cafeteria. 274 00:10:31,214 --> 00:10:34,634 It might have been a bit weird on paper. 275 00:10:34,759 --> 00:10:37,261 But I could not say no because that was 276 00:10:37,262 --> 00:10:39,430 my only source of income. 277 00:10:39,431 --> 00:10:40,807 I didn't care who these guys were. 278 00:10:40,932 --> 00:10:42,641 I was just gonna beat their ass. 279 00:10:42,642 --> 00:10:44,185 It just so happened that two of them were 280 00:10:44,310 --> 00:10:45,310 Ring of Honor students. 281 00:10:45,311 --> 00:10:48,772 Matt Turner and Anthony Franco! 282 00:10:48,773 --> 00:10:50,482 Ring Of Honor didn't want to send someone 283 00:10:50,483 --> 00:10:51,651 they were gonna beat. 284 00:10:51,776 --> 00:10:53,319 They just sent a couple of their students. 285 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:54,821 I was nervous 'cause I didn't really know 286 00:10:54,946 --> 00:10:56,905 who Necro Butcher was, and he's like, 287 00:10:56,906 --> 00:10:59,701 "We'll just go out there and we'll just brawl." 288 00:10:59,826 --> 00:11:02,327 I didn't really learn that in, in school. 289 00:11:02,328 --> 00:11:03,162 Tonight, it's gonna be 290 00:11:03,163 --> 00:11:05,372 nothing but curtains for you two. 291 00:11:05,373 --> 00:11:07,082 We were definitely a little nervous, 292 00:11:07,083 --> 00:11:09,710 but we figured, hey, we got this, we got this. 293 00:11:09,711 --> 00:11:11,671 Boy howdy, we were wrong, buddy. 294 00:11:11,796 --> 00:11:14,089 Agh! 295 00:11:14,090 --> 00:11:15,424 Not even waiting for the ring introductions 296 00:11:15,425 --> 00:11:16,550 to make them bleed. 297 00:11:16,551 --> 00:11:18,177 You had to try to make a believable match with 298 00:11:18,178 --> 00:11:19,845 someone who doesn't know what they're doing. 299 00:11:19,846 --> 00:11:20,929 Agh! 300 00:11:20,930 --> 00:11:22,349 And when they start stinking the place up, 301 00:11:22,474 --> 00:11:23,891 I'm just gonna beat their ass. 302 00:11:23,892 --> 00:11:25,934 Oh! Oh-ho! 303 00:11:25,935 --> 00:11:27,729 I do what I do because this is my job 304 00:11:27,854 --> 00:11:29,731 and I need the money. 305 00:11:29,856 --> 00:11:32,274 What package are you offering to promoters? 306 00:11:32,275 --> 00:11:34,402 You have to offer something different. 307 00:11:34,527 --> 00:11:36,070 I think I'm pretty darn different. 308 00:11:36,071 --> 00:11:37,613 - Oh! - I can hear the thud! 309 00:11:37,614 --> 00:11:40,741 Some people were very concerned and believed that 310 00:11:40,742 --> 00:11:43,952 Pondo and Necro took advantage of the students. 311 00:11:43,953 --> 00:11:45,954 The Ring of Honor board, forget about it. 312 00:11:45,955 --> 00:11:47,081 They were really mad at Necro Butcher. 313 00:11:47,082 --> 00:11:49,333 It was only another reason for them not to like him. 314 00:11:49,334 --> 00:11:51,502 'Cause it was just like, "How dare he?" you know? 315 00:11:51,503 --> 00:11:54,296 "That's breaking the code." 316 00:11:54,297 --> 00:11:55,964 "Oh, he's unsafe." 317 00:11:55,965 --> 00:11:58,760 Goes for a suplex off the apron! 318 00:11:58,885 --> 00:12:00,637 "He's reckless." 319 00:12:00,762 --> 00:12:03,138 Chikara, you don't really do that stuff. 320 00:12:03,139 --> 00:12:05,307 Who cares? 321 00:12:06,726 --> 00:12:08,185 Gets his head taken off! 322 00:12:08,186 --> 00:12:09,645 I think people found it entertaining. 323 00:12:09,646 --> 00:12:11,271 That's what I do. 324 00:12:11,272 --> 00:12:13,942 I beat people up in an entertaining manner. 325 00:12:14,067 --> 00:12:15,567 He was knocked out from the clothesline. 326 00:12:15,568 --> 00:12:17,111 I got knocked out twice in the match. 327 00:12:17,112 --> 00:12:18,654 His chest looks like hamburger meat. 328 00:12:18,655 --> 00:12:19,989 I have no idea where I'm at. 329 00:12:19,990 --> 00:12:22,409 It was just survival. 330 00:12:22,534 --> 00:12:24,076 Yeah, it was a little rough. 331 00:12:24,077 --> 00:12:25,620 Yeah. 332 00:12:25,745 --> 00:12:27,747 Turns out I got the last laugh. 333 00:12:27,872 --> 00:12:31,084 That's how I got Samoa Joe to fight me, you know. 334 00:12:31,209 --> 00:12:33,628 After the match, message boards 335 00:12:33,753 --> 00:12:36,130 had their little rumor mills going. 336 00:12:36,131 --> 00:12:38,633 The rumor was that Joe was not happy. 337 00:12:38,758 --> 00:12:40,926 Because Joe was one of their mentors 338 00:12:40,927 --> 00:12:42,595 coming out of Ring of Honor, 339 00:12:42,721 --> 00:12:44,597 and I think he may have felt ROH was 340 00:12:44,723 --> 00:12:46,599 disrespected by these guys. 341 00:12:46,725 --> 00:12:49,644 And it perfectly set the stage for Joe to 342 00:12:49,769 --> 00:12:51,896 face Necro to get some revenge. 343 00:12:52,022 --> 00:12:53,773 Getting a standing ovation! 344 00:12:53,898 --> 00:12:55,566 The fans bought into it and they're like, 345 00:12:55,567 --> 00:12:57,609 all right, like, he's going to get dealt some justice 346 00:12:57,610 --> 00:12:59,486 via Samoa Joe. 347 00:12:59,487 --> 00:13:02,197 As discussion on the internet heats up, 348 00:13:02,198 --> 00:13:04,659 promoter Ian Rotten sees an opportunity. 349 00:13:04,784 --> 00:13:06,243 Ian Rotten here, owner, 350 00:13:06,244 --> 00:13:09,163 promoter of IWA Mid-South Wrestling. 351 00:13:09,164 --> 00:13:11,331 As an independent wrestling promoter, 352 00:13:11,332 --> 00:13:13,917 Ian Rotten had to come up with unique matches. 353 00:13:13,918 --> 00:13:17,004 There is no television program to try to really 354 00:13:17,005 --> 00:13:19,548 build a story, you have to use the internet. 355 00:13:19,549 --> 00:13:22,843 And Ian Rotten was gearing up for his first event 356 00:13:22,844 --> 00:13:25,847 in Philadelphia at the old ECW arena, 357 00:13:25,972 --> 00:13:29,933 and he needed a big match to fill the seats. 358 00:13:29,934 --> 00:13:31,853 The match that had long seemed 359 00:13:31,978 --> 00:13:34,897 impossible suddenly became inevitable. 360 00:13:34,898 --> 00:13:36,690 After the Chikara incident, 361 00:13:36,691 --> 00:13:38,193 Necro Butcher and Samoa Joe 362 00:13:38,318 --> 00:13:41,237 signed with Ian Rotten and the match is set. 363 00:13:42,864 --> 00:13:46,325 This was the first time that I remember that 364 00:13:46,326 --> 00:13:48,952 this legit went down between a deathmatch wrestler 365 00:13:48,953 --> 00:13:50,913 and a pure pro wrestler. 366 00:13:50,914 --> 00:13:52,666 Here we go. 367 00:13:52,791 --> 00:13:54,834 For one night in Philadelphia, 368 00:13:54,959 --> 00:13:57,544 I'm gonna have the fight of my life against 369 00:13:57,545 --> 00:13:59,546 the baddest dude of all time. 370 00:13:59,547 --> 00:14:01,674 I have a chance to show the world 371 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:03,926 a deathmatch wrestler could compete with 372 00:14:03,927 --> 00:14:05,511 the biggest, baddest in the world. 373 00:14:05,512 --> 00:14:07,012 Face to face! 374 00:14:07,013 --> 00:14:08,764 Which is all I wanted all along. 375 00:14:08,765 --> 00:14:10,183 Here we go! 376 00:14:15,105 --> 00:14:18,607 With Necro Butcher versus Samoa Joe set, 377 00:14:18,608 --> 00:14:21,986 Joe takes to the mic to go after his opponent. 378 00:14:32,539 --> 00:14:34,124 I don't agree with being called a bully. 379 00:14:42,549 --> 00:14:44,425 You have no idea how 380 00:14:44,426 --> 00:14:47,636 intense Necro was about that promo. 381 00:14:47,637 --> 00:14:49,805 He would recite sentences to me 382 00:14:49,806 --> 00:14:52,141 about that promo every day. 383 00:14:52,142 --> 00:14:54,394 That affected Necro. 384 00:14:58,398 --> 00:15:00,191 I thought to myself, wow, 385 00:15:00,317 --> 00:15:02,651 so he thinks I'm not good enough to be there with him. 386 00:15:02,652 --> 00:15:04,237 Okay, fine, I got this. 387 00:15:04,362 --> 00:15:06,698 And now is my chance to make a statement. 388 00:15:10,076 --> 00:15:11,703 Making reference to Necro Butcher! 389 00:15:13,872 --> 00:15:16,374 So, you know, dude, can I be honest? 390 00:15:16,958 --> 00:15:19,794 Dude, legitimately, I look back and I literally 391 00:15:19,919 --> 00:15:23,005 knew nothing about all these moving pieces 392 00:15:23,006 --> 00:15:23,923 that were a part of it. 393 00:15:24,049 --> 00:15:25,674 Like, yeah, I never trained a kid at 394 00:15:25,675 --> 00:15:27,761 ROH's school a day in my life. 395 00:15:27,886 --> 00:15:30,846 Like I never watched the match. 396 00:15:30,847 --> 00:15:34,016 It was mentioned to me for a promo about, "Oh yeah, 397 00:15:34,017 --> 00:15:36,643 he roughed up a couple of kids at the ROH school 398 00:15:36,644 --> 00:15:37,770 so you're, like, gonna get revenge. 399 00:15:37,771 --> 00:15:39,314 Are you cool with that?" I was like, "Yeah, sure." 400 00:15:39,439 --> 00:15:41,483 It's part of the show, man. 401 00:15:41,608 --> 00:15:43,776 But, the more I hear and the more I realize, 402 00:15:43,777 --> 00:15:45,820 old Ian Rotten may have been telling people 403 00:15:45,945 --> 00:15:47,364 a lot of different tales, trying to get 404 00:15:47,489 --> 00:15:49,449 certain reactions out of that. 405 00:15:49,574 --> 00:15:51,200 Well, I mean, there was gossip. 406 00:15:51,201 --> 00:15:52,534 You weren't talented. 407 00:15:52,535 --> 00:15:54,329 You were doing something that was beneath them. 408 00:15:54,454 --> 00:15:55,829 I don't know if it was true or not. 409 00:15:55,830 --> 00:15:57,873 I said, "A lot of people are gonna watch this." 410 00:15:57,874 --> 00:16:00,376 So I just knew I had to show them what I could do 411 00:16:00,377 --> 00:16:02,671 so they did not deny me any longer. 412 00:16:05,465 --> 00:16:06,924 For me personally, my wife, 413 00:16:06,925 --> 00:16:09,676 then girlfriend at the time, she lived close to Philly. 414 00:16:09,677 --> 00:16:12,596 So like I had literally took the booking... 415 00:16:12,597 --> 00:16:14,474 because I was trying to get some ass. 416 00:16:19,479 --> 00:16:21,146 We were definitely different mindsets, 417 00:16:21,147 --> 00:16:22,564 walking into this match. 418 00:16:22,565 --> 00:16:24,359 Until I got to the arena, then, 419 00:16:24,484 --> 00:16:27,528 I realized it was something different. 420 00:16:27,529 --> 00:16:30,198 On June 11th, 2005, 421 00:16:30,323 --> 00:16:32,492 hundreds packed the ECW Arena 422 00:16:32,617 --> 00:16:34,703 expecting a bloodbath. 423 00:16:34,828 --> 00:16:38,080 This is IWA Mid-South wrestling. 424 00:16:38,081 --> 00:16:39,874 As I get to the building... 425 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:42,084 you know, the boys are standing outside. 426 00:16:42,085 --> 00:16:43,919 And I'm just like, "What's up, fellas?" 427 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:45,380 And then they go, "Yo, what's up, man? 428 00:16:45,505 --> 00:16:46,714 I've been waiting for this." And I'm like, 429 00:16:46,715 --> 00:16:48,757 "Alright, you know, cool, homie." You know, 430 00:16:48,758 --> 00:16:51,176 what the fuck is going on here, man, like...? 431 00:16:51,177 --> 00:16:53,554 I had just come back from Japan, 432 00:16:53,555 --> 00:16:56,182 having flown all night, drinking. 433 00:16:56,307 --> 00:16:58,351 I'm gonna sober up. 434 00:16:58,476 --> 00:17:00,227 I'm gonna get in my '72 Ford pick-up and 435 00:17:00,228 --> 00:17:02,522 drive to Philadelphia and fight Samoa Joe. 436 00:17:02,647 --> 00:17:05,734 I had arrived within an hour of showtime. 437 00:17:05,859 --> 00:17:08,736 Went down to my little secluded spot and, 438 00:17:08,737 --> 00:17:10,905 just waited my turn. 439 00:17:11,031 --> 00:17:12,531 Typically in a pro wrestling match, 440 00:17:12,532 --> 00:17:14,450 a referee will check in with opponents. 441 00:17:14,451 --> 00:17:15,909 "What is the planned finish? 442 00:17:15,910 --> 00:17:17,037 Is there anything I need to know about?" 443 00:17:17,162 --> 00:17:18,912 There was none of that on this day. 444 00:17:18,913 --> 00:17:22,291 My name is Bryce Remsburg, and I was the referee for 445 00:17:22,292 --> 00:17:25,920 the infamous Samoa Joe - Necro Butcher match. 446 00:17:26,046 --> 00:17:27,713 The conversation that I might have had with the 447 00:17:27,714 --> 00:17:29,924 two of them was definitely shorter than 30 seconds. 448 00:17:30,050 --> 00:17:31,925 My mind was made up beforehand. 449 00:17:31,926 --> 00:17:34,554 Whatever he was going to do to me would not stop me. 450 00:17:34,679 --> 00:17:36,764 Not in that building, not on that night. 451 00:17:36,765 --> 00:17:38,474 I know what I'm going there for. 452 00:17:38,475 --> 00:17:39,641 I'm gonna get cracked. 453 00:17:39,642 --> 00:17:42,144 He's gonna get cracked, and it's gonna be a brawl. 454 00:17:42,145 --> 00:17:44,773 Everyone in the locker room had the same questions 455 00:17:44,898 --> 00:17:46,565 as the wrestling fans did about, 456 00:17:46,566 --> 00:17:47,900 do they really hate each other? 457 00:17:47,901 --> 00:17:49,652 Is this going to turn into a real fight? 458 00:17:49,653 --> 00:17:51,820 What's going to happen? 459 00:17:51,821 --> 00:17:54,449 All that shit went into creating an atmosphere 460 00:17:54,574 --> 00:17:55,908 and a vibe where it was like, 461 00:17:55,909 --> 00:17:57,826 somebody's going to die tonight. 462 00:17:57,827 --> 00:18:00,080 And we are ready for a 463 00:18:00,205 --> 00:18:01,914 long-awaited match up. 464 00:18:01,915 --> 00:18:03,416 I recall being in the ring before 465 00:18:03,541 --> 00:18:04,541 the match started, looking up 466 00:18:04,542 --> 00:18:05,959 and seeing pretty much the whole locker room 467 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:07,961 lined up around the commentary table. 468 00:18:07,962 --> 00:18:10,298 I did commentary with Eddie Kingston 469 00:18:10,423 --> 00:18:11,673 and CM Punk. 470 00:18:11,674 --> 00:18:13,425 We weren't doing professional commentary 471 00:18:13,426 --> 00:18:15,010 by any means. 472 00:18:15,011 --> 00:18:17,263 It was just us reacting to the spectacle 473 00:18:17,389 --> 00:18:18,806 that we were seeing. 474 00:18:18,807 --> 00:18:21,267 I walked up with a hot dog, sat down, 475 00:18:21,393 --> 00:18:22,351 and I said, "Let's do this." 476 00:18:22,352 --> 00:18:23,519 This is the match everybody's 477 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:24,812 been waiting to see! 478 00:18:24,813 --> 00:18:27,815 By that point, everybody was 479 00:18:27,816 --> 00:18:29,692 foaming at the mouth to see this thing. 480 00:18:29,693 --> 00:18:31,026 I went up to the balcony to watch this 481 00:18:31,027 --> 00:18:32,988 and was like, holy shit, 482 00:18:33,113 --> 00:18:35,030 the whole building was chanting. 483 00:18:35,031 --> 00:18:37,158 Joe! Joe! Joe! Joe! 484 00:18:37,283 --> 00:18:38,618 Then as I'm kind of walking around the 485 00:18:38,743 --> 00:18:40,120 ring here, you started to hear, 486 00:18:40,245 --> 00:18:41,788 "Fuck him up, Joe." 487 00:18:41,913 --> 00:18:43,831 "Necro's gonna fuck you up." 488 00:18:43,832 --> 00:18:46,501 Philadelphia is just very bloodthirsty. 489 00:18:46,626 --> 00:18:48,336 They wanted to see violence. 490 00:18:48,461 --> 00:18:49,837 They wanted to see blood, 491 00:18:49,838 --> 00:18:52,881 and they wanted to see Joe kill Necro Butcher. 492 00:18:52,882 --> 00:18:54,550 There's the man right there who wears 493 00:18:54,551 --> 00:18:56,301 the shirt that says, "Choose Death"! 494 00:18:56,302 --> 00:18:58,304 There he is, look at this. Ha-ha! 495 00:18:58,430 --> 00:19:00,973 All the combustible elements were there. 496 00:19:00,974 --> 00:19:02,976 They were just primed and ready to just 497 00:19:03,101 --> 00:19:04,644 kick the shit out of each other. 498 00:19:04,769 --> 00:19:05,979 Face to face they come! 499 00:19:06,104 --> 00:19:06,980 You obviously know they didn't 500 00:19:07,105 --> 00:19:08,564 come here to see any goddamn wrestling. 501 00:19:08,565 --> 00:19:09,732 They came here to see a fight. 502 00:19:09,733 --> 00:19:12,652 Let's let everybody know what this is really about. 503 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:15,988 The easiest way to make sure everybody knows 504 00:19:15,989 --> 00:19:18,033 it's a no-rules brawl without announcing it is, 505 00:19:18,158 --> 00:19:19,575 you know, take the rules and 506 00:19:19,576 --> 00:19:21,036 throw them over the top rope. 507 00:19:21,161 --> 00:19:23,329 They don't need a referee! 508 00:19:24,998 --> 00:19:26,541 There was already, like 509 00:19:26,666 --> 00:19:28,584 a bunch of gunpowder in the keg. 510 00:19:28,585 --> 00:19:31,171 With no referee, it's chaos. 511 00:19:31,296 --> 00:19:33,088 Now we've got everybody where we want them 512 00:19:33,089 --> 00:19:34,549 and now we take them on the journey. 513 00:19:34,674 --> 00:19:35,716 Here we go! 514 00:19:35,717 --> 00:19:37,926 Break it down in Philadelphia! 515 00:19:37,927 --> 00:19:39,679 These forearms were I'm telling this guy 516 00:19:39,804 --> 00:19:42,223 how this match is gonna go. 517 00:19:42,348 --> 00:19:43,932 He wanted to establish that's 518 00:19:43,933 --> 00:19:47,061 how hard he wanted to throw? I said, "Alright." 519 00:19:47,062 --> 00:19:49,897 You have now just set your punishment gauge. 520 00:19:49,898 --> 00:19:51,899 He could've done it much easier. 521 00:19:51,900 --> 00:19:53,234 It's all about believability. 522 00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:55,653 I want them to think he's trying to kill me. 523 00:19:55,779 --> 00:19:57,780 If I'm going to have any chance of beating him, 524 00:19:57,781 --> 00:19:59,365 I want to fight with him on the floor. 525 00:19:59,366 --> 00:20:00,700 I want to brawl. 526 00:20:00,825 --> 00:20:02,202 Oh! 527 00:20:02,327 --> 00:20:04,370 Upside the head of the Necro Butcher! 528 00:20:04,371 --> 00:20:07,956 And that is a way you can suck in the crowd. 529 00:20:07,957 --> 00:20:09,917 I want him to hit me. 530 00:20:09,918 --> 00:20:12,586 I was gonna fly over the guardrail. 531 00:20:12,587 --> 00:20:14,963 But he hit me so hard, I couldn't go 532 00:20:14,964 --> 00:20:16,091 over the guard- Oh, Jesus! 533 00:20:16,216 --> 00:20:18,093 Oh, here comes Joe! 534 00:20:18,218 --> 00:20:20,177 Down goes Necro! 535 00:20:20,178 --> 00:20:21,553 I'm gonna just calmly walk over 536 00:20:21,554 --> 00:20:25,265 the guardrail now. 537 00:20:25,266 --> 00:20:26,768 I'm gonna sit down and compose myself 538 00:20:26,893 --> 00:20:28,435 for a minute after that. 539 00:20:28,436 --> 00:20:29,937 All these fans are moving! 540 00:20:29,938 --> 00:20:31,480 They're parting like the Red Sea! 541 00:20:31,481 --> 00:20:32,732 Trying to beat the deathmatch wrestler 542 00:20:32,857 --> 00:20:33,942 with pro wrestling. 543 00:20:34,067 --> 00:20:36,402 Using my body as a weapon to try to break you up. 544 00:20:36,403 --> 00:20:39,238 It was meant to accentuate that contrast of styles. 545 00:20:39,239 --> 00:20:40,781 The Necro's back to his feet 546 00:20:40,782 --> 00:20:41,782 with a head butt! 547 00:20:41,783 --> 00:20:42,908 And oh, there's the head butt. 548 00:20:42,909 --> 00:20:44,910 You don't head butt a Samoan. 549 00:20:44,911 --> 00:20:46,579 That's like a rule you're taught. 550 00:20:46,705 --> 00:20:48,956 I had a very bad cut on my head. 551 00:20:48,957 --> 00:20:52,961 I knew a stiff breeze would bust me open, 552 00:20:53,086 --> 00:20:54,503 let alone a Samoan head butt. 553 00:20:54,504 --> 00:20:56,631 Any deathmatch wrestler will tell you, 554 00:20:56,756 --> 00:20:58,215 if they've already got something open, 555 00:20:58,216 --> 00:20:59,967 they can't wait for you to work it. 556 00:20:59,968 --> 00:21:01,594 And, we got that fucker open. 557 00:21:02,971 --> 00:21:04,680 Necro's busted open! 558 00:21:04,681 --> 00:21:07,683 Authentic head butts, and then Necro's bleeding. 559 00:21:07,684 --> 00:21:10,103 So, the fervor only grows from there. 560 00:21:10,228 --> 00:21:12,313 Necro learned a secret from me. 561 00:21:12,314 --> 00:21:14,356 If you want a standing ovation, 562 00:21:14,357 --> 00:21:16,943 you knock their chairs out from underneath them. 563 00:21:17,068 --> 00:21:19,654 Everybody in this building is on their feet! 564 00:21:19,779 --> 00:21:21,113 Standing ovation. 565 00:21:21,114 --> 00:21:23,115 I don't think Samoa Joe was really 566 00:21:23,116 --> 00:21:24,993 enjoying himself at this point in the match. 567 00:21:25,118 --> 00:21:27,703 I was having a grand old time, myself. 568 00:21:27,704 --> 00:21:28,996 I mean, 569 00:21:28,997 --> 00:21:31,123 it's not the best feeling, but... 570 00:21:31,124 --> 00:21:32,000 I was trying to get him to a place 571 00:21:32,125 --> 00:21:33,668 where we could safely to do the power slam, 572 00:21:33,793 --> 00:21:35,128 or so I thought. 573 00:21:35,253 --> 00:21:37,463 You know, when you make people get out of their seat 574 00:21:37,464 --> 00:21:38,672 and move around, 575 00:21:38,673 --> 00:21:41,300 you run the risk of spilling drinks. 576 00:21:41,301 --> 00:21:43,093 You can see it all over the floor. 577 00:21:43,094 --> 00:21:45,138 There was just wet spots everywhere. 578 00:21:45,263 --> 00:21:47,389 So maybe a power slam wasn't the best idea. 579 00:21:49,309 --> 00:21:51,310 He ran at me. I went to scoop him. 580 00:21:51,311 --> 00:21:53,103 Now, I don't know if his foot slipped 581 00:21:53,104 --> 00:21:54,980 or whatever, but like as we went for the lift, 582 00:21:54,981 --> 00:21:56,940 I felt him grab me real tight. 583 00:21:56,941 --> 00:21:58,193 He was just stuck to me. 584 00:21:58,318 --> 00:21:59,486 And then, pushed my hips through 585 00:21:59,611 --> 00:22:01,987 and he was going over. 586 00:22:01,988 --> 00:22:04,823 Power slam on the floor! 587 00:22:04,824 --> 00:22:05,825 That didn't quite work the way 588 00:22:05,950 --> 00:22:07,201 he wanted it to. 589 00:22:07,202 --> 00:22:09,037 And we're wondering in the commentary position, 590 00:22:09,162 --> 00:22:11,122 how is that physically possible? 591 00:22:11,247 --> 00:22:12,706 I've never seen such a thing! 592 00:22:12,707 --> 00:22:14,083 And I turn around, I go, 593 00:22:14,084 --> 00:22:16,419 "Jesus, you good?" And he's- 594 00:22:18,088 --> 00:22:21,006 I hear that sickening thud of skull on cement. 595 00:22:21,007 --> 00:22:23,218 That right there is, is a sign of danger. 596 00:22:23,343 --> 00:22:24,718 That's something you're not gonna see on 597 00:22:24,719 --> 00:22:26,011 Monday Night Raw. 598 00:22:26,012 --> 00:22:27,596 Necro! Necro! 599 00:22:27,597 --> 00:22:29,849 You know, in today's wrestling world, 600 00:22:29,974 --> 00:22:31,934 that match shouldn't continue probably. 601 00:22:31,935 --> 00:22:35,187 But that match and that night, that atmosphere... 602 00:22:35,188 --> 00:22:37,565 that energy from the crowd, it was like, 603 00:22:37,691 --> 00:22:39,525 now we're in the flow, 604 00:22:39,526 --> 00:22:43,028 and it just got more violent and more fucked up from there. 605 00:22:43,029 --> 00:22:44,864 Holy shit! Holy shit! 606 00:22:47,951 --> 00:22:49,743 Just two minutes into the match, 607 00:22:49,744 --> 00:22:51,912 Samoa Joe drives Necro Butcher 608 00:22:51,913 --> 00:22:55,082 face first onto the concrete. 609 00:22:55,083 --> 00:22:57,085 At that that time we didn't stop. 610 00:22:57,210 --> 00:23:00,087 We go until the wheels fall off. 611 00:23:00,088 --> 00:23:02,548 Maybe a normal person would have been hurt. 612 00:23:02,549 --> 00:23:04,383 But I was fine. 613 00:23:06,177 --> 00:23:09,263 Oh, that boot definitely did not tickle. 614 00:23:09,264 --> 00:23:10,764 Oh, Joe's wiping the blood off him. 615 00:23:10,765 --> 00:23:12,349 Oh, that's a great touch. 616 00:23:12,350 --> 00:23:14,144 Wiping the blood off his head 617 00:23:14,269 --> 00:23:15,729 and wiping on his chest. 618 00:23:15,854 --> 00:23:18,314 The fans are such an integral part to all this. 619 00:23:18,315 --> 00:23:19,232 They're so into it. 620 00:23:19,357 --> 00:23:20,482 Oh! 621 00:23:20,483 --> 00:23:21,359 If you look at that floor right now, 622 00:23:21,484 --> 00:23:24,779 it could be any number of bodily fluids, so... 623 00:23:24,904 --> 00:23:26,530 when things got to the outside, 624 00:23:26,531 --> 00:23:28,741 this was Necro's environment. 625 00:23:28,742 --> 00:23:30,492 But anytime we're inside the ring, you know, 626 00:23:30,493 --> 00:23:31,994 that was my domain. 627 00:23:31,995 --> 00:23:33,496 Over the rail and back they go. 628 00:23:33,621 --> 00:23:34,330 Body language is, 629 00:23:34,456 --> 00:23:35,789 "I don't think much of you." 630 00:23:35,790 --> 00:23:38,126 Arrogant pin, you know, elbow on the chin, 631 00:23:38,251 --> 00:23:39,544 not really scooping the leg. 632 00:23:39,669 --> 00:23:40,961 But in the face of that, you know, 633 00:23:40,962 --> 00:23:42,297 here he is fighting back. 634 00:23:42,422 --> 00:23:44,757 Necro kicks out. 635 00:23:44,758 --> 00:23:48,261 He is not giving up. He is continuing to fight. 636 00:23:48,386 --> 00:23:49,636 He puts the arm up. 637 00:23:49,637 --> 00:23:52,682 And then the very pro Joe crowd, 638 00:23:52,807 --> 00:23:53,767 you start hearing more, 639 00:23:53,892 --> 00:23:55,477 "Necro, Necro, Necro," chants. 640 00:23:55,602 --> 00:23:56,977 Necro! Necro! 641 00:23:56,978 --> 00:23:58,229 And it's because of Necro's 642 00:23:58,355 --> 00:23:59,813 selling, selling, selling. 643 00:23:59,814 --> 00:24:01,649 The fans get louder and louder. 644 00:24:01,650 --> 00:24:03,610 Necro! Necro! 645 00:24:03,735 --> 00:24:05,486 And now you have that dynamic, 646 00:24:05,487 --> 00:24:07,154 the fans fighting with each other. 647 00:24:07,155 --> 00:24:08,614 They're turning. 648 00:24:08,615 --> 00:24:09,657 Wait 'til you hear all these fans 649 00:24:09,783 --> 00:24:11,159 right here in a chorus. 650 00:24:11,284 --> 00:24:12,951 I understood what role I played in this. 651 00:24:12,952 --> 00:24:15,120 This is somebody fighting against all the odds, 652 00:24:15,121 --> 00:24:16,997 you know, fighting to break out of his box 653 00:24:16,998 --> 00:24:19,918 in the face of this insurmountable entity. 654 00:24:20,043 --> 00:24:21,670 Off the ropes comes Necro! 655 00:24:21,795 --> 00:24:23,295 Connects with the boot. 656 00:24:23,296 --> 00:24:25,465 Joe's weapon is his killer instinct 657 00:24:25,590 --> 00:24:28,133 and his ability. Those are just tools. 658 00:24:28,134 --> 00:24:30,845 For me, the opponent, 659 00:24:30,970 --> 00:24:33,472 the guardrail, the ring itself. 660 00:24:33,473 --> 00:24:35,558 Those are the tools of my trade. 661 00:24:35,683 --> 00:24:37,309 You don't really have time to be hurt, 662 00:24:37,310 --> 00:24:38,268 because you gotta think, okay, 663 00:24:38,269 --> 00:24:40,437 what am I doing next, what am I doing next? 664 00:24:40,438 --> 00:24:41,855 Oh, yeah, I was trying to find 665 00:24:41,856 --> 00:24:44,316 a piece of guardrail I could rip off. 666 00:24:44,317 --> 00:24:46,695 I'm going to smash you with the guardrail. 667 00:24:49,656 --> 00:24:51,407 No, no. 668 00:24:54,452 --> 00:24:56,246 He was a good sport about it. 669 00:24:56,371 --> 00:24:58,497 Oh! 670 00:24:58,498 --> 00:25:00,082 Yeah, it sucks. 671 00:25:00,083 --> 00:25:02,418 It's not pleasant, you know, it's not pleasant. 672 00:25:04,129 --> 00:25:05,629 Oh! 673 00:25:05,630 --> 00:25:06,672 What people don't realize 674 00:25:06,673 --> 00:25:08,340 is that Necro is blind also. 675 00:25:08,341 --> 00:25:09,676 Very blind. 676 00:25:09,801 --> 00:25:10,719 I have my glasses here. 677 00:25:10,844 --> 00:25:11,928 I can't tell who's who. 678 00:25:12,053 --> 00:25:14,097 There's a red light there, red light over there. 679 00:25:14,222 --> 00:25:15,764 But I can't see nothing. 680 00:25:18,727 --> 00:25:20,812 He did that 681 00:25:20,937 --> 00:25:24,815 and I was like, Jesus! I did not expect it. 682 00:25:24,816 --> 00:25:26,484 This guy just swings for the general 683 00:25:26,609 --> 00:25:28,068 fuzzy mound that's in front of him 684 00:25:28,069 --> 00:25:29,571 and he hopes that it connects. 685 00:25:29,696 --> 00:25:32,906 I hit him with the perfect punch. 686 00:25:32,907 --> 00:25:35,326 Like, I felt all of my knuckles 687 00:25:35,452 --> 00:25:37,120 hit him right in the jaw. 688 00:25:38,830 --> 00:25:40,957 And I thought, I'm gonna do it again. 689 00:25:43,918 --> 00:25:45,419 That's the worst thing you do for me. 690 00:25:45,420 --> 00:25:47,921 Now the switch turns an extra couple degrees. 691 00:25:47,922 --> 00:25:49,549 And I have come to destroy worlds, 692 00:25:49,674 --> 00:25:51,800 and this is the world before me 693 00:25:51,801 --> 00:25:53,594 which I must lay waste to. 694 00:25:53,595 --> 00:25:54,679 Before I could do it a third time, 695 00:25:54,804 --> 00:25:56,805 I went flying through the air. 696 00:25:56,806 --> 00:25:58,641 Did you see the... 697 00:25:58,767 --> 00:26:01,519 holy shit! Ah! 698 00:26:01,644 --> 00:26:04,772 Holy... fuck! 699 00:26:04,773 --> 00:26:06,690 Good God. This is... 700 00:26:06,691 --> 00:26:08,734 it just... 701 00:26:08,735 --> 00:26:11,612 Look at that blood everywhere, man. 702 00:26:11,613 --> 00:26:13,864 This was wild. 703 00:26:13,865 --> 00:26:17,409 That was the one where I was like, holy shit. 704 00:26:17,410 --> 00:26:20,080 That one made me stand up in my chair and, 705 00:26:20,205 --> 00:26:22,915 I was thinking about going down there. 706 00:26:22,916 --> 00:26:25,210 What the fuck is happening? 707 00:26:27,420 --> 00:26:31,049 Not me, not the kid. A normal man, perhaps. 708 00:26:32,967 --> 00:26:33,927 That's not gonna hurt me. 709 00:26:34,052 --> 00:26:35,928 I know what I'm doing. 710 00:26:35,929 --> 00:26:36,637 You know, everybody talks about 711 00:26:36,638 --> 00:26:37,638 his face hitting the floor. 712 00:26:37,639 --> 00:26:38,932 What they don't talk about is his shoulder 713 00:26:39,057 --> 00:26:40,557 coming down on top of my face 714 00:26:40,558 --> 00:26:41,475 and the back of my head being driven 715 00:26:41,476 --> 00:26:42,685 into the cement. 716 00:26:42,811 --> 00:26:44,979 Oh! 717 00:26:45,105 --> 00:26:46,563 Thought my nose was broken. 718 00:26:46,564 --> 00:26:49,359 Thought I'd shattered my orbital. 719 00:26:49,484 --> 00:26:50,943 I broke my nose a billion times, 720 00:26:50,944 --> 00:26:52,152 so it wasn't uncommon. 721 00:26:52,153 --> 00:26:54,614 But yeah, this one put another fracture in my nose. 722 00:26:54,739 --> 00:26:55,740 I'll give him this, at least he looks 723 00:26:55,865 --> 00:26:57,449 worse for wear for the whole deal. 724 00:26:57,450 --> 00:26:59,410 There's an old Johnny Valentine quote. 725 00:26:59,411 --> 00:27:02,205 He said, "I can't make you believe in wrestling, 726 00:27:02,330 --> 00:27:05,082 but I can make you believe in Johnny Valentine." 727 00:27:05,083 --> 00:27:07,502 No one is ever gonna watch that match, and say, 728 00:27:07,627 --> 00:27:09,420 "Yeah, that's, that's all fake." 729 00:27:09,421 --> 00:27:12,966 I'm tough enough that I can take that shit. 730 00:27:13,091 --> 00:27:15,135 Let's exploit what we have. 731 00:27:19,723 --> 00:27:23,268 the legendary ECW Arena, eaf 732 00:27:23,393 --> 00:27:25,185 Samoa Joe and Necro Butcher 733 00:27:25,186 --> 00:27:28,355 leave everything in the ring and on the floor. 734 00:27:28,356 --> 00:27:29,356 Now see this is what you call 735 00:27:29,357 --> 00:27:32,235 long-term storytelling, guys. 736 00:27:32,360 --> 00:27:34,404 Remember they had that Chikara match. 737 00:27:34,529 --> 00:27:36,363 ...goes for a suplex off then apron! 738 00:27:36,364 --> 00:27:38,115 I suplexed the kid off the apron. 739 00:27:38,116 --> 00:27:40,160 Off the apron to the floor! 740 00:27:40,285 --> 00:27:42,619 And then, a month or two later, 741 00:27:42,620 --> 00:27:45,373 the master suplexes me off the apron. 742 00:27:45,498 --> 00:27:46,832 Holy shit, ah! 743 00:27:46,833 --> 00:27:50,045 Long-term story telling at its finest. 744 00:27:50,170 --> 00:27:51,128 You know what sucks? 745 00:27:51,129 --> 00:27:52,422 I wish I could've said I planned all this shit, 746 00:27:52,547 --> 00:27:55,300 but- Happy accident. 747 00:27:55,425 --> 00:27:57,426 Yeah, happy accidents, here we go. 748 00:27:58,636 --> 00:28:00,847 The way Necro is moving and selling, 749 00:28:00,972 --> 00:28:03,307 he's definitely hurt and he's banged up, 750 00:28:03,308 --> 00:28:04,684 but he's with it. 751 00:28:04,809 --> 00:28:07,437 Just to see Necro get up, we were like... 752 00:28:07,562 --> 00:28:10,064 He's like rising from the dead. 753 00:28:10,065 --> 00:28:11,524 I'm not a guy that'll ever dictate to 754 00:28:11,650 --> 00:28:13,318 somebody what dangerous things 755 00:28:13,443 --> 00:28:14,736 they should do to their own body. 756 00:28:14,861 --> 00:28:16,403 I put the ball in his court, and I said, you know, 757 00:28:16,404 --> 00:28:18,948 "You tell me how far you want this to go." 758 00:28:19,074 --> 00:28:21,284 But, he had a vision. 759 00:28:21,409 --> 00:28:22,785 Oh! 760 00:28:22,786 --> 00:28:24,411 It's a more primal vision. 761 00:28:24,412 --> 00:28:27,207 It's definitely not eloquent in its execution. 762 00:28:27,332 --> 00:28:28,707 I think here I was telling him, 763 00:28:28,708 --> 00:28:30,668 "Put the guardrail up on the turnbuckle." 764 00:28:30,669 --> 00:28:32,879 There's so many times in this match 765 00:28:33,004 --> 00:28:35,255 where I just said some shit that could 766 00:28:35,256 --> 00:28:36,925 easily be misinterpreted, 767 00:28:37,050 --> 00:28:39,427 but every time I told him to do something, 768 00:28:39,552 --> 00:28:41,846 he did exactly what I wanted him to do. 769 00:28:41,971 --> 00:28:43,263 In those circumstances, 770 00:28:43,264 --> 00:28:45,182 I will default to the masochist and 771 00:28:45,183 --> 00:28:46,851 let him paint his picture. 772 00:28:46,976 --> 00:28:49,979 His ability to dish out punishment, 773 00:28:49,980 --> 00:28:52,649 and my ability to absorb punishment 774 00:28:52,774 --> 00:28:54,734 is what I based the match upon. 775 00:28:54,859 --> 00:28:56,360 ...power bomb coming up! 776 00:28:56,361 --> 00:28:58,571 Wah! Oh! 777 00:28:58,697 --> 00:29:00,949 Somebody's gonna die! 778 00:29:02,367 --> 00:29:04,285 In some form or fashion, 779 00:29:04,411 --> 00:29:06,246 they were reading the same book. 780 00:29:06,371 --> 00:29:07,913 I'm not sure they're in the same chapter, 781 00:29:07,914 --> 00:29:11,668 same page quite, but to be done even remotely safely 782 00:29:11,793 --> 00:29:15,879 involves a breed of cooperation. 783 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:18,883 The way Necro's looking at it right here is, 784 00:29:19,009 --> 00:29:22,595 the more he gets beat up and still stands up, 785 00:29:22,721 --> 00:29:25,639 he's becoming a bigger star. 786 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:28,393 Back in the day, before that match... 787 00:29:28,518 --> 00:29:32,563 me and Necro, we was in a light tube match. 788 00:29:32,564 --> 00:29:35,399 We were just bloody as hell. 789 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:38,485 I suplex Necro and one of them 790 00:29:38,486 --> 00:29:41,281 went in so deep in his arm, it just, 791 00:29:41,406 --> 00:29:43,699 it just cut a whole chunk out of there. 792 00:29:43,700 --> 00:29:46,201 I start yelling out. 793 00:29:46,202 --> 00:29:49,038 Fucking ambulance! Ambulance! 794 00:29:49,039 --> 00:29:51,665 And I'm just feeling terrible that this happened to Necro. 795 00:29:51,666 --> 00:29:54,001 And finally Necro looked over to me, and he said, 796 00:29:54,002 --> 00:29:57,422 "Pondo, would you chill out and cheer up?" 797 00:29:57,547 --> 00:29:59,757 You know, he just never complained about it. 798 00:29:59,758 --> 00:30:02,843 This was his chance to get his name out there and show 799 00:30:02,844 --> 00:30:05,305 the world exactly what the Necro Butcher can do, 800 00:30:05,430 --> 00:30:08,098 and he just kept on going and... 801 00:30:08,099 --> 00:30:10,059 here he is today. 802 00:30:10,060 --> 00:30:12,561 It's a very old school way of 803 00:30:12,562 --> 00:30:15,273 getting somebody over. It, it works. 804 00:30:15,398 --> 00:30:16,524 People can register that. 805 00:30:16,650 --> 00:30:18,942 People can respect an underdog. 806 00:30:18,943 --> 00:30:20,695 Is he going to get back to his feet? 807 00:30:20,820 --> 00:30:22,739 The drama continues to build. 808 00:30:22,864 --> 00:30:24,991 It's great storytelling. 809 00:30:25,116 --> 00:30:27,951 Joe, with the cover. No! 810 00:30:27,952 --> 00:30:29,162 It has to be one-sided for 811 00:30:29,287 --> 00:30:31,205 the story I'm trying to tell. 812 00:30:31,206 --> 00:30:34,917 Too many matches today, they're too back and forth. 813 00:30:34,918 --> 00:30:37,670 The fans don't buy the comeback because 814 00:30:37,671 --> 00:30:39,589 the guys don't take the time to set the heat 815 00:30:39,714 --> 00:30:41,548 the way they need to. 816 00:30:41,549 --> 00:30:42,966 The whole point was, 817 00:30:42,967 --> 00:30:44,885 in my head was like, we're going to 818 00:30:44,886 --> 00:30:46,346 put this guy through this carnival of torture 819 00:30:46,471 --> 00:30:48,722 that he's wanted so badly for so long. 820 00:30:48,723 --> 00:30:50,016 We're going to give him everything he asked for. 821 00:30:50,141 --> 00:30:52,060 Oh! 822 00:30:52,185 --> 00:30:54,187 That could have been a paralyzation there had 823 00:30:54,312 --> 00:30:56,856 somebody been an inch this way or an inch that way, 824 00:30:56,981 --> 00:30:59,441 that could have easily been a paralyzation there as well. 825 00:30:59,442 --> 00:31:01,652 Cover! One, two! 826 00:31:01,653 --> 00:31:03,445 He kicked out! 827 00:31:03,446 --> 00:31:05,030 The look on Joe's face is like, 828 00:31:05,031 --> 00:31:07,617 "What do I gotta do to put this guy, this guy away?" 829 00:31:07,742 --> 00:31:09,451 They're chanting, "Necro!" 830 00:31:09,452 --> 00:31:11,704 He's earning the respect of the crowd. 831 00:31:11,705 --> 00:31:12,580 The fans of Philadelphia are 832 00:31:12,706 --> 00:31:13,665 going nuts right now. 833 00:31:13,790 --> 00:31:15,499 All the punishment Necro Butcher takes, 834 00:31:15,500 --> 00:31:17,167 he's gonna make it matter. 835 00:31:17,168 --> 00:31:20,547 He's not just gonna blow off any kind of damage. 836 00:31:20,672 --> 00:31:21,506 And they're showing their support 837 00:31:21,631 --> 00:31:22,841 for Joe as well. 838 00:31:22,966 --> 00:31:24,800 Chop across the chest of Necro. 839 00:31:24,801 --> 00:31:25,801 I wanted to look really feeble 840 00:31:25,802 --> 00:31:26,970 and barely on my feet. 841 00:31:27,095 --> 00:31:29,138 So that's what I was trying to do here. 842 00:31:29,139 --> 00:31:33,434 A man doesn't win when he's relaxed 843 00:31:33,435 --> 00:31:34,978 and thinks he's in control. 844 00:31:35,103 --> 00:31:37,147 A man wins when he thinks he's losing. 845 00:31:37,272 --> 00:31:38,690 Oh! 846 00:31:39,774 --> 00:31:41,026 There it is! 847 00:31:41,151 --> 00:31:44,070 He's fighting back, boom, boom! 848 00:31:44,195 --> 00:31:45,320 Oh, my God. 849 00:31:45,321 --> 00:31:47,698 In the moment, I'm annoyed at that. 850 00:31:47,699 --> 00:31:50,784 Like, what the fuck, man? 851 00:31:50,785 --> 00:31:53,038 But Samoa Joe with the palm strikes! 852 00:31:53,163 --> 00:31:54,330 Classic pro wrestling technique, 853 00:31:54,456 --> 00:31:55,914 the open-hand palm strikes. 854 00:31:55,915 --> 00:31:58,376 Bro, put your hands up. That's the first rule. 855 00:31:58,501 --> 00:32:01,004 With each slap you could see a mist of blood 856 00:32:01,129 --> 00:32:05,758 coming off the face of Necro Butcher. 857 00:32:05,759 --> 00:32:08,344 If I had to pinpoint a time when 858 00:32:08,345 --> 00:32:11,138 my girlfriend at the time had left the match, 859 00:32:11,139 --> 00:32:14,975 it was where the blood was visibly flying into the crowd. 860 00:32:14,976 --> 00:32:16,477 She said she almost threw up 861 00:32:16,478 --> 00:32:18,813 and then she decided to bounce. 862 00:32:20,231 --> 00:32:22,400 And that's the whole point of what I was doing. 863 00:32:22,525 --> 00:32:23,902 When you're dog walking somebody, 864 00:32:24,027 --> 00:32:25,736 it's not a pretty affair. 865 00:32:25,737 --> 00:32:27,821 And that's what that whole sequence was about. 866 00:32:27,822 --> 00:32:30,283 I've had enough. I'm done with this. 867 00:32:30,408 --> 00:32:33,286 It's time for you to die now. 868 00:32:33,411 --> 00:32:35,747 Ah! God! 869 00:32:38,583 --> 00:32:40,501 The match between Necro Butcher and 870 00:32:40,502 --> 00:32:43,712 Samoa Joe barrels toward its violent finish. 871 00:32:43,713 --> 00:32:45,965 Look at the blood on the body of 872 00:32:46,091 --> 00:32:47,801 Samoa Joe from Necro! 873 00:32:51,096 --> 00:32:53,138 This was not any ordinary wrestling match, 874 00:32:53,139 --> 00:32:55,517 so it wasn't gonna end any ordinary way. 875 00:32:55,642 --> 00:32:57,185 Joe's here 'cause he wants to be here. 876 00:32:57,310 --> 00:32:59,019 Necro has nothing to lose. 877 00:32:59,020 --> 00:33:00,854 So, the story of Necro... 878 00:33:00,855 --> 00:33:02,148 calling these spots that lead to his demise... 879 00:33:02,273 --> 00:33:03,315 Stay down! 880 00:33:03,316 --> 00:33:04,359 He's saying that, "I'm gonna lose, 881 00:33:04,484 --> 00:33:06,235 but I'm gonna go down swinging." 882 00:33:06,236 --> 00:33:07,821 The lasting image of that match 883 00:33:07,946 --> 00:33:10,532 is the final strike. 884 00:33:10,657 --> 00:33:13,575 And Samoa Joe effectively wins the match 885 00:33:13,576 --> 00:33:16,036 by knocking Necro out. 886 00:33:16,037 --> 00:33:17,621 What is unique about this finish is that it's, 887 00:33:17,622 --> 00:33:19,707 in essence, a technical knockout. 888 00:33:19,708 --> 00:33:21,209 He didn't just have to pin him for 889 00:33:21,334 --> 00:33:23,877 three seconds, he kept him down for ten. 890 00:33:23,878 --> 00:33:27,382 He just could not take any more beating. 891 00:33:27,507 --> 00:33:28,507 He's getting up though. 892 00:33:28,508 --> 00:33:30,552 No! And that's it! 893 00:33:30,677 --> 00:33:33,054 Samoa Joe gets the knockout! 894 00:33:33,179 --> 00:33:35,139 Knockout win for Samoa Joe! 895 00:33:36,850 --> 00:33:39,435 Your great messiah of hardcore death 896 00:33:39,436 --> 00:33:42,021 has been stricken down. 897 00:33:42,147 --> 00:33:44,691 All justice has been served. 898 00:33:46,901 --> 00:33:48,318 What a mess. 899 00:33:48,319 --> 00:33:49,862 Though the match may be over, 900 00:33:49,863 --> 00:33:52,699 Joe gives Necro one last parting shot. 901 00:33:52,824 --> 00:33:54,450 Oh, he's not done. 902 00:33:54,451 --> 00:33:55,535 Brother was down there selling so long, 903 00:33:55,660 --> 00:33:57,077 so I went over there and I gave him like 904 00:33:57,078 --> 00:33:58,078 the little kick in the head. 905 00:33:58,079 --> 00:33:59,329 Just like I knew he would, he popped right up 906 00:33:59,330 --> 00:34:00,873 and started swinging for the fences. 907 00:34:00,874 --> 00:34:03,585 And the monster rises again from the dead. 908 00:34:03,710 --> 00:34:05,252 Really? Really? Get out of here. 909 00:34:07,547 --> 00:34:09,006 The hardcore Jesus is pissed. 910 00:34:09,007 --> 00:34:10,132 I'm like, well, I can't leave you 911 00:34:10,133 --> 00:34:11,425 laying in a puddle, I mean, like, 912 00:34:11,426 --> 00:34:12,968 I thought it was important to leave 913 00:34:12,969 --> 00:34:16,638 the arena with him at least standing, you know. 914 00:34:16,639 --> 00:34:19,808 What a war between these two men! 915 00:34:19,809 --> 00:34:22,270 If there's no fight in somebody then 916 00:34:22,395 --> 00:34:24,688 there's nothing really there to care about. 917 00:34:24,689 --> 00:34:27,817 So, it was imperative to me that we left Necro 918 00:34:27,942 --> 00:34:29,277 with the right kind of perception on him 919 00:34:29,402 --> 00:34:30,611 of being just one of the 920 00:34:30,612 --> 00:34:32,404 toughest motherfuckers on planet earth. 921 00:34:37,786 --> 00:34:40,413 Match of the year, huh? Wow. 922 00:34:40,538 --> 00:34:42,915 Match of the year! 923 00:34:42,916 --> 00:34:44,292 Everyone in the building knew that 924 00:34:44,417 --> 00:34:46,670 they had just witnessed something great. 925 00:34:46,795 --> 00:34:48,421 And when the fans finally got a chance to 926 00:34:48,546 --> 00:34:51,256 see it on video, it just intensified 927 00:34:51,257 --> 00:34:54,551 the buzz about the match on the internet. 928 00:34:54,552 --> 00:34:57,097 How ironic that that event was called 929 00:34:57,222 --> 00:34:58,555 "Something To Prove" 930 00:34:58,556 --> 00:35:01,350 because that's exactly what I was trying to do, 931 00:35:01,351 --> 00:35:03,644 and I think that's exactly what I did. 932 00:35:03,645 --> 00:35:05,647 That night in Philly was special. 933 00:35:05,772 --> 00:35:08,107 I knew I'm never gonna make it to 934 00:35:08,108 --> 00:35:09,317 Madison Square Garden. 935 00:35:09,442 --> 00:35:12,070 That was my Madison Square Garden. 936 00:35:12,195 --> 00:35:13,904 After that match, 937 00:35:13,905 --> 00:35:17,199 I was a made man in that building. 938 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:19,369 And that's all I ever wanted. 939 00:35:21,454 --> 00:35:22,830 You know, coming through the curtain in 940 00:35:22,831 --> 00:35:25,374 the post-match, it couldn't have been more... 941 00:35:25,375 --> 00:35:27,334 I mean, docile. 942 00:35:27,335 --> 00:35:28,711 You know, like... 943 00:35:28,712 --> 00:35:31,130 Necro came back, dapped him up. 944 00:35:31,131 --> 00:35:33,716 I went to Joe immediately and thanked him. 945 00:35:33,717 --> 00:35:36,552 I obviously had tremendous amount of respect 946 00:35:36,553 --> 00:35:37,761 for him as a wrestler. 947 00:35:37,762 --> 00:35:40,348 He trusted the vision of what I had, 948 00:35:40,473 --> 00:35:43,434 and helped me follow it through. 949 00:35:43,435 --> 00:35:45,561 Well, after the match, I had another show to do 950 00:35:45,562 --> 00:35:47,688 that evening in the same arena. 951 00:35:47,689 --> 00:35:50,149 So I had to go back down to the catacombs and 952 00:35:50,150 --> 00:35:51,818 put my skull back together 953 00:35:51,943 --> 00:35:53,777 and catch my breath, 954 00:35:53,778 --> 00:35:55,070 and get ready to get out there and 955 00:35:55,071 --> 00:35:56,364 do it all over again. 956 00:35:56,489 --> 00:35:59,033 And here comes the butcher! 957 00:35:59,034 --> 00:36:01,410 You'd think maybe he'd be tired, but no. 958 00:36:01,411 --> 00:36:03,537 He just kept going. 959 00:36:03,538 --> 00:36:05,373 Excuse me! 960 00:36:05,498 --> 00:36:07,959 He never went 80%, you know, 961 00:36:08,084 --> 00:36:10,085 he was always 110. 962 00:36:10,086 --> 00:36:12,047 It's a very heavy price, 963 00:36:12,172 --> 00:36:14,006 taking suplexes to the floor, 964 00:36:14,007 --> 00:36:16,551 taking these bumps, and he did it because 965 00:36:16,676 --> 00:36:18,635 he had pride in what he was doing 966 00:36:18,636 --> 00:36:21,055 and he wanted to get to the next level. 967 00:36:21,056 --> 00:36:23,724 It certainly seemed to me that there was almost like 968 00:36:23,725 --> 00:36:26,935 a before and after for both of those guys. 969 00:36:26,936 --> 00:36:30,230 It eventually earned Necro a regular spot 970 00:36:30,231 --> 00:36:32,524 in ROH for a couple of years. 971 00:36:32,525 --> 00:36:34,860 Ring Of Honor could not deny me any longer. 972 00:36:34,861 --> 00:36:36,696 That's the Necro Butcher! 973 00:36:36,821 --> 00:36:38,322 I was on every show for like four years. 974 00:36:38,323 --> 00:36:40,491 Necro! Necro! 975 00:36:40,492 --> 00:36:41,450 He goes on to be in the movie 976 00:36:41,451 --> 00:36:42,618 "The Wrestler" in 2008. 977 00:36:42,619 --> 00:36:43,578 Talk to me about it. 978 00:36:43,703 --> 00:36:45,037 What do you want to do tonight? 979 00:36:45,038 --> 00:36:46,372 Are you cool with the staples? 980 00:36:46,373 --> 00:36:48,041 Maybe it was a mainstream moment. 981 00:36:48,166 --> 00:36:49,291 Staple gun? 982 00:36:49,292 --> 00:36:51,627 But, at the time, I had more wrestling to do. 983 00:36:51,628 --> 00:36:53,629 The Necro Butcher! 984 00:36:53,630 --> 00:36:54,755 We were in this together 985 00:36:54,756 --> 00:36:56,257 as independent wrestlers. 986 00:36:56,383 --> 00:36:58,926 We were all trying just to set 987 00:36:58,927 --> 00:37:01,345 the world on fire with our wrestling. 988 00:37:01,346 --> 00:37:03,223 We were misfits, all of us. 989 00:37:03,348 --> 00:37:04,724 Even Joe was. 990 00:37:04,849 --> 00:37:07,602 We saw Samoa Joe's name getting 991 00:37:07,727 --> 00:37:09,354 bigger and bigger over time. 992 00:37:09,479 --> 00:37:11,980 It was a sense of pride. 993 00:37:11,981 --> 00:37:15,943 If any indie guy made it, we were all proud. 994 00:37:15,944 --> 00:37:17,903 I finished up with ROH, 995 00:37:17,904 --> 00:37:20,948 I moved on to TNA Wrestling, then moved on to WWE. 996 00:37:20,949 --> 00:37:24,369 And now I currently find myself in All Elite Wrestling. 997 00:37:24,911 --> 00:37:26,578 It was obvious back then, 998 00:37:26,579 --> 00:37:30,417 what sort of trajectory that man was on. 999 00:37:30,542 --> 00:37:33,085 This was a trajectory that was 1000 00:37:33,086 --> 00:37:35,463 closed to me. 1001 00:37:35,588 --> 00:37:38,716 Necro Butcher never got his WWE run 1002 00:37:38,717 --> 00:37:41,385 probably because he was such an outlaw. 1003 00:37:41,386 --> 00:37:44,013 His home was independent wrestling, 1004 00:37:44,014 --> 00:37:46,557 and so it's honestly not much of a surprise that 1005 00:37:46,558 --> 00:37:49,936 that was where he really excelled. 1006 00:37:50,061 --> 00:37:51,729 Many independent wrestlers have gone on 1007 00:37:51,730 --> 00:37:53,856 to have lauded careers... 1008 00:37:53,857 --> 00:37:55,816 all around the world. 1009 00:37:55,817 --> 00:37:57,818 If you ask me why maybe Necro wasn't 1010 00:37:57,819 --> 00:37:59,987 a part of that pantheon of people... 1011 00:37:59,988 --> 00:38:02,906 you know, at the end of the day, 1012 00:38:02,907 --> 00:38:05,826 it's just hard to put on a, on a cereal box, you know? 1013 00:38:05,827 --> 00:38:07,329 That's the thing about deathmatches, 1014 00:38:07,454 --> 00:38:09,747 and people just don't understand. 1015 00:38:09,748 --> 00:38:13,126 They say that we make hotdogs and handshakes. 1016 00:38:13,251 --> 00:38:15,502 I do believe that for Necro, 1017 00:38:15,503 --> 00:38:18,005 the crowd would chant his name and... 1018 00:38:18,006 --> 00:38:20,716 to a wrestler, having a crowd chant your name, 1019 00:38:20,717 --> 00:38:22,718 sing your song, that means, 1020 00:38:22,719 --> 00:38:24,846 that means more to us than anything. 1021 00:38:24,971 --> 00:38:27,848 You're not gonna talk him out of what he loves. 1022 00:38:27,849 --> 00:38:30,142 He loves wrestling. 1023 00:38:30,143 --> 00:38:32,686 I was going to Japan like six times a year. 1024 00:38:32,687 --> 00:38:35,272 I'd got to Mexico a couple times, Puerto Rico. 1025 00:38:35,273 --> 00:38:37,232 And then in 2020, 1026 00:38:37,233 --> 00:38:40,028 I had just come back from Japan and I- 1027 00:38:40,153 --> 00:38:41,612 I didn't know what was going on, 1028 00:38:41,613 --> 00:38:43,239 but I knew I was really sick. 1029 00:38:44,574 --> 00:38:48,077 So... I remember when 1030 00:38:48,078 --> 00:38:51,039 I first seen him, thinking to myself, 1031 00:38:51,164 --> 00:38:53,666 look at the weight that he lost. 1032 00:38:53,792 --> 00:38:56,711 Butcher! 1033 00:38:56,836 --> 00:38:59,255 He had lost a lot of weight. 1034 00:39:00,590 --> 00:39:02,716 Like a lot of weight. 1035 00:39:02,717 --> 00:39:05,053 And, ah... 1036 00:39:05,178 --> 00:39:06,929 I, I didn't understand. 1037 00:39:06,930 --> 00:39:08,764 I didn't know what was going. 1038 00:39:08,765 --> 00:39:11,016 He's passing the torch! 1039 00:39:11,017 --> 00:39:13,560 Shortly after that, I went to visit him. 1040 00:39:13,561 --> 00:39:15,187 Took us out to eat. 1041 00:39:15,188 --> 00:39:17,272 Right before I left, that's when he said, 1042 00:39:17,273 --> 00:39:19,191 "Hey, man, if I... 1043 00:39:19,192 --> 00:39:22,319 if I don't talk to you from this day on, 1044 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:24,864 just realize I always appreciated everything 1045 00:39:24,989 --> 00:39:26,115 you did for me." And I'm like, 1046 00:39:26,116 --> 00:39:27,741 "What are you talking about?" 1047 00:39:27,742 --> 00:39:29,993 And, ah... 1048 00:39:29,994 --> 00:39:32,663 I'm telling him, I'm like, 1049 00:39:32,664 --> 00:39:34,915 "If you want me to stay, I'll stay." 1050 00:39:34,916 --> 00:39:37,793 And he's like, "No." 1051 00:39:37,794 --> 00:39:41,381 So, that's when I found out that Necro had cancer. 1052 00:39:47,595 --> 00:39:49,805 Diagnosed with stage three cancer, 1053 00:39:49,806 --> 00:39:52,267 Necro Butcher fights for his life. 1054 00:39:52,392 --> 00:39:55,352 Turns out I had Hodgkin's lymphoma. 1055 00:39:55,353 --> 00:39:57,230 I was in a hospital bed for about nine months 1056 00:39:57,355 --> 00:39:59,107 and had no energy whatsoever. 1057 00:39:59,232 --> 00:40:01,859 Everything hurt. 1058 00:40:01,860 --> 00:40:04,404 Laying in bed for nine months gives you 1059 00:40:04,529 --> 00:40:07,406 plenty of time to re-evaluate things, you know. 1060 00:40:07,407 --> 00:40:10,576 Over the years, I've beat so many guys up it's not 1061 00:40:10,577 --> 00:40:12,703 even something I keep track of anymore. 1062 00:40:12,704 --> 00:40:14,913 And after a while, they just blend together. 1063 00:40:14,914 --> 00:40:17,166 Looking back, 1064 00:40:17,167 --> 00:40:19,001 the Samoa Joe match, let's be honest, 1065 00:40:19,002 --> 00:40:22,088 that's what people are gonna remember about me. 1066 00:40:22,213 --> 00:40:24,966 Quite honestly, I'm baffled sometimes. 1067 00:40:25,091 --> 00:40:26,800 People talk about this match that 1068 00:40:26,801 --> 00:40:29,262 weren't even alive when we did it. 1069 00:40:29,387 --> 00:40:31,638 I'm still very flattered by it. 1070 00:40:31,639 --> 00:40:34,433 It is one of the greatest brawls you will ever see. 1071 00:40:34,434 --> 00:40:36,311 It's a time capsule, man. 1072 00:40:36,436 --> 00:40:38,938 If people want to know how the independents were 1073 00:40:39,064 --> 00:40:42,442 from 2000 to 2010, that was it. 1074 00:40:42,567 --> 00:40:44,193 They made a moment. 1075 00:40:44,194 --> 00:40:45,778 For all of us on the indies, man. 1076 00:40:45,779 --> 00:40:46,821 Because I'll tell you right now, 1077 00:40:46,946 --> 00:40:50,491 more people started booking those kind of matches. 1078 00:40:50,492 --> 00:40:52,661 They were the spark. 1079 00:40:52,786 --> 00:40:55,622 Just how believable that brawl was 1080 00:40:55,747 --> 00:40:57,998 is something that young wrestlers now draw 1081 00:40:57,999 --> 00:41:02,003 inspiration for what a fight could be like. 1082 00:41:02,128 --> 00:41:03,838 It's wild that so many people have loved, 1083 00:41:03,963 --> 00:41:06,799 and enjoyed, and taken pleasure from watching this. 1084 00:41:06,800 --> 00:41:09,636 I just never would have imagined it would have 1085 00:41:09,761 --> 00:41:11,428 taken on the life that it has. 1086 00:41:11,429 --> 00:41:13,389 It's cool that... 1087 00:41:13,390 --> 00:41:15,015 that was part of my journey. 1088 00:41:15,016 --> 00:41:17,310 It's neat. 1089 00:41:17,435 --> 00:41:19,687 As he wages his battle with cancer, 1090 00:41:19,688 --> 00:41:22,816 the Necro Butcher discovers a new outlook. 1091 00:41:22,941 --> 00:41:25,401 When I was in the bed I found something 1092 00:41:25,402 --> 00:41:27,320 that was unshakeable. 1093 00:41:27,445 --> 00:41:29,531 And that was myself. 1094 00:41:29,656 --> 00:41:33,200 In the game of life, you're not in charge 1095 00:41:33,201 --> 00:41:35,495 of where you start on the boards. 1096 00:41:35,620 --> 00:41:38,622 The only thing you're in control of is when you quit. 1097 00:41:38,623 --> 00:41:40,249 It's gonna hurt, you're gonna suffer. 1098 00:41:40,250 --> 00:41:42,376 But you have to believe in yourself. 1099 00:41:42,377 --> 00:41:43,627 If you can't believe you can do it, 1100 00:41:43,628 --> 00:41:46,047 then you're suffering for nothing. 1101 00:41:46,172 --> 00:41:50,968 We did three cycles of chemo with no improvement. 1102 00:41:50,969 --> 00:41:52,429 And they said, "Alright, if we don't see 1103 00:41:52,554 --> 00:41:53,888 improvement on the fourth one, 1104 00:41:54,014 --> 00:41:56,474 we're gonna quit and that's gonna be that." 1105 00:41:56,599 --> 00:41:59,727 Wouldn't you know it, that fourth one took. 1106 00:41:59,728 --> 00:42:03,064 And then, got back into wrestling. 1107 00:42:05,817 --> 00:42:07,569 This is the guy that 1108 00:42:07,694 --> 00:42:11,281 I've seen go through the craziest bumps 1109 00:42:11,406 --> 00:42:14,658 that you could ever think about. 1110 00:42:14,659 --> 00:42:17,704 And walk away unscathed. 1111 00:42:17,829 --> 00:42:22,250 But, look at him today. He beat cancer. 1112 00:42:22,375 --> 00:42:25,419 His hip exploded, he beat that. 1113 00:42:25,420 --> 00:42:26,546 Still punching people in the face. 1114 00:42:26,671 --> 00:42:28,214 Good God! 1115 00:42:28,340 --> 00:42:29,549 That puts him solid in 1116 00:42:29,674 --> 00:42:31,885 the bad motherfuckers club. 1117 00:42:32,010 --> 00:42:32,968 You know, I'm not moving around 1118 00:42:32,969 --> 00:42:34,428 great right now, but I'm moving around 1119 00:42:34,429 --> 00:42:37,098 pretty good for age 52. 1120 00:42:37,223 --> 00:42:38,975 I'm still out there on the road. 1121 00:42:39,100 --> 00:42:40,727 I'm motivated. 1122 00:42:40,852 --> 00:42:43,229 I just had a rough match last week... 1123 00:42:43,355 --> 00:42:45,106 about died. 1124 00:42:45,231 --> 00:42:47,609 Oh, my God! 1125 00:42:47,734 --> 00:42:50,862 I understand the way we look back at things, 1126 00:42:50,987 --> 00:42:53,281 the further they get in the mirror. 1127 00:42:53,406 --> 00:42:55,075 And it's June 11, 2005 1128 00:42:55,200 --> 00:42:56,785 here in Philadelphia! 1129 00:42:56,910 --> 00:42:58,536 That night in Philadelphia, 1130 00:42:58,661 --> 00:43:01,915 it was my most immediate, important event in my life. 1131 00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:03,624 Oh, wow! 1132 00:43:03,625 --> 00:43:05,584 That was better than I thought. Wow! 1133 00:43:05,585 --> 00:43:08,629 What does any artist want but for 1134 00:43:08,630 --> 00:43:10,798 his art to be remembered fondly? 1135 00:43:10,799 --> 00:43:13,134 And I think we're past the point of this being 1136 00:43:13,259 --> 00:43:15,969 remembered more than fondly so, 1137 00:43:15,970 --> 00:43:17,971 thank you, Samoa Joe. Thank you. 1138 00:43:17,972 --> 00:43:19,515 The feeling is mutual, 1139 00:43:19,516 --> 00:43:20,767 the thanks is mutual. 1140 00:43:20,892 --> 00:43:23,352 He managed to take a random afternoon that I was 1141 00:43:23,353 --> 00:43:25,647 not expecting would be what it was. 1142 00:43:25,772 --> 00:43:28,065 And it's become kind of a touchstone for inspiration 1143 00:43:28,066 --> 00:43:30,401 in the great zeitgeist of wrestling. 1144 00:43:30,402 --> 00:43:32,027 You know, to me, I think that's when 1145 00:43:32,028 --> 00:43:34,446 pro wrestling can be at its very best. 1146 00:43:34,447 --> 00:43:35,948 ...to the crowd! 1147 00:43:35,949 --> 00:43:39,076 I won 'em over with my ability to not quit. 1148 00:43:39,077 --> 00:43:41,620 And that's the message I try to tell people. 1149 00:43:41,621 --> 00:43:44,457 I haven't quit, so you better not either. 1150 00:43:44,582 --> 00:43:46,333 I've had so many horrible things happen to me 1151 00:43:46,334 --> 00:43:48,043 when I was young... 1152 00:43:48,044 --> 00:43:51,338 I just wanted to belong and not be by myself. 1153 00:43:51,339 --> 00:43:53,132 Necro! Necro! 1154 00:43:53,133 --> 00:43:55,677 And I wanted to connect with other people 1155 00:43:55,802 --> 00:43:58,512 that had the same passions I did. 1156 00:43:58,513 --> 00:44:00,306 Just appreciate the fine art 1157 00:44:00,432 --> 00:44:02,016 that is professional wrestling, 1158 00:44:02,142 --> 00:44:04,811 and then to contribute to that fine art, well, 1159 00:44:04,936 --> 00:44:07,147 what more, what more could a man ask for?