Quarter-final #2
Mark Andrews vs. Joseph Conners
The only Welshman in the tournament would face one of the favorites in the tournament next. I loved his match last night, but man Andrews is one corny competitor. And I couldn’t help but think that he would not be advancing to the semi-finals as the guy with half a left ear Joseph Conners stood in his way.
A nice handshake preceded the match with was good to see after the viciousness and aggressiveness of the last match. The two men got drawn into a technical battle to begin with, but Conners gained the advantage with strikes. Andrews once again got a chance to show off his unbelievable athleticism. I named him the Welsh Yoda yesterday and he was no different tonight. Flippin’, nipping and whippin’ across the ring until an attempted moonsault to the outside failed as he was forced to land on his feet.
This was where Conners got a chance to gain control of the match as he introduced Andrews into the steel steps. Conners seems extremely methodical and really slowed things down as he stalked the ring in a way that was reminiscent of the way Randy Orton does. He really seemed like one of the more natural wrestlers last night and this was certainly the case as he tried to book his ticket to the semi-finals.
The action spilled to the outside again, but this time, Conners wasn’t so lucky as he booted the steps instead of Andrews’ face. Andrews then did a total Jeff Hardy (Jeff Hardy return confirmed two nights in a row) as he ran the barricade and landed with a front flip on the English veteran. Andrews found himself on the wrong end of ‘Don’t Look Down’, Conners finishing move but managed to kick out! This prompted ‘This is Wrestling’ chants from the crowd.
I could feel the match coming to a close as Andrews hit the Stundog Millionaire out of a reversal to a suplex followed by his patented Shooting Star Press and picked up the win!
Winner by pinfall – Mark Andrews
It was a fantastic match that impressed on all levels and as I said last night, I could watch these two guys on a weekly basis. It wouldn’t surprise me if, after this tournament, WWE offered NXT contracts to these guys.
Jack Gallagher’s Dad (not really) would face Wolfgang next.
Fit Finlay appearance! I hoped at this point we would not see Hornswoggle…
