Dak Draper definitely hits the panic button.
Dak Draper is defending the NWL KC Championship.
The champion comes out first (boo), but it’s just so he can talk before the match. His trolling from two weeks ago continues as he claims that he and Major Baisden made a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs to give away ten free tickets to a Chiefs game. He tells the fans to look for envelopes under their seats, and the camera focuses on a kid in the front row who finds one. When he opens it, it’s just a piece of paper that says “Shame on you.” Before Dak has much time to laugh or sell the punchline (I thought they could’ve wrapped the segment up better, honestly), Thor’s music hits.
On to the match…Thor Theriot is on a roll. I mean, so is Dak Draper, but while Dak is on a a roll as far as getting heat ( a “troll roll,” perhaps?), Thor is on a roll of good matches. He’s coming off a feud with Jeremy Wyatt and Michael Strider that saw him (and them) produce my two favorite matches in the NWL so far, and now he puts a nice one together with Dak, too. In their last match (on episode seven), I thought Dak’s slow style drug the match down, but here, it proves to be a good complement to Thor’s energy and tenacity.
There’s a good sequence in the middle where Thor pretty much trolls Dak by constantly hitting him with arm drags and arm locks. Just when Dak thinks he’s free, bam! There’s another one. This doesn’t lead to any significant arm-based psychology afterwards, but it’s fun nonetheless. Dak takes over after shoving Thor into the guardrail and starts his old school rest hold game. Thor comes back with some exciting stuff. I really like his northern lights suplex into a double stomp, as well as his running knee lift. Draper takes it so well, too.
Thor hits a tope. Dak counters Ragnarök into a reverse DDT. Dak kicks out of the swanton. Thor hits the Ragnarök, but Dak has kicked the referee while on Thor’s shoulders, so Thor can only get a visual pin. Thor checks on the ref, Dak grabs the title belt, Thor goes over to him, Dak clocks Thor with the belt, and Dak hits the doctor bomb. The ref wakes up and counts three.
Winner – Dak Draper, still champion
Rating – Good
So Thor has lost twice to Dak Draper, but both times have involved shenanigans, and he actually got a visual pin on him this time.
P.S., please don’t think that my description of Draper’s style as “old school rest hold” is a knock on him. It’s actually a smart style for a heel because it gets heat for being “boring” and it’s good for his body long-term.
Extra Troll!
Draper tells a sad story about a sick kid who died, but it turns out to be another troll job.
Hook the Leg, Man! 