10 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: Necro Butcher vs. Samoa Joe

Kicking things off come match time, Necro smashed Joe with some stiff forearms to set the tone. So, Joe (ever willing) gave them back. Things quickly spilled out onto the floor and into the crowd. When the people scattered, they spilled drinks, so one of the guys slipped during an attempted powerslam spot and Necro’s head cracked the floor hard. He’d already been cut wide open and was bleeding profusely from the forehead, but now he was dazed and had a possible concussion.

Footage of this on 'Dark Side' looks nasty. Bryce Remsburg, current AEW official and the referee for the match, said: “That’s something you’re not gonna see on Monday Night Raw”. Yeah, there’s a reason for that. Generally, braining yourself on concrete 2 minutes into a match (or at any one point) isn’t good work, but things would only get more brutal from there.

Necro took a suplex off the ring apron and his head smashed into the floor again. The visible bloodstain on the floor from that is ghastly to witness even now. Looking back, it's somewhat remarkable that he wasn't permanently maimed or even killed by repeatedly thumping his head against an uncompromising concrete floor. There was no padding here. Bill Watts circa early-90s WCW would've been proud.

Actually, Watts would've probably thrown up his lunch checking this out. Slow motion clips of Necro's head colliding with the floor should be enough to make anyone ill. How he managed to carry on is anyone's guess. Perhaps he's right about being no mere mortal.