MOTYC mid-year re-watchings p1

With us being almost halfway through the year, I thought why not re-watch all the matches I've rated ****1/2+ this year, to make a very nice mid-year list!

Wrestle Kingdom 12: Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega

This did not hold up too well on a re-watch. Not that it was bad, it was really damn good, but back in January I thought it was a bonafide classic & had a legendary performance by Chris Jericho, but that's all changed now. I think Kenny absolutely SMOKED him performance wise; his selling, bumping & overall superb babyface performance is what makes the match as enjoyable as it is. I still very much like the sense of chaos in the first third of the match, with them going at it right away & the outside madness that went on. Once they return to the ring, the action still remains very enjoyable, but it's at least 95% because of Kenny. Jericho didn't really do it for me when he was in control. Right around the One Winged Angel nearfall, the match starts to drag pretty damn badly, too. It's definitely a really good match, but certainly not the MOTYC I saw it as when it happened. ***3/4

WWE NXT Takeover: Philadelphia: Andrade Almas vs. Johnny Gargano

Such a brutal match; both guys, in particular Gargano, take such a helluva beating. Sometimes that's all you need to have a classic championship match - just two guys trying to destroy each other over it. Gargano's babyface work in this is just wonderful, Almas' is absolutely nasty with his offense + the whole Zelina/Candice deal was executed perfectly. ****1/2

PROGRESS Chapter 62: Timothy Thatcher vs. WALTER

The best tag team in the world delivers one of the greatest matches of all-time when they go 1-on-1 against each other. Ringkampf represents pro wrestling greatness. This was vicious action from start to finish - Thatcher refusing to shake WALTER's hand was a fantastic start, and set the tone, that while they're teammates, this is not gonna be a friendly sparring session, but a real championship fight. There's so many amazingly brutal moments such as WALTER chopping Thatcher in the fucking face, WALTER stomping Thatcher's soul out of him & of course all THE CHOPS in general. The story with Thatcher trying to neutralize WALTER's chopping arm was terrific, Thatcher was absolutely superb with his arm targeting & WALTER sold it fantastically. Pretty much perfect performances by both guys; WALTER was a killer with his offense & sold just enough of Thatcher's work over him + Thatcher showed why he's an all-time great FIP w/ his selling & facial expressions, and his targeting of WALTER's arm was really great, as I mentioned before. Die Matte ist Heilig. ****3/4