January 4th hype: TANA vs. OMEGA, New Beginning '16

NJPW The New Beginning in Niigata: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kenny Omega

These two got me sucked into their story leading up to January 4th, 2019, so I've been itching to go back to this match, their first meeting, and well, let's bring on the new year w/ it. I actually didn't like this match AT ALL when it happened, but I hadn't re-watched it since, so I was pretty curious to see how I feel about it now, almost 3 years later. And my opinion on it couldn't be more different than it was then - right now I think this is one of the best NJPW main events of this current era. It starts pretty slow, and the highlight of the beginning stuff was Kenny telling Cody Hall & Yujiro to go away because the smart marks aren't fans of interruptions in their New Japan main events. I thought that was legitimately pretty funny - these days Kenny's star rating obsessed gimmick shtick is just tired & annoying, but it fit his goofy villain character here so well. Shortly after that, the match REALLY gets going; Tana goes for a couple of Nakamura signature moves on the corner, but Kenny counters that by going after Tana's right arm. Now, Kenny Omega doesn't come off as a natural "limb-working wrestler", but he actually is really goddamn great at it here; loved the Danielson elbows to the shoulder & I actually don't know what is it's official name, but the bending-your-back-on-top-of-your-opponents-arm -thing that Nigel McGuinness used to do, was so awesome. Kenny playing air guitar w/ the Naito entrance mask on was another awesome thing during his control segment. Of course Tana eventually rallies a comeback in by going after Omega's leg, to counter the arm work. Kenny sells the big Dragon Screw brilliantly, and that brilliant leg selling of his continued throughout the rest of the match. FANTASTIC moment when after Tana did the HFF on him on the outside, Kenny tries to enter the ring, but then Tana gets a hold of his leg, Kenny starts fighting immediately, trying to get out of it by repeatedly striking Tana; DA ACE masterfully milks that to the maximum, and then delivers that signature roar of his & busts out another big, fantastic Dragon Screw. And talking about great moments, Omega busting out the Styles Clash was yet another one - not only was he mocking AJ Styles, the man he betrayed a month earlier, but also Tana, who also uses Styles Clash as a signature move. Two birds, one stone. The last third is straight outta attitude era w/ all the run-in's; I wasn't too into the Bullet Club ones, but overall it fit the character/gimmick so it's OK. Didn't take too much away from the bout. Big Mike coming in & just carrying both Jackson's out was badass though. Overall this was an excellent, classic match - Omega truly delivered a match & performance to remember in his first major one as a New Japan heavyweight & Tana added yet another great big match performance to his resume w/ his terrific work fighting from underneath. Here's to hoping they come out w/ another banger at the Dome! ****1/2

5-STAR RE-WATCH: Memphis, WWF, WCW, AJPW

CWA 04/06/81: Jerry Lawler vs. Terry Funk
Always been a hard match to rate w/ dem STARZ, but it is one of the best things ever. Lance Russell puts on an all-time great performance as he plays his role perfectly - him & Funk have AMAZING chemistry when they're bantering around, waiting for The King to arrive. And of course, the Funker. What can I even say? He's the best & this is his show. A must see, unique spectacle. ****3/4

WWF In Your House 18: Badd Blood: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker
I've always loved the vibe this has as they're first locked inside the cell & Taker just starts slowly walking towards Michaels, knowing that he will get his hands on him soon & that there's no place for HBK to hide. It's pretty dark - it reminds me of the ol' movie cliche-dynamic w/ there being that one high school bully who makes fun of the different "weirdo" in class. This time, here in the World Wrestling Federation, the weirdo is a huge asskicking monster who is about to show why you should not make fun of him. It's a feeling that is truly unique & hasn't been replicated before or since. Taker just kicking HBK's ass is so good & HBK's bumping is at it's best here; doesn't go overboard with it one bit. HBK's brief hope spots ALL rule, and then his eventual heat segment on Taker (& the cameraman) rules big time. My favorite of the whole package is Taker's last asskicking segment tho - he just beats the crap out of HBK all over the place, and it's WONDERFUL. Then when HBK is bloody & just straight up DONE, having received the asskicking of his career? Enter KANE. The debut is something that could've brought the match quality down quite a bit, but it actually adds to it & the finish so much; HBK, half dead & all, pinning Taker & then leaving as the winner always makes me smile. It's a perfect ending to a perfect match. *****

WCW Halloween Havoc 1997: Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.
Between Eddie's incredible, vicious work on top, Rey's excellent comebacks & selling + the pace & energy from start to finish, this truly is the perfect cruiserweight match. *****

AJPW 07/24/98: Jun Akiyama vs. Kenta Kobashi

Some of the exchanges in this look super scrappy which absolutely RULES. Then the big story of the match, which is Akiyama's attack on Kobashi's banged up knee, is fantastic. Kobashi sells masterfully & Akiyama is super focused on his attack - the drama revolving around his submission holds, in particular that one Figure-4 inside the ring is superb. ****3/4

5-STAR RE-WATCH: Kobashi/Misawa, Bret/Austin, CHOSHUUUUUUUU

NJPW G1 Climax 08/02/96: Riki Choshu vs. Shinya Hashimoto

The goddamn amazing lock up that starts the match sets the tone for the rest of it; it was gonna be a hard hitting, badass, dramatic bout where EVERYTHING feels BIG. Terrific psychology & atmosphere, fantastic selling, superb facial expressions, an all-time great finish w/ CHOSHUUUUUUU. One of my favorite matches ever. *****

AJPW 01/20/97: Kenta Kobashi vs. Mitsuharu Misawa

42 minutes of perfect pro wrestling. It's so compelling right from the start w/ Misawa's shine, to Kobashi's work over the mid-section, to Misawa injuring his arm & Kobashi working it like a man possessed, to Misawa's absolutely fantastic selling - I can see the arguments about him being a little too elbow heavy by the end, but as many have pointed out throughout the years, I thought he sold the pain he was in amazingly after every elbow he threw & Kobashi hadn't been focusing on the arm that much towards the start of Misawa's big comeback run - he abandoned the gameplan & Misawa made him pay for it w/ one of the greatest single match comebacks of all-time. That FRANKENSTEINER. Those desperation lariat attempts by Kobashi in the end w/ him trying to get on his feet were so good too, fit the scene perfectly & looked perfectly imperfect for what he/they were going for w/ 'em. Their best match against one another, one of the greatest matches of all-time & a real contender for the best AJPW match ever. *****

WWF WrestleMania 13: Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin

One of those matches, much like 06/03/94 & 06/09/95, where it's reputation is so big that it almost feels dumb trying to explain why it's so legendary. But yeah, this truly is one of the greatest matches of all-time. A clinic in in-ring psychology w/ Bret's work over Austin setting up the double turn perfectly & Austin sells his ass off, earning every bit of offense he gets. Bret's performance is just one of the best there has ever been - he tells the double-turn story perfectly without going overboard with it. Just something missing from it for it to be a 5* match, but it's close. ****3/4

5-STAR RE-WATCH: More PILLARS! & Nakamura v Ibushi!

AJPW 04/15/95: Akira Taue vs. Mitsuharu Misawa

Misawa's elbows look too damn good here - maybe the best they ever have, which is saying something. Taue is such a bastard by going after the face/eyes constantly too. It's all just terrific. One of my all-time favorite matches. *****

AJPW 06/09/95: Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa

It's the mothafuggen 06/09 aka the best tag match ever. Literally wrestling perfection. *****

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9: Kota Ibushi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Loved the mental games throughout, and the match kicks into a high gear that never goes away once Ibushi counters Nakamura's Boma Ye attempt w/ a high kick. After that it's just fireworks - favorite bits would have to be them just PUNCHING the shit out of each other & Nakamura being a dick by stomping the face. The only reason it's not a 5* is because I feel like there was some dead stuff in between the mental games of the start & the Ibushi high kick. ****3/4

AJPW 12/06/96: Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Jun Akiyama & Mitsuharu Misawa

This is just too good. My favorite thing about it was the performance of the one Dynamic T - after the Kawada vs. Misawa exchange that ends with both of them laying on the ground, Kawada making the tag & then Taue coming in & just stepping on Misawa's face has to be the actual GOAT moment, right? His overall role in this, as kind of Kawada's big brother is just phenomenal; Kawada loses most of the exchanges vs. Misawa, but then Taue is always around the corner, ready to help his tag partner get the job done. The ending with him being like "yeah, you go son" & patting Kawada on the back after he pinned Misawa sealed the deal as this being an all-timer performance by the man. *****

 

Best Matches of 2018!

Got done re-watching all that needed to be re-watched, and I think there's no more must see rasslin to watch before the year ends unless something real random pops up, so here's my


TOP-20 BEST MATCHES OF 2018

20) WALTER vs. Will Ospreay - OTT 10/13
There are a couple of issues I have with this match; I think they went quite overboard w/ the nearfalls by the end & the whole restart deal was very silly, BUT that just says how great the thing was otherwise since it's still this high on my favorites of the year list. Ospreay bumps like a madman & delivers hard hitting & highflying comebacks as WALTER gives him a classic WALTER-style mauling with some really awesome heelish touches added to it, given his relationship w/ the OTT crowd.

19) Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey - WWE 06/17
Everybody likes to throw shit at her, and while some of it is warranted, I do think that Nia low key rules tbh. She has always delivered in the monster role when she has gone against terrific babyfaces such as Bayley, Sasha & Asuka - and here, in her first match vs. Ronda, she delivered quite possibly her best monster performance yet. I wrote "she was on that Vader shit, so to say" the day after it happened, and I still like that line, so LET'S PUT IT HERE AS WELL W/ THE QUOTATION MARKS. And of course: Ronda F'N Rousey! In her first ever singles match she delivers a fabulous scrappy underdog performance w/ her bumping, selling & facial expressions. The Bear Hug spot is still one of the best things in all of wrestling in 2018 - it's such a simple, small thing, but Ronda actively trying to fight her way out of it while Nia squeezes the life outta her was amazing. Absolutely unreal that someone delivers a match this GREAT in their singles match debut. My personal women's wrestling MOTY.

18) Absolute Andy vs. Timothy Thatcher - wXw 03/11
This is a simple match that tells the tale of two characters wonderfully; the dynamic between Thatcher's stoic technician who's motto literally is "the mat is sacred" going against Absolute Andy's wily veteran who is willing to be the biggest scumbag cheater he can to get the W makes for one of my favorite bouts of the year.

17) Austin Aries vs. Moose - Impact Wrestling 07/22
A pretty damn unique main event world championship match; very rarely you see such a match in that spot w/ this kind of a sprint pace & energy from start to finish. Aries was excellent with his overall performance from his bumping, to his hard hitting chops, to his sneaky veteran tactics & Moose was, well, Moose. Solid with his power game. A great reminder of the talent that Aries is.

16) Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW 08/04
There's some generic New Japan big match stuff in the middle, but overall the match had such a great dynamic & Ishii's underdog performance was so amazing that it can't be denied. Omega being a cocky prick to start things off was wonderful, and Ishii's response to that was absolutely priceless with him just playing with Omega's hair to show that he can play those games too. The damn crazy Cruficix counter too, what a great moment - A true standout spot in a wonderful bombfest war. The match also showed the improvement of Kevin Kelly to the maximum; dude went from being one of my least favorite commentators to quite possibly my favorite one - what a phenomenal call in "I'm telling you he's unbeatable, Omega is UNBEATABLE!"

15) Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - NJPW 03/21
The first 2/3 of the match are mostly spent on the mat, and while Tana does do quite well & hangs with Zack, it's clear who has the advantage. Zack just gradually wears him down, limb by limb, until Tana becomes truly desperate in the finishing stretch & tries Zack's signature pin against him, in a move that sealed his inevitable destruction in the match. It's all just wonderful stuff from start to finish.

14) Hangman Page vs. Minoru Suzuki - NJPW 08/05
It was tough choosing between this & Tana/ZSJ as my NJPW MOTY, and while I might still change my mind, right now I am putting this one above the other. A wonderful underdog tale told perfectly w/ Hangman proving that his potential as a babyface gaijin is unlimited, and MiSu adding yet another killer performance to quite possibly his career year & delivering the best match of his for the year.

13) Absolute Andy vs. David Starr - wXw 03/10
The way they built this finals match for the 16 Carat was unbelievably great; you got the favorite, the ultimate babyface in David Starr looking to achieve his dream, and then on the other corner you got Absolute Andy, the man who cemented himself as the biggest cunt in wXw in his journey to the tourney finals. Andy delivers a hellacious beatdown throughout & Starr works that babyface magic of his, refusing to die easily. It's great as a standalone match, but it's a goddamn classic when seen in context of what was the journey of both guys in 16 Carat Gold 2018.

12) Andrade Almas vs. Johnny Gargano - WWE 01/27
Both guys deliver their career performances w/ Almas being vicious as hell w/ his offense, and John boy, while still showcasing some of that shitty indy offense of his, delivers a babyface performance to remember w/ his selling & comebacks. In some ways it resembles an indy epic, but without the worst tropes, and the tropes they go with, they actually make look GREAT. Magic in the air that night in Philly, I tell ya.

11) Drew Gulak vs. Jack Gallagher - WWE 05/10
Clocking in at just under 7 minutes, I think this is one of the coolest things to have ever happened inside a WWE ring. It's just lovely, intense grappling w/ a great sense of urgency all the way through w/ them selling big moments (leglock) big time, and then some amazing looking strikes in the finishing gear.

10) AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan - WWE 04/10
The first match between the two since 2006 & they continued right where they left off at w/ their first WWE classic in the books. Excellent back & forth grappling, fighting over control to start things off, and then ultimately Bryan gets the control by going after AJ's arm, and boy oh boy, was it a joy seeing the Greatest of All-Time do his thing, torture some limbs once again in his first singles match in 3 years. AJ's of course sells excellently, because he's AJ Styles, duh, and he eventually gets back into things w/ a Dragonscrew, and he goes to town on Bryan's leg. Then it's a classic dueling limb work battle till the Nakamura run-in finish. The shit finish aside (which I can't even be mad at because of the match quality), it was an absolute joy watching the two go at it again.

9) Jordan Devlin vs. WALTER - OTT 08/18
What puts this over the top as a classic is the whole Jordan Devlin character arc that the company had built. The Irish Ace hadn't been pinned for 22 months till he met WALTER in a tag match, and here w/ the whole crowd by his side, he was looking to avenge the only true pinfall defeat of his current run. It's too bad that the man he was facing was & is the ultimate monster boss of indy wrestling, and he sure delivers a beating to Devlin, all the while all of the crowd is booing the crap out of him. It's a terrific dynamic & WALTER's work on top is of course tremendous, and they timed all of Devlin's comebacks perfectly, not giving him too much, but also not making him look like a complete loser. He just ran into a man who is on that other level. The finish was absolutely perfect too - there's no fancy, shitty, generic finishing run w/ 10000 counters & dramatic nearfalls, it's just WALTER first choking Devlin out & then dumping him on his head, 123, new champ. Perfect ending for the story they told.

8) AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan - WWE 10/30
It's like their 04/10 match, but this time there's no interference endings & they get to tell their story fully. It's two masters of the graps doing the dueling limb work thang w/ excellent selling & excellent work on the offense by both. Exactly my kind of rasslin. Tells something about them when the whole crowd is going nuts from start to finish, and there's ZERO finisher nearfalls.

7) AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan - WWE 12/16
OOPS THEY DID IT AGAIN. This time Bryan is even more vicious than in their previous WWE meetings & he goes for the ribs - he works them over in ruthless fashion, and AJ more than returns the favor by brutalizing Bryan's leg. All of that once again w/ excellent selling throughout by both. And of course the knees to head during cravate & I HAVE TILL 5. My favorite of their WWE saga so far, but that could change any time they lock it up. Could watch them literally every week.

6) Kyle O'Reilly & Roderick Strong vs. Trent Seven & Tyler Bate - WWE 06/21
Kyle & Roddy are like Minoru Suzuki, but Trent Seven is thankfully not Okada, as he actually sells the leg perfectly throughout! Fantastic drama revolving around that, and Bate delivers the mother of all hot tags in 2018 when Seven finally gets to make it. A legitimate contender for the best tag match to ever happen in the US soil.

5) Ilja Dragunov vs. WALTER - wXw 05/05
This has strangely gone somewhat under the radar, but I think it's by far their best match against one another. Right from the get go Ilja says "fuck that, I am not doing that chopping shit tonight" & goes to work on BOTH of WALTER's hands (eventually targeting the right one more) - Ilja's fantastic on the attack, and WALTER sells greatly, and eventually answers back by giving Ilja's neck an absolutely BRUTAL beating throughout. It's up there w/ Danielson/Hero from 16 Carat '08 as a candidate for the best wXw match ever.

4) WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - PROGRESS 04/07
The story they tell in this one is something I could write so much about, and I have done that a few times, but now I'll just say it's my favorite match of theirs against each other by far, and that's something, because WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr. has been a pairing that has always produced greatness throughout years.

3) Darby Allin vs. WALTER - EVOLVE 06/23
This had a real throwback-to-the-good-ol-indy-days-of-2000s -feel to it. I remember being super bummed about their WM match being scrapped, but my goodness was it worth the wait. Darby delivers a masterpiece of a performance w/ his body language, bumping & fantastic laser-focused attack on that chopping hand of WALTER's. WALTER's character work is also terrific throughout, him just throwing Darby around & chopping the shit out of him of course rules, and he sells perfectly for the much smaller man.

2) Timothy Thatcher vs. WALTER - PROGRESS 01/28
A brutal masterpiece between the two members of the best tag team in wrestling right now. Great feeling out process to start things off; the mat work & the way they battled over the control felt so natural & looked pretty gritty, which I obviously loved. Quickly after it's the WALTER show; he just mauls the shit out of Thatcher - I've said it many times before, but I'll say it again: Thatcher is quite possibly the best FIP in the biz, so of course it was a joy watching him sell his ass off for the brutal beatdown he received. He eventually gets the control by doing the classic "chopper-chops-the-ringpost" -bit, and after that it's Thatcher on the attack, super focused targeting that chopping hand of WALTER's. WALTER sells great & Thatcher rules on the attack - loved how the dynamic flipped from WALTER being the absolute grizzly bear just MAULING Thatcher to then being hurt & fighting like it shows; the hunter became the hunted, so to say. The last third of the match is more 50/50, with them fighting with a great sense of urgency - the way it escalates to the eventual finish is amazing. Ringkampf lads delivering a true classic against each other. Bless. Die Matte ist Heilig.

1) Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan - WWE 11/18
Literally my biggest dream match of all-time, and something I thought we'd never see, even with Bryan returning to wrestling in the WWE. It somehow lived up to the crazy expectations I had for it, but then again, with it being Brock goddamn Lesnar vs. Daniel f'n Bryan, how could it not? It's just perfection from the entrances on, loved everything about it. Might be my favorite WWE match of all-time tbh. The clear MOTY in my eyes.

TREVOR EFFIN LEE

PWG Smokey and the Bandido: Darby Allin vs. Trevor Lee

Two of the best guys in the indies clashing! This wasn't gonna be anything less than very good. Trevor's pre-match promo was absolutely brilliant. One of his best ones yet. Darby gets a nice little shine to start things off, but quickly it's Trevor on top, and it's really damn good; Trevor works over Darby's back throughout, and Darby's small stature & commitment to bumping like a maniac makes every backbreaker look super destructive. They do the Darby vs. Page EVOLVE deal w/ Trevor taping Darby's hands behind his back, and much like it did back in February of 2017, it rules here as well - Darby's comeback with NO HANDS is so great & it has so much urgency in it. Awesome match. ***3/4

AAW Unstoppable 2018: ACH vs. Trevor Lee

Wasn't sure what to expect from this since it's a 60-minute draw, but Trevor is one of the best when it comes to putting on loooong matches & ACH usually always impresses. And it turned out to be a great match! The whole story of the thing was that Trevor was working the crap out of ACH & getting the better of him in most of the exchanges - as the match goes on & ACH keeps on refusing to go down, Trevor gets more & more frustrated though, and that leaves ACH some windows for comeback flurries. Both guys deliver in their roles between Trevor's great work on top + character work & ACH's great comebacks & really good selling. Some of the highlights for me were Trevor doing the classic heel-trying-to-bribe-the-ref -bit w/ him shaking his hand, hugging him & even raising his hand, ACH countering Trevor's signature Penalty Kick on the apron by planting him face first into it, Trevor's big backbreaker from the apron to the guardrail, Trevor's promo like 40 minutes into the match, ACH's subtle selling before hitting the Frog Splash that missed & then selling it big time. ****

 

5-STAR RE-WATCH: Bret/Owen & PILLARS!

WWF WrestleMania 10: Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart
This flows beautifully from start to finish, the storytelling is great, Bret's selling is superb & both guys', especially Owen's character work is top notch. ****1/4

AJPW 05/21/94: Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa
Dangerous K, man. Another legendary performance by him in yet another classic tag bout featuring these four men. Absolutely love how calm, cool & collected he comes off as; such a killer vibe, and fits into the thing perfectly w/ the Misawa Triple Crown match looming on the near horizon. Kobashi as the FIP is of course amazing, and the knee destruction of his by Taue & Kawada is terrific. Kawada's body language cannot be praised enough during that, but little did he know that if he was gonna be a prick, Kobashi was gonna answer right back - the dropkick to Kawada's bum knee was such a terrific moment. Misawa's hot tag was also terrific; ELBOW SUICIDA~! - also loved how Kobashi continued the kneework on Kawada outside the ring during it. Then after a while of Misawa running wild on Kawada, Taue coming in & being a nasty bastard, just throwing Misawa around like nothing was one of my favorite things about the whole match - also that spot was brilliant where he has Misawa set up for the chokeslam, only for Kobashi to come in & break it up, which then lead to Taue making him pay for that by kicking him right on the back of the knee that he & Kawada had been working on all match. So much amazing stuff in this match! Perfectly paced & structured, and superb performances from all 4 involved. *****

AJPW 06/03/94: Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada

Kawada is hell-bent on getting that title by smashing Misawa's face in w/ those damn kicks of his. Misawa has no problems answering to that by going after the knee. It's a true war, and puroresu at it's best. Truly the "El Clasico" as many have dubbed it. *****

 

5-STAR RE-WATCHES: PILLARS edition!

AJPW 05/22/92: Akira Taue, Jumbo Tsuruta & Masanobu Fuchi vs. Kenta Kobashi, Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada

This is probably my favorite of the 6-man tags these fellas had against each other throughout the years. All of the segments in this one rule big time (Misawa FIP, Kawada FIP, Taue getting his ass kicked by the babyfaces, finishing stretch) & the heels vs. babyfaces dynamic is pretty damn amazing. All three heels deliver great performances, but Jumbo in particular is the biggest dick he can in this one - just constantly coming in & breaking holds by the babyfaces, stomping & beating the crap out of them. Might be my favorite performance of his. Kawada was also terrific w/ his usual Kawada-badassery - great selling & work on the offense by the man. Loved the moment when he went to double team Taue on the corner first w/ Kobashi & then w/ Misawa as the ref was arguing with Jumbo & Fuchi; he made the dicks taste their own medicine. ****3/4

AJPW 05/25/92: Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas vs. Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi

One of the best crowds of all-time - seriously that shot of Kikuchi hitting a couple of leg lariats & the crowd jumping up from their seats is legendary. There isn't much to say about this one that hasn't been said yet, but it's indeed one of those matches where everything just CLICKED w/ Kikuchi's amazing underdog performance, the fans being crazy for him, Kobashi's explosive kick-heavy hot tags & the nasty work on top by The Can-Am's. One of the best crowds of all-time, one of the best matches of all-time. *****

AJPW 12/03/93: Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa

Kobashi is a really, really great FIP; love how he got out of the situation too by going after Kawada's bum knee - that first kick to the knee popped me (& the crowd) big time. Misawa coming in & elbowing the crap out of Kawada was awesome & then Taue coming in and just throwing Misawa & Kobashi around was even more awesome, but what truly puts this over the top as a true classic is the story of that damn knee of Kawada's - he sells it perfectly throughout, and it creates for some great, great drama. Basically everyone played their roles to perfection, but Kawada was on that one level above the rest w/ his all-timer performance. Classic tag match. *****

5-STAR RE-WATCH: Slaughter/Sheik, Bock/Hennig, Jumbo/Misawa

WWF on MSG 06/16/84: Sgt. Slaughter vs. The Iron Sheik

Fun characters, amazing atmosphere, great punches, awesome selling, violence, blood - YAY! Pretty much everything about this is just superb. The Sheik delivers Slaughter a helluva beating, making Slaughter truly earn that eventual big comeback & win - the way they milk the crowd here by teasing Slaughter's comebacks only for Sheik to cut him off is simply masterful. Some of the best milking & timing in wrestling ever. They build it to the climax that is Slaughter's big comeback & the finishing stretch perfectly. One of the best WWE matches of all-time. ****3/4

AWA 11/15/86: Curt Hennig vs. Nick Bockwinkel

Some of the best limb work ever, amazing selling, PERFECT pacing & structure. The best match of the 80's, and very high on the all-time list as well. The kind of a match that gets better on each viewing. *****

AJPW 09/01/90: Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Mitsuharu Misawa

The action is good for the first 15 minutes with them trying to one-up each other, but it certainly isn't great. It isn't until Jumbo goes "well, fuck this shit" & starts delivering a grumpy badass beating to Misawa that the match truly picks up. After that it's 10 minutes of explosive, high energy action w/ a very good sense of urgency. Shame that the build up to Jumbo exploding wasn't as great as I remembered. ***1/2

TeeeLCee

Alicia Fox & Jinder Mahal vs. Carmella & R-Truth

A match. *

The Bar vs. The New Day vs. The Usos

I feel like this was the most lively performance from Sheamus in quite a while - pretty much all of his offense had good energy behind it, everything looked very good. Everyone else had good performances too (in particular Kofi & Cesaro), but Sheamus just stood out to me in that. Good match. ***

Baron Corbin vs. Braun Strowman

A well executed angle. NR

Natalya vs. Ruby Riott

This was exactly how a WWE match w/ this kind of an angle behind it would end up being. And that is not a good thing. Slow pace, some "dramatic" talking-to-your-opponent-followed-by-smiles -stuff. Bleh. Liv Morgan sure took one hell of a brutal bump. *1/2

Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Bálor

The finish w/ Bálor delivering that gorgeous sudden shotgun kick was awesome, and his overall performance fighting from underneath was very solid, but McIntyre was very hit & miss w/ his work on top - when he was just throwing Finn around & ragdolling him, it ruled, but when he was slowly beating him up & talking trash, it wasn't very interesting. So that dragged the match down a bit, but it was still pretty good overall. **1/2

Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio

Wow, Orton sucked the life out of this one. I shouldn't be surprised, but here we are. What a slow, plodding, boring as shit heat segment by him on Mysterio. Other than that, this was very much "the usual" between Rey & Randy, just them doing their thing. Rey did a few cool things, but for the most part, this was oh so boring. *1/4

Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax

Not quite as great as their first match, but Ronda vs. Nia II still ruled big time. Nia just ragdolls Ronda as Ronda bumps like a maniac & it's just goddamn awesome. All of Ronda on the offense is great as well, and I loved the big "pro-wrestling spots" she pulled off in the crossbodies from the top & then the huge powerbomb towards the end. Lovely stuff. ***3/4

Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles

These boys done did it again, another classic between 'em. Amazing, brutal as hell work over the ribs of AJ by Bryan & AJ's selling is of course terrific. AJ returns the favor by doing brutal work over Bryan's leg & oh my goodness I loved how over the half crab got. Shows what kind of masters these two are when they got that feeling as a legitimate finish in the match. Bryan's selling was superb too, that Calf Crusher looked & felt so vicious, because of that + AJ really cranked it back violently. Also I HAVE TILL 5 & the knees to the head in the cravate before suplexing AJ = GOAT. And I absolutely loved the finish - always great seeing Mr. Small Package pop up once in a while. ****1/2

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

Weird match layout given the feud behind it - certainly not the ideal one for them on this night, but it worked on parts; the match came off as a real tale of two performances for me. Really dug Ambrose's work on top - he brought good intensity & all of his holds were pretty snug. His acting was real good too, that's not a surprise. Rollins on the other hand was absolutely awful. If you're gonna have your surgically repaired knee (TM) as the focal point of the match, at least bother to sell it when you're delivering your shitty MOVEZ. And holy shit don't even let me get started on his acting. What a cringefest on his part. Ambrose ruled though. Very glad he's a heel now. **1/4

Becky Lynch vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair

Wow, these three sure laid into each other with those kendo stick & steel chair -shots. Absolutely brutal stuff. The big spots (leg drop through the announce table, spear through the barricade, senton through the table) were explosive & really brutal as well. And on top of that, this was really well paced from start to finish w/ no dull moments, and they kept it at a good length. Really good match. ***3/4

FINAL BATTLE STUFF

Eli Isom vs. Kenny King

This followed your classic young boy match formula, and it was pretty good. Isom looked rough at points, but for the most part he had some solid comebacks; in the first one he delivered some very good looking flippy stuff. King was good on top w/ his cocky work as well. **3/4

Jeff Cobb vs. Hangman Page

Now THIS was the shit. Terrific pace right from the start & they kept it till the end - very good sprint bombfest action w/ a nice little story of power & athleticism going in it. ***3/4

Jonathan Gresham vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

I haven't seen their much hyped Beyond stuff, but this was exactly what it promised to be. A match filled with some very nice, slick mat work w/ sneaky counters, nice intensity & some really good strikes thrown in there as well. ***1/2

Mustafa Ali vs Daniel Bryan

WWE SmackDown 12/11/18: Daniel Bryan vs. Mustafa Ali

Mostly dominated by Bryan as Ali fights from underneath. It was the dynamic that was to be expected, and it was a dynamic that worked greatly with the 2. Loved Bryan's work over Ali, in particular the leg destruction towards the end was really awesome & Ali's comebacks were terrific; the first one w/ him delivering 2 superkicks was oh so good - even the superkick back to the head, which usually looks like crap when delivered by certain wrestlers (hello Marufuji) looked like an absolute shotgun shot or something. Very good stuff even w/ the commercials killing the thing's flow at times a bit. ***1/2

 

Ciampa/Dream, Taichi/Ospreay, Ohno/Strickland

WWE NXT Takeover: WarGames II: Tommaso Ciampa vs. The Velveteen Dream

I originally had no plans watching this match, but after reading one particular review, I got very intrigued by it. So naturally I decided to give this shizzat a shot! The match was very good. I wasn't into the fighting over the HOLLYWOOD bandana -stuff, but once that was done with, things got good. Ciampa on top was pretty damn enjoyable - that headlock spot which the Dream sold via SPIT was wonderful. Great image & loved how tight that headlock looked. Dream's work over the leg was pretty great - the Figure-4 spot in the ring was absolutely superb. Perfectly done drama. Ciampa's selling was fantastic for the most part, but once it was time for him to get back into things, he dropped the selling; him delivering Project Ciampa perfectly fine bothered me quite a bit. Around that is when the match essentially kicked into it's finishing gear, and that was real good; some really great nearfalls, with the 2 delivering them via some pretty clever ways. ***1/2

NJPW World Tag League 2018 - Finals: Taichi vs. Will Ospreay

Some of Taichi's ruthless work over Ospreay's banged up ribs made me legitimately think "holy crap, that was BRUTAL", and Ospreay's selling & overall work, fighting from underneath, was him pretty much the best I personally like him. Excellent match. ****

EVOLVE 116: Kassius Ohno vs. Shane Strickland

This had a promising start with Ohno completely eating Shane alive, but then Strickland got back into things, and his shitty offense killed the good build Ohno gave it w/ his own killer offense. All of Strickland's comebacks were just awful, and the only saving grace of the match was Ohno. Thank goodness Ohno has Darby Allin lined up for his next EVOLVE appearance! **

THIS BIRD YOU CAN NOT CHANGE

PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2006: Necro Butcher vs. Super Dragon

Almost an half hour of straight up violence. The pacing is a bit awkward at times, but it honestly kinda adds to the charm of this spectacle. A wild, chaotic brawl. Just like a match between Necro Butcher & Super Dragon should look like! ****1/4

PWG Giant-Size Annual #4: Necro Butcher vs. Bryan Danielson

This has always been one of my favorite PWG matches, and it still remains exactly that. It tells the tale of the in-ring styles of Bryan Danielson & Necro Butcher perfectly; Danielson tries to ground the match right away, and he succeeds in that quite well & gets to control the first stages of the bout - then eventually Necro HEADBUTTS himself back into things; his forehead opens up by those headbutts & that leads to maybe my favorite moment of the match - Danielson scratching the cut w/ his fingers while he has Necro in a chokehold. Brutal & straight up nasty stuff. And then it's like Necro REALLY wakes up after smelling his own blood; he goes to town on Danielson, classic chaotic Necro style outside the ring, slamming him on chairs & trying to suffocate him w/ a plastic shopping bag. That of course pisses Danielson off even more & after that, every strike he delivers to Necro comes w/ extra intensity & stiffness behind them. A perfect example of how wonderful a true styles clash can be in pro wrestling. ****1/2

DANIELSON + Suzuki vs. ZSJ in the WTL

PWG An Inch Longer Than Average: American Dragon vs. Frankie Kazarian

They start it off by battling over control and the way they convey the STRUGGLE in the lock up is just absolutely masterful stuff. Absolutely blew me mind how good that was. Dragon eventually gets the upper hand after some fantastic, intense back & forth w/ just the right amount of urgency in there. Loved Kaz going back to that front facelock again & again; it was a gameplan that worked well for him until Bryan did indeed establish his dominance by going after Kaz's arm in simply RUTHLESS fashion. He shows tremendous intensity, anger, viciousness & focus as he goes to town on that damn arm. Kaz's selling is pretty damn good too & his overall work fighting from underneath was rock solid. The dynamic flowed perfectly between that & Dragon's incredible work on top. Never did I expect Frankie Kazarian to have a match like THIS in him. Now I am not too familiar with his pre-TNA singles work, but if he has a better match than this in his catalog? Then I've been missing out on some VERY good stuff. ****1/2

UWAI STATION 12/03/06: Bryan Danielson vs. Fujita Hayato

This has a great, scrappy fight feel to it - it's lovely work on the mat w/ some nice grit in there & then some stiff strikes thrown in there. Danielson has an edge for the majority of it & they go with the formula of Hayato fighting from underneath, and he certainly rocks that role superbly. He gets more & more into his comebacks as the match goes on; Danielson is great at cutting him off, and overall he fed for Hayato's big comeback towards the end excellently. It's some very nice stuff all in just under 10 minutes. Great scrap. ****

NJPW World Tag League - Day 10: Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka vs. Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.

This ruled. Had a very "Suzuki-gun feel" to it, in that it felt very chaotic, in an authentic way. The MiSu/ZSJ exchanges rule & are a great teaser for a possible singles match at some future G1 tourney (please) - and Iizuka! Goddamn that spot where he got the choke on ZSJ was wonderful; Korakuen was going nuts & for a good reason. That was an absolutely excellent sequence w/ ZSJ's selling adding quite a bit to it. Very good match overall. ***1/2