Dominic Garrini vs. Phil Baroni
Baroni kind of runs circles around Garrini in this setting, and he's a real dick about it. It created a fun dynamic, and Garrini's jiu-jitsu-like comebacks were all very good. Good stuff! ***1/4
JR Kratos vs. Simon Grimm
The matwork in this one was really solid, and I liked how they played up Kratos' power advantage into the thing. Both guys are pretty compelling all the way through, and the match kicks up into another gear & level once Grimm asks Kratos to strike him in the face, and from then on, it's even more intense & everything comes with a good sense of urgency. ***1/2
Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Killer Kross
Twitter was going bananas for this one, and while I didn't quite think it reached the SPREADSHEET ***1/2+ levels, it was still a very enjoyable bout. Some good "dick measuring contest" psychology with both guys trying to one-up each other by taking on them limbs of one another. ***
Jonathan Gresham vs. Masashi Takeda
MOTHERFUCKER WAS THIS GOOD. Excellent matwork, and then as Takeda gets cut open, the thing explodes & it's like a beast woke up after some light sparring. What a goddamn finishing sequence. ****
Hideki Suzuki vs. Timothy Thatcher
A legit dream match that delivered. Great back & forth grappling throughout, with lots of little things to love, as I've come to expect by both guys. The slugfest portions of the thing rule big time too, and I especially loved Hideki's disrespectful little stomps & kicks. ****
Josh Barnett vs. Minoru Suzuki
There were some points of the match where I lost interest for a while, but the highs of it were so high it couldn't be anything less than great overall. The smacktalking between them, Suzuki's slowly-turns-his-head-to-the-camera-side-to-reveal-his-sadistic-smile -moment & the last 10 minutes or so were absolutely amazing. ****
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