60 Minutes American Dragon Style

 

AEW DYNAMITE 12/15/21 - WINTER IS COMING

Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson
The most cliche compliment one could give to a 60-minute broadway is that it never feels like it's going one hour, and such was the case here, so I'm saying it! This did not, in any way, feel its length. The work is extremely compelling right from the get go with a really nice dynamic between the two. The highest of highs that this match reach are in Danielson's big work on top; he is punishing with his onslaught towards Hangman's mid-section & arm, and later on the cut on his forehead. All absolutely WONDERFUL stuff. Page was good too throughout-- off the top of my head I can't recall any performances of his that I would put above this one, but to be fair, he was in there with the greatest wrestler of all-time who delivered a legendary performance, so I don't know does that, in fact, have more to do with that. A top 2021 MOTYC. ****1/2

AEW FULL GEAR 2021

 

AEW FULL GEAR 2021

Darby Allin vs. MJF
This was really long. For the absolute majority of it, I didn't care about it at all; it was your usual indy-style "let's make this epic" shiz, but there was also some legitimately really cool stuff in there, such as the couple of backbreakers MJF busted out, which Darby ate wonderfully. Come to think of it, that's actually it for the cool stuff lol. Certainly not a match that I liked very much. It's not a bad one for its genre, but it's just the kind of stuff that I do not care about. **1/4

The Lucha Brothers vs. FTR
At best, this could've been a really intriguing, exciting & charming styles clash, but it sadly didn't end up being that. I surprisingly felt almost nothing at all during FTR's control segs; their work on the offense basically didn't do a thing for me, and that also made me care less/not care at all about Penta & Fenix doing their thing. Pretty disappointing. Oh well, at least I got to hear FTR's new theme for the first time, and it's a certified banger. *3/4

Bryan Danielson vs. Miro
This didn't seem to flow as good as I would've wanted it to, but as the match went on, it got better & better, and by the end, they definitely got me fully into it. Somewhat of a rough start, but got there by the end. Bryan vs. a man bigger than him is always a good match-up, and with Miro's new character, the way this match was done was the most natural way possible; he got to be presented as a total brute throughout & Dragon's journey to victory was full of struggle till the end. It was a good one. ***1/4

Christian Cage & The Jurassic Express vs. The SuperKliq
Dragged like a mofo. I guess the nicest thing I could say about this is that there was a few pretty cool singular spots, but even those were nothing memorable. Too lengthy, moved too slow & just wasn't fun at all. I do love The Bucks going all out with their ridiculous heel looks though. *1/2

Andrade El Idolo & Malakai Black vs. Cody Rhodes & PAC
A yet another match on this card that went on for way too long. An extended, boring says-nothing TV-match essentially, simply not interesting at all. Definitely felt like it didn't belong on this show. *

Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. vs. Tay Conti
Not much heat at all at any point of the match, and some of the sequences/spots were reeaal rough. And the basic offense of Britt Baker didn't look good at all, so combine that with the said rough moments? Yeap, this wasn't good. *

CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston
This shit rocked. A totally lovely fight that right from the entrances fit the story the two had built perfectly. Kingston's pre-bell backfist, Punk doing the CENA, a legitimately amazing Takayama-Frye scrap, Eddie doing the GTS taunt & eating one himself right afterwards, Punker rocking the crimson mask, bless up. This shit rocked. ****

American Top Team & Men Of The Year vs. The Inner Circle
At this point, it's not a surprise that this felt so-very unnecessary long, but I did think that the entire finishing stretch was really fun, and Jericho's Eddie-tribute for the finish was beautiful. Not a good match, but comparing it to the other multi-man no dq tag match on the card, this was definitely better. **

Adam Page vs. Kenny Omega
I didn't think this match was good. It almost was like the most generic big time Kenny Omega match possible with big moves galore & not much of a "hook" to grab me. But with that being said, usually in Kenny Omega matches like that, I also come away with stuff that I enjoyed. Such was the case here, as he & his opponent definitely have some badass looking arsenal, and the moment of Hangman finally winning the big one after years of build was awesome. Not my kind of a match, but it wasn't bad + the moment boosts it a bit. **1/2

AMERICAN DRAGON vs MAD KING

 

AEW Rampage 10/29/21

Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston
Eddie got to fully, and I mean FULLY, unleash his King's Road tribute-style here as Danielson took a shitload of punishment from him throughout. Variety of awesomely brutal strikes & suplexes. Lovely. Dragon of course brought it right back at him too, making this an all around real treat of violent looking & feeling pro-wrestling. Vvery good shiet as one would expect from the pairing. ***3/4

Bryan & Punker, Punker & Bryan

AEW Dark 10/26/21
Aaron Solo vs. Bryan Danielson
Aaron Solo doesn't offer much at all, but this is such a greatly spirited Danielson-show, I can't help but to really like it. His arm-targeting dominance in the beginning is a treat to watch, and his comeback-runs later on are really awesome. To put it more bluntly, everything that he did ruled. What a surprise! And while I said that Solo didn't offer much at all, he did have a nice counter or two in there as well. It's a good, fun little match fitting for a show & setting like AEW Dark. ***

AEW Dynamite 10/27/21
Bobby Fish vs. CM Punk
This was a yet another beautiful CM Punk selling performance (damn that one-legged Macho Man Elbow Drop was cool), but sadly his opponent, Bob Fish, wasn't any compelling here whatsoever. I already thought that he was real spotty in that match vs. Danielson, but his work on top here was completely & really dull. And him doing the Hogan kickout during the finish was just absolutely fucking hilarious. Bless up. It's a solid match thanks to Punker being the boss that he is. **1/2

DANIELSON vs DUSTIN

 

AEW DYNAMITE 10/23/21

Bryan Danielson vs. Dustin Rhodes
It's such a joy that this is a match that happened. It was a really good match that conveyed the nature of the bout perfectly; here Dustin is competing for a possible shot at the World Championship against a guy who he knows is younger, faster n' stronger than him, and you can just see it in his output throughout. Everything comes with nice urgency & even a cool touch of some nervousness. It's two pros having one helluva professional wrestling match. You, or at least I, gotta love it. ***1/2

Danielson vs Robert Fish

 

AEW DYNAMITE 10/16/21

Bobby Fish vs. Bryan Danielson
I absolutely adore their 2010 EVOLVE match, so I was very much looking forward to this one. The big story of that said 2010 meeting of theirs was Danielson absolutely wrecking Fish's leg, and that was remembered here, as the big story of this match was Fish putting Dragon in REAL trouble throughout by brutalizing his leg. I thought that Robert was really good on top with his variety of kicks + that leg-targeting, and of course Bryan is awesome in peril. And then there is that badass, intense comeback where he says "fuck you" to Fish & his leg targeting by showing him how it's REALLY done. Physical, beautiful TV pro-rasslin with an excellent amount of grit & violence. It's lovely. ***3/4

2x DANIELSON + 2x PUNK: thank you TK!

 

AEW Dynamite 10/06/21
Bryan Danielson, Christian Cage, Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus vs. The Super Elite
This was really fun as expected. Classic PWG-style multi-man tag match where its absolutely action packed with the action getting more n' more hot as it goes on too. Pretty lovely stuff. The highlights for me include everything Bryan did; in particular his first tag-in where he kicked the shit out of Matt Jackson, that one-man-wrecking-crew moment vs. all of the Elite + of course the great showdown vs. Omega. The big Luchasaurus run was epic as well. ***1/2

AEW Rampage: The Buy In 10/15/21
Bryan Danielson vs. Minoru Suzuki
A genuine dream match right here, and the crowd sure made it feel like one with the atmosphere they provided from bell-to-bell. I must admit that for 98% of the time the generic strike-trading sequences do absolutely nothing for me, but here MiSu & Dragon sucked me right into 'em -- much of it has to do with the fact that it's THEM doing it, but also because those said sequences were genuinely fantastic with the timing of when to stop em, when to sell big, when to show that fighting spirit~! etc, you know the deal. This was pro-wrestling happy magic. ****

AEW Rampage 10/08/21
CM Punk vs. Daniel Garcia
This was good fun! My first time watching Daniel Garcia, and I thought he was real solid throughout. It's good ol' Punker who was the star of the thing, though. His initial shine was awesome (that 2x bodyslam moment ruled) & then during his FIP seg, my goodness. A great reminder that he is an absolute master when it comes to selling a worked over bodypart wonderfully & compellingly. ***1/4

AEW Rampage 10/15/21
CM Punk vs. Matt Sydal
Probably the weakest match of Punk's AEW tenure thus far, but it's still a pretty fun match. There's a bit of certain charm to the thing with it being between two veterans from the same generation n' all. Nothing more, nothing less. Rock-solid. **3/4

Danielson vs Nick Jackson

AEW RAMPAGE 10/01/21

Bryan Danielson vs. Nick Jackson
This felt a bit too long, and that is probably mostly because of how meh Nick Jackson's control-work was. The match as a whole was still good though, because Bryan was obviously of course a killer with his work throughout & Nick's bumping for his offense was veeery nice. ***1/4

Punker vs Powerhouse Hobbs

AEW RAMPAGE 09/24/21

CM Punk vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
This was some real simple, pro-wrestling 101 shit. Powerhouse Hobbs is a large man, so that comes into the play right away with Punk recognizing this & firing at his left leg right out of the gate. The size dynamic is what dominates the match with Punk having to be the crafty veteran & Hobbs doing powerhouse-stuff fitting of his name, and I enjoyed it all quite a bit. In fact I would say that I enjoyed it just as much as I did Punk's match vs. Darby Allin, if not even more. ***

DANIELSON vs OMEGA

 

AEW DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM 09/22/21

Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny Omega
Everytime he wrestles, it's just further confirmation (for me) that Bryan Danielson is the greatest professional wrestler to ever live. I have said it a million times by now, but I just did again. This match was beautiful. They built it to the 30-minute draw wonderfully, as the action kept on upping itself with a perfect crowd to boot. They played their hits, but with that competitive spirit of wanting to prove who truly is THE best. It's a real natural story to tell & dynamic to play off of, and these two did it with ease. I could go on for a looong time about how great Dragon was here, but I also must say that Kenny Omega is at his finest when he is delivering simple viciousness w/ his amazing arsenal of signature moves, and there certainly was QUITE A BIT of that in here, to say the least. The way he also presented himself & treated this match helped make it feel like something special as well-- the most serious & focused Kenny since at least that Dome Main Event vs. Tanahashi, probably? Goddamn this whole thing was greatness all around, no better way to put it. ****1/4

Minoru vs Moxley II

 

AEW DYNAMITE 09/08/21

Jon Moxley vs. Minoru Suzuki
This was such a banger. They went about 8 minutes or so, and that left us with no time for filler. Meaning that this was an absolutely wonderfully action packed time bell-to-bell. It's a lot like their first meeting from last year, but in a lot more sprint-ish fashion. I loved it. Fantastic television main event. ***3/4

AEW ALL OUT 2021

AEW ALL OUT 2021

Eddie Kingston vs. Miro
This was a mean fight between one brute monster of a man & one true street dog. I liked it very much. Great selling, especially in some little moments by both guys, badass offense + staying more-than-true to their compelling characters. It all makes up for a hot-hot opener! ***1/2

Jon Moxley vs. Satoshi Kojima
Kojima usually always delivers nice effort in big singles match spotlights like this. I thought the match was a pretty fun little exhibition. Nothing very memorable, but both guys did their thing & put on a pretty well spirited bout. **1/2 

Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander
Thought that this was pretty rough & awkward in many moments, and overall it kinda failed to capture my full attention at any point. I did dig the Curb Stomp on the outside though, and the last few minutes were solid, I guess. *3/4

The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Brothers
This was the usual Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros spot-heavy craziness, but now with the promised extra violence of the Steel Cage stip added. I thought it was good. Their matches don't hit the same after you've seen them what-feels-like a million times, but there's still those sequences & moments that get me good. And I sure love The Bucks as heels w/ their ridiculous looks & thumbtack-Jordans, so yeah this was a good time. ***1/4

Casino Battle Royale
Ruby Soho's debut with the banger Rancid theme was fun. Other than that, this was a very generic battle royale; a bunch of nothing, but easy-to-watch & a solid way to kill some time.

Chris Jericho vs. MJF
This was rock-solid. Good performance from underneath by Jericho & a pretty strong showing by MJF as well. The restart deal was done really well, and actually brought the match up a notch, as everything afterwards was red hot. ***

CM Punk vs. Darby Allin
The match I was most looking forward to on this card for obvious reasons. Right from the get go, there's a real big match feel-- first of all I must say that major kudos to AEW for letting the entrances BREATHE here, as usually they don't let them do that. The image of Darby sitting in the ring awaiting CM Punk's entrance to begin was very, very cool. The match itself was good, I thought. At points it was boring & dragged, but for the absolute majority of it? Roooock-solid. Played well off of CM Punk's obvious ring rust & look, with Darby Allin you just aren't gonna get a match that isn't at least SOMEWHAT entertaining. He's the man. The Bret Hart spots were fun & fit the match extremely well given the whole dynamic of the thing + contrast in styles between the 2 men. It gets an obvious lil' boost by nature with it being Punker's return match, but as implied, I thought it was pretty darn good anyway. ***

Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage
I really liked their first match against one another on Rampage. This one felt like a waaaay less spirited version of that. Felt about twice as long, too. Some cool singular moments here n' there, but ultimately, very dry & left me with nothing. Not bad, but disappointing. **1/4

SMACKDOWN: BALOR vs REIGNS

 

 

WWE SMACKDOWN 09/03/21

Roman Reigns vs. Finn Bálor
I think I have enjoyed all of their previous TV-matches that I have watched. This one was pretty good too. The dynamic was set during Bálor's entrance when The Usos jumped him; it was gonna happen regardless, but this now set him to TRULY fight from underneath against the champ. Reigns was real good in his role here; that throw he started the match off with was badass + his signature uppercuts looked REAL mighty. Then on the other hand, I thought that Finn was quite the mixed bag (unsurprisingly) w/ his offense; his basic strikes looked really weak, but he also busted out some nice, high energy stuff, so he kinda somewhat made up for that. It's a pretty good match, but they obviously have a much better one in 'em, and we'll probably get to see it by the look of things. **3/4

ROH GLORY BY HONOR III

ROH GLORY BY HONOR III

Austin Aries vs. CM Punk
This is the first ever 1-on-1 contest between these two according to Cagematch, so it's already kind of notable for that. And it's a very good one. It took a while for it to get cooking, but once it did, I was definitely sucked into the story of Aries' arm vs. Punk's ribs. They sold well & busted out nice dedicated, focused & even creative offense to further that said story. It's awesome. The finish isn't though, as it features lots of fuckery w/ a ref bump followed by all of Generation Next running in as well as Ace Steel & Steve Corino. It's not good, but everything else here is. ***1/2

Alex Shelley vs. Bryan Danielson
Hey it's another first ever 1-on-1 match-up on this show! And much like Aries vs. Punk, it's very good. Shelley's heat segment working on Danielson's neck was very solid; he has a certain charm about his work, and he is also a good little dickhead & he certainly commits well to a strategy. It's good stuff. The absolute highlight of the match is what follows, though. Dragon coming back & going to town on Shelley's banged up arm, wringing & twisting it everywhere viciously, it's so damn awesome. As was Shelley's bumping & selling of it. I do think the match could've easily been trimmed quite a bit though & Bryan could've sold Shelley's neckwork more during his asskicking-section. That's what separates the 'very good' from the 'great' here. ***1/2

John Walters vs. Nigel McGuinness
Goddamn this was such a joyful time. It's that signature early 2000s ROH/indy action where both of the competitors come off as so charming, focused & hungry, and it results in an absolute banger of a match. All the technical prowess was beautiful to watch, Walters' work over the neck was awesome & Nigel's all around babyface performance was so damn good. Great use of the Pure ropebreak rules as well. This was an absolute blast. ***3/4

Doug Williams vs. Samoa Joe
I absolutely ADORE their 2003 match for the ROH World Title. It's such a tight, action-packed sub-12 minute bout. This one was good, but doesn't come near that one in terms of quality, in my eyes. Obviously it's still good since it's Doug Williams vs. Samoa Joe & they keep it classy with the sub-20 minute runtime. Lots of badass offense & I thought Doug in particular had some really nice moments when it came to the selling side of things - especially his facial expressions sold some of Joe's kickass arsenal wonderfully. It's a good match. ***

NXT TAKEOVER: 36

WWE NXT TAKEOVER: 36

Cameron Grimes vs. LA Knight
Went on for too long & LA Knight isn't very interesting with his work on top, but the fiery, explosive comebacks by Grimes + the awesomely energetic atmosphere carry things - AAAAND also while LA Knight's overall work isn't very interesting like I mentioned, he/they kinda make up for some of it by busting out some big, dumb moves here n' there, so by the end of it, it actually has been pretty damn fun. It's a pretty good match. **3/4

Dakota Kai vs. Raquel Gonzalez
I thought that this was a really strong match w/ some nice storytelling. Kai was owning Gonzalez for most of it with her slick counters & nice kicks, but every time Gonzalez got her hands on her, she was ragdolling her like a boss. A couple of awkward moments, but those didn't take anything away from the good shit that was going on. ***

Ilja Dragunov vs. WALTER
You know what you get when these two collide, and as usual, it was some really good stuff. They did "the usual" between them, but also brought a bunch of new cool things to make it feel fresh enough. WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov always guarantees the kind of pro-wrestling where everything looks & sounds as violent and uncomfortable as possible. And it's awesome. I would put this on par with that last big NXT match of theirs. There is really no real reason for me to not call it straight-up great, but it's the same gut feeling I had with their last match where it's like one of the best "very good" matches of the year. ***3/4

Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reilly
The first fall was done quickly, but my goodness was it bad while it lasted. Just awful indy strike sequences galore. Then comes the 2nd fall w/ the street fight gimmick; I really would like to say that I appreciated Kyle's selling of the ribs, and I truly did in some moments, but for the most part, it just felt SOOOO damn cartoony & over the top. It's definitely mostly because of how uninteresting the mid-section work by Cole actually was. Then the final fall continued the trend of the match sucking, as most of it is classic WWE/NXT melodrama community theater awfulness combined with awful looking offense all around. Hell yeah baby. The most positive thing I can say about this whole thing is that at least the duration of the match was bearable, because knowing NXT you'd expect it to go like 40+ minutes looking at the wrestlers involved + the stipulation & gimmick attached to it. Very nice. That & Kyle's cool selling of Cole's waistlock save this from being a complete DUD. *

Karrion Kross vs. Samoa Joe
Good to see one of my all-time favorites in Samoa Joe back in the ring, but man he didn't look all that good out there. Then you add in the factor of Karrion Kross being uninteresting in general, and you got yourself a very meh match. It's always a feat when you make a sub-15 minute match feel like it's at least 20. *1/4

SUMMERSLAM 2021

WWE SUMMERSLAM 2021

AJ Styles & Omos vs. Randy Orton & Riddle
This was a solid little opener. Omos got to do some Omos things, Riddle was a solid FIP, Orton was a pretty good hot tag & AJ on the offense was fun as usual. That Stylin DDT to Riddle on the outside was the best spot of the bout. **1/2

Damian Priest vs. Sheamus
This shouldn't have moved as slowly as it did. The "methodical" pace they went with, with Sheamus mostly working on top doing nothing of note & Priest busting out unexciting comebacks - it didn't do anything for me. That brogue knee off of Priest's springboard attempt was neat though. The finishing stretch is where they upped the action, but that's only the last few minutes of the entire match, and other than that brogue spot I mentioned, it still wasn't anything very interesting. *1/2

The Mysterios vs. The Usos
This was a damn good tag team bout. The Usos were really good as the suffocating veteran heel duo, always being there for each other & not letting the Mysterios get much of a flow going, and then you have Rey who was obviously great with his babyface work. His run after Dominik made the hot tag to him was really, really nice. ***

Charlotte Flair vs. Nikki ASH vs. Rhea Ripley
This started off rough & it took a good while for it to really get going, but once they moved into that 2nd gear, it got pretty good. Leading up to the finish there were a couple of really good sequences. A #VeryOk match all in all. **

Edge vs. Seth Rollins
There's not many Seth Rollins matches that I can think of where he has come off as so focused as he did in this one. The whole build-up to this has been about their famous 2014 segment where Seth almost paralyzed Edge w/ his Stomp, so he was on a mission here to finish what he was looking to do back then. That meant his focus was on Edge's neck, and that focus was laser-like. Almost everything he did on the offense was targeted towards that bodypart, and while not all of his time working on top was exactly compelling, I still can appreciate the focus. That's the word of the bout & Rollins' work in particular. FOCUS. On the other hand, Edge's comebacks weren't exciting or interesting at all & the finish was silly as hell with his terrible facial expressions. I still thought that the match was good overall, which is honestly pretty surprising. It was like more of an Edge match rather than a Seth Rollins one, but it's Rollins who kept things interesting with his really good performance. ***

Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg
This took a different route compared to the usual Goldberg match. I thought it was a solid time for the duration it went. Billy owning Lashley early on & then Bob capitalizing fully on MVP's cheap shot on Goldberg's knee, it was pretty fun stuff. Not exactly good, because there were still a couple of rough & awkward moments from Goldberg's side of things, but I thought it was ok. **

John Cena vs. Roman Reigns
At best, this could've been REALLY something. But sometimes you get what you get, and what we got here, in my eyes, was an extremely boring main event. Reigns' big control segment was an absolute chore to get through; the man offered nothing of note during it, as most of it was filled with headlocks, kicks, stomps, you name it. Most generic heel-on-top stuff you could imagine, and even more boring than that actually. Moved at a snails pace which is something his control segs usually always do; it's not necessarily a problem, but when those said segs are boring right from the get go, the mEtHoDiCaL pace sure doesn't help. And of course there's a bunch of talking as well. By the time Cena wakes up & starts busting out the hits, it all just feels very hollow & empty. A very disappointing main event to say the least, because as I implied, this easily could've been something pretty special. *3/4

RANDOM ASS SUMMERSLAM MATCHES FROM THE PAST DECADE

 

SummerSlam 2012
Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H
This is a solid match with a pretty great Brock Lesnar performance. Everything he does here is on point; from the beginning where he does the usual Lesnar bullying, to then selling the "mood change" perfectly when HHH got one-up on him. His big heat segment on HHH was good too; they established & treated Kimura as a huge deal right from the get go, and him working over HHH was all about doing damage to that arm, of course to set up what was eventually gonna be the finish. It's good stuff & HHH sells being in peril really well tbh, even better than I would have expected. The way the momentum swifts to his favor w/ him attacking Lesnar's mid-section is awesome, and I can't praise Lesnar's selling enough. He sells the initial shock & the shots like they're killing him, and his selling remains perfect till the very end. It's a good match, but not great. Not all of it is very compelling to watch & there are points when it moves into straight-up uninteresting-territory, but it's still good & the performances by both men (especially Lesnar) were really damn good. The infamous post-match is also obviously hilarious. ***

SummerSlam 2014
Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns
Now here's a match I haven't watched since it happened. Back then, I was super down on WWE's product & especially the Roman Reigns superpush that was starting, so I did not like this match at all. And well, I still don't! It's not like a _bad_ match, or at least there's nothing outright bad or annoying about it, but it's oh so dull. Feels like a generic, longer TV match with a few cool counters, which to be fair were legitimately pretty neat & the only thing bringing this match some life. A gentleman's **

SummerSlam 2015
The New Day vs. Los Matadores vs. The Lucha Dragons vs. The Prime Time Players
Starts off in very forgettable fashion, but once the match kicks into its 2nd gear after Darren makes the hot tag to Titus, that's when things get pretty damn HAWT. That said hot tag was really awesome & the highlight of the entire thing with Titus running through everyone, and the action after that keeps the pace & flow going very nicely w/ each team getting some standout moments. It is a pretty good match overall, just like I remembered it as. **3/4

SummerSlam 2016
Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks
There's the infamous big turnbuckle backbreaker botch, and holy hell did it look & feel dangerous, but honestly? It kinda added to the match. Or at least it didn't take anything away from my enjoyment of it. Charlotte's attack was fully focused on the back afterwards, and it's really good stuff + Sasha sold that onslaught wonderfully. It had some big time Eddie vs. Rey vibes, and it's a dynamic that works fantastically with Charlotte & Sasha. Charlotte's work on top was indeed really good as implied, and Sasha's babyface work was simply pretty darn great throughout - that moment where she counters Charlotte's top rope big move attempt into that hurricanrana was superb in particular. Awesome match. ***3/4

SummerSlam 2016
AJ Styles vs. John Cena
I didn't like this match at all back when it happened. Now looking at it 5 years later, my opinion is pretty much the complete opposite. I think the match is great! It's mostly known about all the big movez & nearfalls, and it sure doesn't take them long to start putting focus on those, but the beginning with Cena's control period was really nice w/ him being mean & focused. Simple stuff like him throwing AJ full power into the corner or him punching AJ in the face after he was gloating + the back bodydrop where he absolutely LAUNCHES the guy, it's all pretty great. I didn't like Styles busting out the Clash so early & it being kicked out of, but it is what it is. That's where the match kicks into its "true" gear as the big moves, false finishes & the one-upmanship become the main focus. I remember in 2016 thinking they went waaaaay overboard with it all, but watching it now, I actually thought they didn't do too much, as they kept it within the limits of good taste, and the story they told with those wild big moves & nearfalls was something that truly worked & fit the match. The avalanche AA is a genuinely FANTASTIC nearfall, and while I wouldn't argue people calling Cena's reaction to it being complete cheese, I also kinda liked it? At least initially the whole "wait wtf" look on his face was awesome & sold the moment big. So yeah, I really loved this one. Damn. Great effin' match. ****

SummerSlam 2019
Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins
Goddamn I didn't like Rollins at all in this. It isn't that surprising, but it's disappointing, because the elements for a potential great match were there. A taped up mid-section that Brock attacks in an awesome fashion? Uh hell yes please, but then Seth doesn't really sell it much at all & is on the offense with his weak looking arsenal for wayyy too long, for my liking. It's a great & definite way to put him over, no doubts about that, but a good match it is not. *3/4

ROH SCRAMBLE CAGE MELEE

 

ROH SCRAMBLE CAGE MELEE

Doug Williams vs. John Walters
This is for the Pure Championship, so it's under the usually-always-fun Pure ruleset. And sure enough, it's tons of fun! Some nice technical wrestling to start it off as one would expect from this pairing. As the match progresses, it's clear that John Walter is a man on a mission; he's focused as hell, even more so than usually, and it's a joy to watch him execute a nice onslaught on Williams, and it's equally as nice to watch the champ's reactions & answer to that. Love the finishing stretch where Walters' knee-targeting + the Pure rules came into full play. Really good shit. ***1/2

CM Punk vs. Homicide vs. Samoa Joe
This sadly did not capture my interest much at all. Based on the participants, you could & probably would expect a lowkey killer match-up, but this was some very "paint-by-the-numbers" three-way dance action. There's 1 or 2 fun spots, but other than that, it's just nothing, really. It's not bad, but it's just there. **

Kenny Omega vs Andrade + Christian Cage

 

AAA TripleMania XXIX
Kenny Omega vs. Andrade
You kinda would expect these two to have somewhat of an instant chemistry, but if it's there, it certainly wasn't showcased here. An extremely boring, soulless & flat-out empty feeling match. And of course it dragged like a motherfucker too, being over 20-minutes long. The only reason it has any value whatsoever is Naitch running wild, bless that man. Still elevating matches in 2021 as a 72-year old. His one punch was significantly more badass than anything else Kenny & Andrade did all match long. *1/4

AEW Rampage 08/13/21
Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage
It took a while for this to REALLY get going, but once it did, it was some really nice fireworks till the end. Everything from Kenny's badass knee-to-the-head counter to Christian's Spear attempt on = extremely good shiz. Kenny brought that signature explosive offense of his, and Christian's babyface work was pure class. Badass, fulfilling finish to cap it off too. ***1/4

Marufuji vs Sakuraba for the GHC HEAVYQ

 

NOAH Cross Over 2021 In Hiroshima

Naomichi Marufuji vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
This is a genuinely interesting looking match-up on paper, and those don't happen often these days, so you just know I had to watch it. I thought it was a good one. It loses some of its luster as they move into the final third of the match, which is all about the more "exciting" finishing stretch-like wrestling; it's very usual for a big puro match like this to do that, but even when they moved into that section of the bout, I didn't lose much interest. It was good enough, but where the real money was in my interest regarding this match was stuff like the beginning where they made Sakuraba feel like a big threat who can effortlessly take all of your limbs if given a chance on the mat or even during stand-up exchanges. Cool moments like him catching Marufuji's leg & slapping in a hold just when it looked like Maru did some vintage Maru ninja-flips to escape the onslaught, and then later on the way they spiced up the usual strike-trading sequence with Sakuraba turning his back on Marufuji as Maru quickly did a big number on his chest, it was such a nice "change of pace", you could even say, and I loved it. The way that said sequence naturally & logically ended with Maru delivering his signature hook kick was also perfect. Good match indeed. Some big puro match tropes prevent it from being more than that, but that is always to be expected, and it was cool regardless. ***

NICK GAGE in AEW, Rey/Reigns HIAC

AEW Dynamite 07/28/21
Chris Jericho vs. Nick Gage
Obviously Gage can't go all out with his brand of violence here, and all of the punches n' stomps etc look real bad, but all in all, this was a pretty wonderful piece of biz. Gage did get to showcase a lot of what he is about in the form of that damn pizza cutter, light tubes, all that glass.. Good, fun shit. It's a nice little spectacle with Jericho getting wrecked & making the gimmick of the match (& Nick Gage) big time justice. ***1/4

WWE SmackDown 06/18/21
Rey Mysterio vs. Roman Reigns
Solid stuff with them playing off the natural dynamic of Rey being the smaller man & Reigns being the bigger, dominant champ. It's simple stuff really, and the chemistry between the two is solid. Definitely felt like it didn't need the HIAC gimmick attached to it though, and I feel like it would've been even more fun as a street fight/no dq, or one of the deals like that. ***

WWE WRESTLEMANIA BACKLASH

WWE WRESTLEMANIA BACKLASH 2021

Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley
Most of this was your generic triple-threat action. Mostly a 1-on-1 match with the Rhea parts of it being pretty rough. I didn't care for it much at all, but I did think that Charlotte's double chop-block followed by that double Natural Selection was pretty cool. In general, as usual with matches of this kind, the action got better & better as the match went on, with the last few minutes being legitimately some pretty good stuff. Overall though, this wasn't memorable at all to say the least. Gentleman's **

Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode vs. Dominik & Rey Mysterio
This was some textbook tag team wrestling & a classic Rey Rey performance. He was selling his ass off through the entire thing & was just being the best babyface in peril in general. Absolutely lovely stuff by him, and the Dirty Dawgs were definitely on point as well; I thought that Bobby Roode especially had some awesome moments punishing Rey & cutting off Dom's hot tag run. Epic spinebusters & backbreakers to name a couple of things from the great, fun arsenal he showcased here. Gotta love the feel-good ending to cap this match off too; they told the story extremely well right from the start, and by the end, Dominic coming in & hitting that Frog Splash for the W certainly felt more-than earned. ***3/4

Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman vs. Drew McIntyre
A very solid little big boys 3-way. Kind of a best case scenario for the three men involved you could say, I think. Not all that interesting for all of it, but some hot stretches & cool singular moments. **3/4

Cesaro vs. Roman Reigns
This was great. The first third or so wasn't the most interesting stuff, but once Cesaro's arm becomes THE major focal point of Reigns' onslaught, it gets extremely compelling. Reigns is great at targeting that said arm; loved him talking trash to Daniel Bryan & going to town on that arm total DB style. Good shit. Cesaro's selling was of course tremendous too; really consistent + I loved the way it came into play in a couple of key moments like the Neutralizer try or the pop-up Uppercut attempt. Kinda surprising to see him lose 100% clean like that, but I don't think he came off worse out of it. If anything, he came out even better than he already was, because this was a great match & a great, well deserved showing for the man. ****

AEW DYNAMITE: NAGATA, DANIELS, DARBY, MIRO

AEW DYNAMITE 05/12/21

Jon Moxley vs. Yuji Nagata
WILD THING, YOU MAKE MY HEART SING. Moxley coming out to that sure was the highlight of this entire thing. The match was very paint-by-numbers Yuji Nagata you could say. I thought it was a solid little sub-10 minute brawl, but I would've liked for Moxley to add some of his own signature touches into it to make it stand out. As it stands, it's a cool thing that happened, but the actual match wasn't memorable at all. **

Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson
I thought that this was a really good tag match. The Bucks got to really showcase why they're such lovely pricks, Kazarian looked good, getting plenty of time to shine on the offense + Daniels delivered big time selling his ass off w/ the blood; his whole "final stand" segment after he gets the final tag was certainly my favorite bit of the match. It was pretty great. ***1/2

Darby Allin vs. Miro
This was kinda like Darby's awesome match vs. Brian Cage from January, as in it's Darby getting destroyed by a brute for the most of it, but at the same time, this had a completely different dynamic & charm to it. It's also better. The pre-match attack by Miro was amazingly vicious; it was a complete crime-scene before the bell even rang & I loved it. Then the match officially began & the narrative continued with Miro indeed mostly just completely destroying Darby, and it rules. Miro looks like a monster between his awesome offense & Darby's willingness to make everything look twice or thrice as brutal. Darby's hope spots & comebacks also rule; the last-hurrah he had after the awesome Sting brofist-moment was especially awesome, as was the finish with Miro wonderfully countering his Armbar into that vicious finish of his own. This was absolutely great. ****

ROH TESTING THE LIMIT: Danielson vs Aries, 70+ minutes!

 

ROH TESTING THE LIMIT


Austin Aries vs. Bryan Danielson
It's the 70+ minute long boy. It's a real long one, but goddamn do they make every minute count. I have watched this multiple times before, and pretty much every single time I do watch it, I come out of it w/ something new to totally fanboy over. The big story that lasts the entire match is Danielson's attacks & how he changes 'em up as the match progresses; he goes after Aries' back, ribs, knee, arm -- all in a way where it feels natural for him to switch it up. And of course the work on the offense is amazingly compelling. Dragon is vicious, he is focused & he is creative - he even added some extra lil' nuances to some bits of his usual submission repertoire, and it sure was awesome to say the least. Every fall also ends beautifully & there's also some really great selling in there. They very nicely reference their exciting Survival Of The Fittest meeting in there as well. Now going back to the length, the match sure is A LOT, but man, it's always so beautiful. I love it all very much. ****3/4

SD CAREER vs TITLE: Bryan vs Reigns

 

WWE SMACKDOWN 04/30/21

Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns
Unsurprisingly great. Beautiful armwork-story with Bryan first starting out working the left arm, but naturally switching the focus to the right arm once opportunity presented itself when he countered Reigns' Superman Punch attempt w/ that kick to it. Bryan's work over the arm is obviously awesome, and Reigns' selling is rock-solid. Love the way the story played out in the end; the whole finishing stretch is so great with Reigns looking to put a blunt end to things, but Bryan just goddamn HOLDS ON to that arm with everything he got left, because he knows it's HIS. Then Reigns wisely simply switches it & ends it all. Simple, wonderful stuff that plays up to both of their characters perfectly. Overall it's probably not as amazing as their Fastlane match(es), but it's definitely great. They're a fantastic pairing. ****

SmackDown with a hot, hot, hot tag match!

 

WWE SMACKDOWN 04/23/21


Cesaro & Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso & Seth Rollins
This was simply a red hot tag match with the action being super energetic w/ an awesome, compelling pace start to finish & very good work by each men involved. The perfect opener for any wrestling show ever, pretty much. ***3/4

NXT with a COUPLE of real sweet looking match-ups!

WWE NXT 04/20/21

Kushida vs. Oney Lorcan
This was a fun little tight sub-10 minute match. Kushida is always great at working the arm w/ his lovely kicks n' all + Oney brings the feeling of physicality like only few do in the company, and those dynamics mixed really well in this one. Definitely liked it & would like to see these two tangle it up more in the future. ***

Cameron Grimes vs. Kyle O'Reilly
This ruled. The big goal of it was obviously to showcase Kyle O'Reilly after his big match vs. Adam Cole, and he sure got to look real good in there against the best opponent possible. Good matwork in the early going w/ Grimes selling wonderfully for Kyle's control there + then Cameron also continues that trend of wonderfulness in his control seg where he displays that signature smash-mouth offense of his; loved that clothesline, his kicks are always awesome & that throw into the corner (which Kyle ate like he was on his Hitman shit, hell yes) was a thing of beauty. One little thing that I really loved as well was Kyle swaying Cameron's dizzy punch-attempt before delivering that comeback strike combo of his own. All around this was some really good stuff! Love seeing both of these lads kill it like this. ***1/2

WWE WRESTLEMANIA 37: NIGHT 2

WWE WRESTLEMANIA 37: NIGHT TWO

The Fiend vs. Randy Orton
I find it interesting that people are calling this a WOAT-tier Mania match or whatever -- I mean it wasn't GOOD, but it was also like 5 minutes long. Give me it over all the actually bad matches that are LONG, very much including their previous meeting at Mania. Okay I definitely get the criticisms though, as it's a bit silly that The Fiend loses to one RKO after surviving ungodly amounts of big movez in the past. This was a Fiend match with a ridiculous ending, it wasn't good, but I also had some fun with it because it was such a short lil' number. Harmless Fiend fuckery. Also Bray's Harper tribute at the start was pure love. *1/2

Natalya & Tamina vs. Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler
Not good, but not that bad either! Probably better than expected. They got a surprising amount of time & there was a few legitimately nice sequences there. *1/2

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
THESE TWO having THIS MATCH at THIS STAGE. Neat as hell. It was classic Zayn vs. Owens stuff; bombs bombs bombs with everything looking magnificently dangerous & destructive. A badass 9-minute sprint. ***3/4

Riddle vs. Sheamus
These guys compliment each other so well. This was so awesome. Both of 'em have such amazing arsenals of badass offense, and that was on full display here; beautiful bombs, counters, very nice sense of urgency & feel of pure physicality. The finish was great & I also loooved the way Sheamus instantly recovered from that White Noise botch by delivering a vicious knee drop from the top. ***3/4

Apollo Crews vs. Big E
This was a yet another extremely good sprint on this card. Let's goo! Pure intensity right from the get go with the kendo stick duel; both guys showed so much charisma throughout & the whole thing just ruled. Big E's big Spear spot was awesome, as was that Uranage. A really good use of the stipulation, even if no drums were harmed. Weapons stuff in WWE can be very hit or miss, but I thought the way E & Apollo implemented them into this match, it was very much a hit. The interference ending probably isn't something you'd expect or want in a Mania match, but I thought even that was well done, especially the initial moment it happened out of nowhere, so it didn't suck much juices at all from the really good match they had imo. ***1/4

Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley
This was pretty solid, but sadly nothing to write home about really. A couple of pretty sweet moments, but most of the match was just there. Very forgettable. **

Roman Reigns vs. Edge vs. Daniel Bryan
This is an all-time great three-way dance. It felt like a big match with its phenomenal build, and it lived up to the hype & then some more. There was absolutely ZERO downtime, it was absolute nonstop, great action from the opening bell till the finish. Some silly Edge facial expressions of course, but honestly even those didn't take anything away, as it all added to his "crazed old man on a mission" character. Speaking of characters, I looooove the differences in all 3 men here. It made the whole dynamic so compelling even before the match had started, and they played up those differences in their characters wonderfully throughout the match. Great damn shit, all of it. Some of my favorite moments were Bryan's kick counter to Reigns' Superman Punch attempt, Reigns getting "Roman Sucks" chants & answering by dumping Bryan through the announce table, the sequence w/ the chair-struggle between Edge & Reigns, the whole Crossface bit & the aftermath w/ Bryan destroying Edge, that legitimately superb nearfall after Edge's Spear to Reigns. Love the finish too! It's the first time Roman Reigns actually feels like THE ACE that he has always been positioned to be. Took them a while, but it has happened. ****1/4

WRESTLEMANIA 37: NIGHT ONE

 

WWE WRESTLEMANIA 37: NIGHT ONE


Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre
I wanted to love this, because they have a history of having good matches against one another, including a PPV one from last year which I enjoyed a lot. This one I didn't really care for much at all. Technically nothing wrong with it or anything like that, but felt like there was no real hook to it. With guys like these two, you could argue that "the hook" is watching two bad heavyweight mofos beat the shit out of each other (shout-out to Drew's recent matches vs. Sheamus), but it never felt like that was the case here except for the last 5 or so minutes when the action got legitimately hot. Very uninspiring for the most part, but there was some neat spots & counters here n' there alongside that mentioned nice finishing gear. **

Billie Kay & Carmella vs. Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose vs. Lana & Naomi vs. Liv Morgan & Ruby Riott vs. Natalya & Tamina
Obviously this was not good; it was very quick, and matches like this are rarely anything memorable, especially in a setting like this. I thought it was totally inoffensive though, and easy to watch. The first segments weren't good at all, but the Riott Squad breathed _some_ life into the thing, especially in that final seg where they sold very well for Natalya & Tamina. *1/4

Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins
This was a pure workrate bout w/ a sprint'ish feel to it. It was good! Cesaro is obviously a total king, and most of this was designed to put him over big by letting him play his hits & kick a lot of ass, so it's not a surprise this ended up being a good match. Seth was good too! Lots of neat offense by both men. That finishing sequence w/ the Uppercut counter to Seth's Curb Stomp attempt -> UFO -> Swing -> Neutralizer was badass. Also Cesaro's reaction to the win + him bringing back the old HEEEEEEY's, oh man. So awesome. ***1/4

AJ Styles & Omos vs. Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods
I really enjoyed this one. Beautiful tag team storytelling with the more experienced team cutting the ring in half for a long period of time, totally isolating AJ. Kofi & Xavier were really good controlling things, and watching AJ try to figure out how he could get the tag, but time after time get shut down by the New Day lads was extremely fun. Omos of course eventually got the tag & came to wreck shit up; that Bane-like backbreaker to Xavier was awesome, as was the forearm by AJ off his shoulders. Very fun tag number! ***1/4

Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon
There's your classic crazy Shane big match spot, but other than that, this wasn't good. Not a surprise there. I thought that Braun's beatdown of Shane towards the end dragged pretty badly. *

Bad Bunny & Damian Priest vs. John Morrison & The Miz
Bad Bunny was in there for most of the match which is a surprising route for a celebrity to take, but goddang it was awesome. The man was selling his ass off & busting out big moves beautifully, with the biggest one of 'em all being a mothafucking CANADIAN DESTROYER. Unbelievable. JoMo & Miz gave such selfless performances too, giving the man so much of the match & selling everything he did perfectly. The perfect guys for this spot. The whole match really was a WrestleMania moment™ tbh, one of the most memorable celebrity-spectacle-matches they've done. ***

Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks
When you lay it out, this was an excellent way to put over Bianca Belair, as the storytelling of the bout was on point. They put over Bianca's strength & athleticism over wonderfully; she really dominated a lot of the match with Sasha getting a big crafty counter here n' there, but it was always Bianca who got them bigger grooves going. It was one of those "you can't deny this title change" type deals. Sadly I didn't like the match much at all. I thought that Bianca's work was extremely uninteresting & the best bits were Sasha's big moments, but even most of those were just "there", and not anything REALLY-really compelling or interesting. Bianca's sell of the 450 kickout was also like the worst of Shawn Michaels' cheesy reactions, but even worse lol. The whole dancing routine finishing sequence also wasn't for me, but I did like the actual finish w/ Bianca's KOD putting a blunt end to things. Not a bad match, as while I didn't find it compelling, I can appreciate the strong storytelling, even if the actual action didn't hook me in at any point. *3/4

WRESTLEMANIA FUCKING 17

WWF WRESTLEMANIA 17

Chris Jericho vs. William Regal
William Regal opening up WrestleMania = hell yeah, baby. And he sure kicked a lot of ass in this one. I thought that Jericho wasn't very interesting with his initial shine, which was some very generic babyface stuff (Jericho adding some of his vintage come on baybaaaays would've fit it so well), but after that was cut-off fairly quickly, we got a real awesome number w/ Regal in control, targeting Jericho's banged up left arm/shoulder. He is vicious, nasty & just extremely compelling with his onslaught. It's lovely to watch, and as a result, this match ends up being a damn good n' tight opener clocking in at just under 8 minutes. ***1/4

APA & Tazz vs. Right To Censor
This a real short match, and it's essentially nothing memorable. Very inoffensive though. Bradshaw's Clothesline is always nice. *

Big Show vs. Kane vs. Raven
This is a classic dumb-fun, straight out of a video game all-over-the-place brawl. So much fun from start to finish with them fighting all over the backstage area, people going through windows & walls, a golf cart chase, an epic finish. And the whole dynamic of Raven going against 2 giant-monster-people is awesome & its portrayed wonderfully. ***3/4

Eddie Guerrero vs. Test
They probably overdid The Radicalz involvement in the match considering how short it ended up being, but I thought it was all pretty amusing, so it didn't end up hurting the bout much at all. This was solid with it starting out a bit rough, but once Eddie took over (in a pretty fun & creative way might I add), it got better & remained good till the end. Most of it is thanks to Eddie who was an absolute stud in there, unsurprisingly. Test had a nice moment on the offense too with that explosive tilt-a-whirl. Solid stuff. ***

Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle
The mat-heavy action in the beginning is by far the best thing about this match. The thing actually started off pretty damn wonderfully with that-- they were telling a clear story with it, and it was unique & very compelling to watch. Once they drift away from that, I lose interest. It's not bad, but it's uninteresting & especially disappointing given the great start that this match had. Was a collection of moves & strikes pretty much, but with no charm or any hook to them. I'd say that the match is OK overall with the matwork carrying it. I also must mention that one thing which baffled me more than it probably should've is that the low-blow by Angle just before the finish wasn't treated as a big deal at all with Benoit barely selling it. **1/4

Chyna vs. Ivory
A 2-minute Chyna squash, innit. *

Shane McMahon vs. Vince McMahon
The storyline leading up to this is actually hilarious, and the way it reaches its apex in the closing moments of this match? Legitimately awesome stuff. Other than that great last few minutes, this match was alright. Obviously the punches don't look very good, but the brawling is solid enough & then there's your usual amusing big match Shane insanity. A pretty solid & entertaining overall package. **3/4

Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz
The most legendary pure ladder-spotfest of all-time. Features maybe the most legendary singular spot of a multi-man ladder match ever with Edge's Spear to Jeff, and alongside that, there's MANY other also totally-crazy moments. It's a fireworks show. The inclusion of Spike, Rhyno & Lita only added to the insanity. These kind of matches aren't exactly my cup of tea these days, especially because of how damn overdone this day & age, but this one truly stands the test of time. ****

Gimmick Battle Royal
Hearing Mean Gene & Heenan call this thing was awesome. The whole segment was really amusing & entertaining, and the duration for it all was pretty much perfect.

The Undertaker vs. Triple H
I have never really cared for this match, and that didn't change during this latest viewing of mine. Boring, uninteresting brawling from start till end, but I do like the sledgehammer spot when Taker went for the Last Ride. And you gotta respect the commitment to selling by the ref, brother. *1/2

Steve Austin vs. The Rock
Maybe the best pre-match video package of all-time, two of the biggest stars in the company, amazing atmosphere. When I think about a "WrestleMania Main Event", this is the match that would more than likely pop to my mind first. All the ingredients that I named help make this really a perfect package, and what happens inside that ring is also just superb. I love the energy right from the get go as Austin starts the fight by not letting Rock finish his entrance, and that energy stays there throughout the entire thing. It's simply amazing brawling with Austin delivering a phenomenal character performance. He really comes off as a man possessed from the start, and knowing the turn he takes at the end of the bout? It makes it all the more great, because it was the perfect lead-up for what was about to come. Hell, I even like the finisher stealing bits in this! In most cases, I think it comes off as so tryhard & corny, but it just all worked in THIS particular match between THESE particular people. This truly is a match that will never die. One of the finest to ever take place at WrestleMania, that's for sure. ****3/4

The latest Bryan vs Uso!

WWE SMACKDOWN 04/02/21

Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso
Not quite as awesome as their best matches against each other, but a yet another really good, quality TV-bout between the pairing. This had a great energy right from the get go as they started going at it, fitting to the Street Fight billing, and the pace & that said energy never let up. Good shiet. Loved the throwback to Bryan's Final Battle 08 classic vs. Morishima w/ them chain-assisted elbow strikes. ***1/4

THE CAPTAIN is BACK

 

AEW DYNAMITE 03/31/21


Christian Cage vs. Frankie Kazarian
The natural story to tell here was the one of Christian's ring rust, seeing as this was his first singles match in 7 years. And that's the one they told here with Kazarian being in control for most of the thing while Christian was in the selling-side of the deal. I thought that Christian's selling was really damn good throughout, which comes as no surprise, and it also has been amusing to see quite a lot of people question whether he was legit gassed or selling. That's some true master shit right there. Anyhoo, to the negatives. I thought that where the match "fell flat" (or more so my interest got lost) was in Kazarian's work on top. He didn't offer anything interesting at all, other than the Flux Capacitor, which was an awesome highspot for the bout alongside Christian's Frog Splash, but his control over Christian, which occupied most of the match, was meh at best. Extremely forgettable & generic would be the words. Overall I'd say that this did its job; it didn't end up being a very good or memorable match, and I definitely didn't like it as much as I would've wanted to like seeing one of my all-time favorite wrestlers first match back in 7 years, but it is what it is. In the grand scheme of things, it did its thing & sets Christian in motion for this AEW run. *3/4

FASTLANE 2021: BRYAN vs THE BIG DOG

WWE FASTLANE 2021

Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
A very typical midcard Seth Rollins & Shinsuke Nakamura match. Quite fitting, isn't it. Nothing very memorable at all, but also not bad at all. Seth doing the Black Magic was pretty neat. **

Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus
I definitely can appreciate this heavyweight showdown that McIntyre & Sheamus put on. Gnarly bombs & vicious strikes all match long w/ some genuinely sick looking n' sounding kendo-stick shots. Good shit, even if I didn't care for some of the brawling around the arena. The match did feature some vintage WWE no dq gimmick-match tropes, and that resulted in some dead periods of time, but the work between the two men was really strong when it was REALLY going, so yeah. It was a good match. ***

Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns
This is honestly the kind of a rare match that "deserves" a more detailed review, and I will post it one of these days, but all I can & will say now is that this shit made me geek & mark out like I was 16 years old again. Absolute magic from entrances to the final bell. A masterpiece & the real first MOTYC of 2021. Not sure how many starz I'd give it, but it's deffo 4.5+

Britt Baker vs Thunder Rosa

 

AEW DYNAMITE 03/17/21

Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa
Blood usually always boosts matches like this, and such was the case here as both women rocked the crimson mask & created some pretty memorable scenes with it. And by all means it was indeed a damn awesome, big-bomb-driven grudge match; really nice use of all the weapons, a couple of great bigger spots, and most of the standard offense, such as Britt's forearm strikes before that superplex, looked real good as well. A hit in every way, pretty much. ***3/4

AEW REVOLUTION 2021

 

AEW REVOLUTION 2021


Chris Jericho & MJF vs. Matt & Nick Jackson
I wasn't expecting this to come off as such a good match, but it truly was exactly that. Very good tag team action from bell-to-bell with some real cool singular moments such as Matt Jackson selling big for the "more simple" things like MJF's awesome whip/takedown-thingy into the corner or Jericho realizing the sneaky tag The Bucks made behind his back & reacting accordingly to that. I think they probably went a bit too cute with all the nearfalls towards the end, but that's a minor gripe in the grand scheme of things, as it didn't ruin the match or anything close to that. The whole thing certainly served its purpose as the red hot PPV opener! ***

Casino Tag Team Royale
This was a fun battle royale. Came with its awkward moments here n' there, but matches like these always do. Solid action all the way trough with a real nice flow - all elevated by the awesome finishing stretch between Fenix & Jungle Boy. Good match. ***

Hikaru Shida vs. Ryo Mizunami
I must say that I really didn't get this match much at all. Felt like the most 'all over the place' pro-wrestling thing I've watched in a good while -- it felt like they weren't settling for one dynamic; was Shida the underdog champ not being taken seriously by the challenger? I don't think so, because after a while of that narrative being told, she is busting out these big power moves like it's nothing. It was changing back & forth as the minutes went on, and talking about stuff changing by the minute, the babyface-heel alignments also seemed to change throughout the match? Whether that was intentional or not, it definitely left me feeling just confused for the most part. And on top of all that said confusion, the match was real 50/50 with everything anyways; some of their strikes looked good, some of them didn't look good at all. Some of the sequences & moves looked n' felt real nice within the bout, but most of them came off awkward. Didn't care for the fighting spirit no-sell moments either; especially when it felt like they did 1 too many of 'em. Certainly an... interestingly confusing match all in all. I think I can sum it up by saying that it felt like they tried to cram wayyyy too much content into the thing, and it ended up in a kind-of-a-forced-epic mess. *3/4

Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian & Miro
This was lots of fun! Miro looked like a killer when on the offense, Chuck's a good FIP, OC's arrival was epic & Miro's selling of OC's usual signature repertoire was great. Real different from everything else on the card, and it definitely did its thing. Extremely enjoyable number. ***

Adam Page vs. Matt Hardy
Other than the brief attack on Page's hand/fingers by Hardy, this was largely absolutely forgettable. Easy to watch though, as it wasn't bad by any means. **

Cody Rhodes vs. Ethan Page vs. Lance Archer vs. Max Caster vs. Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Scorpio Sky
A very decent, rock-solid multi-man ladder match. Matches of this type are so overdone these days though, it's hard for them to truly standout, and such was the case here. It was fine, but nothing very memorable. **3/4

Brian Cage & Ricky Starks vs. Darby Allin & Sting
This was real different from every other cinematic match thus far, and I loved every bit of it. GRIMY presentation all around, which was a perfect fit. Felt like a badass movie fight scene essentially, complete with some fantastic visuals throughout.

Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega
Man, the big post-match explosion being a complete (to say the least) dud is such a damn shame. That face turn angle w/ Eddie Kingston would've been absolute magic had they not butchered it. And while it happened after the match was over, it still does suck a lot of juices out of the thing when looking at it as an overall package. I also wasn't a fan of the Gallows & Anderson run-in finishing stretch at all -- usually I don't get bothered by stuff like that in wrestling, but here I was enjoying the action between Moxley & Omega so much, I felt like things went downhill big time for the last some-minutes when the Good Brothers got involved. Nice finish with the One Winged Angel on the chair, but yeah, I thought that the energy & the pure raw feeling of a WAR the bout had died down pretty effectively. Without those two major negative factors, this really could've been one of the best things AEW has done thus far, because everything that Mox & Kenny did up until that run-in, it was legitimately some really goddamn great stuff, truly making the gimmick justice. It was easily the best match of the night, but aye, as implied, I can't help but to feel that it should've been more & really one of the best pieces of pro-wrestling for the entire year, but by the end of things, it just wasn't. ***3/4

NJPW CASTLE ATTACK stuff

 

NJPW CASTLE ATTACK 2021

Jay White vs. Tomohiro Ishii
In theory, a match focused on Jay White attacking Tomohiro Ishii's mid-section with vicious focus sounds like something that I'd really like, especially given the fact that I thought their previous two G1 outings were some pretty great stuff, but to put it bluntly, this was just long. Some neat moments revolving around that said work on the ribs yes, but for the most part, the match was just straight up forgettable, dull & boring as hell. I could just say that them going 25+ minutes isn't ideal (it isn't), but to be fair to them, looking back at those great G1 matches of theirs, they weren't that much shorter than this one; just had a completely different, better energy & spirit to 'em. **

Great-O-Khan vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
This was less fun than their Tokyo Dome match, but it was still a real solid one. O-Khan continues his good showings with his very good, pretty impressive & consistent selling of Tana's usual legwork here. **3/4