Let's Fucking Get It 2021

WWE NXT 01/06/21
Finn Bálor vs. Kyle O'Reilly
There was quite a few legitimately GREAT moments in this match, and all in all it really was the kind of a match that I love. However there's one big factor which, in my eyes, prevented it from reaching true greatness. And that factor is Finn Bálor. Most of his work here lacked tenacity & simple MEANNESS; stuff like his stomps, headlocks, crossface -- it all fell a bit flat because of how robotic & soulless it almost all felt. Thankfully he did have some badass moments in him though; him busting out the abdominal stretch to briefly counter Kyle's onslaught on his arm was awesome, and it was even more awesome when he went back to it at the end after that big liver kick, which also was an awesome callback to their previous meeting. Great finish. Kyle on the other hand was absolutely wonderful throughout w/ real good selling & very nice amount of that said tenacity, meanness & grit in his work on the offense. If this exact same match would've been him going against say like Drew Gulak or Timothy Thatcher or Matt Riddle, it probably would've been a bona fide TV classic, but as it is, it's "just" a good match. ***1/4

AEW DYNAMITE 01/13/21
Eddie Kingston vs. PAC
These two don't like each other very much, and that shows pretty wonderfully throughout this very nice lil' sprint-feeling-having affair. Simple & straight to the point. It's not the kind of a match of which there will be highlights played or remembered, but it's two absolute pros going out there & doing what they do, resulting in a real enjoyable piece of business. ***1/4

AEW DYNAMITE 01/13/21
Brian Cage vs. Darby Allin
This is REAL one-sided, and rightfully so because there aren't many, if any people in wrestling that take a shitkicking like Darby Allin, and that allows Cage to look real good in the process as well of course. The big man just throws Darby around like its nothing, with some real big, brutal looking spots being busted out. On paper that sounds absolutely wonderful & for the most part it is exactly that, but I do think that some of the spots should've felt bigger than they ended up feeling. For whatever reason, some of the big throws on the outside & all didn't register as those big moments that they could've & should've (for me anyways). It's all good though, because the match still totally rules. My favorite spot of the whole thing actually was Cage falling on those steps - that shit felt real blunt & impactful. Real good stuff on the attack by Darby overall as well of course; he brought that signature explosiveness & creativity into everything, and as pretty much always, it's awesome. A very good match. ***1/2

WWE NXT UK 01/14/21
A-Kid vs. WALTER
There's a real lovely cat & mouse dynamic to start this off, and both parties play their roles wonderfully. A-Kid more than brings it throughout with his arsenal of chops & especially those kicks, and WALTER sells BIG time, to say the least. That knockdown as the result of those repeated leg kicks was a great moment. WALTER's big selling & A-Kid's excellent, almost perfectly executed gameplan of using his quickness & weakening the champ by going after his leg was such compelling stuff -- the way the whole match played out made each time WALTER got his hands on A-Kid feel so fulfilling, which is kind of weird to write out loud because he was & is the heel champ, but it felt like that. Watching him unleash his murderous onslaught was awesome. Extremely good shit, this match was. Almost felt like one of those big Wally vs. ZSJ bouts. ***3/4