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