Alberto Del Rio vs Dolph Ziggler, Main Event 2/13

This was just a really, really fun match. It started off pretty ordinary, like something you'd see them work on a house show, but once Del Rio took that wicked shoulder bump into the post this became something worth highlighting. As you'd expect from this match, both guys took some really wild bumps that you wouldn't necassarily expect for a B-Show. Del Rio getting launched over the top and planted face first on to the steps and the huge reverse superplex were both spectacular. But there was some meat on the bones of the match too, and I thought Dolph did a really good job when in control. Entertaining offence and great timing on the cut-offs. Del Rio has transitioned into a face role almost shoickingly well - his mannerisms, body language, and the emotion he shows leaves you wondering why he was ever a heel in the first place. The crowd were hot, and Del Rio brought them to boiling point. Ricardo was also wonderful as always, loved the spot with him tossing a bucket ineffectually at Big E., and him drumming on the apron in anticipation for the superkick.


I haven't paid much attention to Main Event, but with matches like this it could quickly fill the void left by Superstars' descent into mediocrity. No angle or nonsense to ruin things, just two talented workers having an awesome match together and having a blast doing it.

So with Ditch's big Best Of Japan 2000s vote in the final stage, I will also be re-watching and reviewing some of the biggest and best matches from the decade in Japan here as well. We start with a match I had as my MOTY for 2000, a probably lock for a Top 10 finish. These may be longer and more in-depth than my usual reviews, largely because context is often important in understanding why some of these matches are so great, but also because, hey, I like talking about stuff I enjoy.

Mitsuharu Misawa vs Jun Akiyama, All Japan 2/27/00

Context is important. At this point in time, Akiyama was coming into his own and establishing himself as a serious main event threat, no longer just a secondary wrestler. Misawa meanwhile had dropped the title to both Kawada and Kobashi over the couple years beforehand, he was no longer seen as unbeatable. Going from stablemates, to tag team partners, to rivals, the young lion had grown up and was ready to overcome the old lion.

The opening exchange with both men dodging each other's attacks before Misawa gets the advantage with a big dive on the overly-zealous Akiyama is so great and totally King's Road. Playing off both men's familiarity with each other and their respective personalities - Misawa, keeping a cool head as ever; Akiyama, fired up and letting his emotions get the best of him. Misawa controls the early portion of the match but it isn't long until Akiyama finds an opening to give him a signficant advantage. One drop toe-hold throat-first into the guard rail and the complexion of the match totally changes. Akiyama targets the now-hurt neck of Misawa and absolutely goes to town on it. Unlike a bunch of legwork, this is a strategy that could (and would) pay dividends due to Akiyama's Exploder finisher. Akiyama exploits the weakness and really lays on the attack, with offence ranging from piledrivers to the floor, funky neck cranks and an ungodly Exploder onto the apron.

Misawa valiently tries to mount comebacks but, every time, Akiyama cuts him off with more attacks to the neck. This strategy allows Akiyama to believably control most of the match and gain enough momentum where the idea of him winning doesn't seem absurd like it may have done in years gone by. When Misawa does attempt comebacks, his offence is explosive and he continues to sell the damage to the neck. There is one great instance where he briefly gets a reprise, and goes straight for the Facelock of Doom in attempt to neutralize Akiyama. Moments later, Akiyama dropkicks him off the top rope to floor and goes back to the neck crushing.

Akiyama's strategy builds to truly epic final minutes as he throws bomb after bomb at Misawa, all doing more damage to the bad neck. At this point, there is an undeniable sense that Akiyama is drawing closer to the win. In true Misawa fashion, the green one manages to catch his second wind and the tide turns. Misawa matches are often structured this way, with him getting demolished for most of the match then catching a second wind, and gaining enough momentum to become near-unstoppable. And, just as it seems this is the case here, with Misawa inching closer and closer to victory himself, it's Akiyama who gets a second wind of his own and shuts Misawa down in an instant. The final minute of the match may be the most defining of Akiyama's career - he gets to his feet, still with plenty left in the tank despite having weathered Misawa's comeback, and proceeds to once again drop Misawa with bomb after bomb until the Wrist-Clutch Exploder seals the deal in decisive fashion.

A truly phenomenal match, and for my money, Akiyama's defining moment as a singles wrestler. This is almost certainly the best "student overcomes his teacher" match ever. Misawa was also incredible in his performance, selling huge for Akiyama and absolutely dying for the big spots. Combine this with a crowd that was electric for all the key moments, and the historical significance of the outcome, I can't see this falling outside of the Top 5 for me. I still have a couple matches from the year that could change this opinion, but after re-watching, this still stands firmly as my MOTY for 2000 and the best singles match of Akiyama's career.

Royal Rumble 2013

Alberto Del Rio vs The Big Show (Last Man Standing)

Another really, really good match between these two. At this point I think the Last Man Standing is probably the WWE's best gimmick match - most of them are really good to great, and I can only think of one off my head that was outright bad (HHH vs Michaels). This had more of Show continuing one of the best runs of his career, just playing the monster like a boss. Some crazy feats of strength (deadlifting Del Rio up to the platform) as well as some athletically impressive stuff for a 400lb 40 year old. How many guys that age and shape can take a rana that cleanly? Del Rio's offence was much sharper than usual, though I could still live without seeing a hundred superkicks a match. Of course, this wouldn't be a hardcore Del Rio match without atleast one totally nutty, wreckless bump, and boy did that Chokeslam off the stage through the table look nasty. I loved JBL selling the nearfall like fuck as well. "WE GOT US A FIGHT". Ricardo was brilliant as usual in his role, and I liked how the armwork paid off with a twist on the Cena vs Batista finish.

Team Hell No vs Rhodes Scholars

This was totally average, plain Jane, run of the mill, whatever. No different to a match these guys would have had on TV with no build. Bryan got to work FIP, but the heel's heat section was pretty dry. There was the awkwardly botch neckbreaker between Sandow and Kane. Not bad, but passable to say the least.

Royal Rumble

I'm hesitant to call this the best Rumble in recent years, as it's a pretty empty compliment, but this was strong at points. Ziggler was always going to be the marathon man, but Jericho as number two was a well done surprise that brought the sort of in-match fued that makes Rumbles worthwhile. There was some fun schtick early on, with the likes of Santino and the much improved Titus O'Neil, and a good mix of heavy hitters and mid-carders through the middle stage of the match. Lost my shit for Goldust as a surprise entrant, and again, him and Cody going at it added that extra flavour that makes Rumbles fun. Kofi's annual gymnastic spot was again probably the most entertaining thing he'll do this year, even if the timing of it totally killed Bo's entrance. Speaking of Bo, the stuff with Barrett was interesting, but he totally failed to leave any sort of impression. He did nothing memorable offencively, this was not a Maven moment.

I was hoping for Lesnar or Taker as a surprise entrant, but even without that the match felt like it lost some momentum towards the end. Cara and Khali as late entrants were poor choices. Also on the downside, no one wrestler really stood out as giving a great performance here. People played their roles, but no one really stole the show. Cena winning wasn't a bad decision, but it felt very underwhelming as he should have had more offence/struggle in before eliminating Ryback.

Bump of the match goes to Drew Mac's flipping exit to the floor.

CM Punk vs The Rock

Straight off the bat this had a 'Big Fight' feel and some of the most heat for a WWE match in a long, long time. Heyman was awesome with his little cheapshots and expressions early on, and I liked how this was much more focused that Rock vs Cena. Playing off the Sheild attack and Punk's leg injury allowed them to build the body of the match around bodypart work, even if it never lead to much other than a Sharpshooter nearfall. Punk's big dive off the top was cool, as were some of the counters they busted out. The table botch was horribly awkward, but the Rock Bottom on the floor actually looked much more painful, which saved it somewhat. All of over-booking with the lights out and Rock going through the table, and Vince re-starting it was what it was. Rock's heroic speach came off a little corny, but the crowd were red hot for it, so it was fine. My only problem with the finish was that Rock really needed some more offence or struggle in before just Spinebuster > People's Elbow for the finish. It felt too easy for him to come back from all that with so little. Overall it was a good match, just not the classic it looked on paper.

Good show all round. Predictable, safe booking, but logical at the same time. Show and Del Rio continie to rule it on the Smackdown side of things, and Rock vs Cena II should atleast be better than the first match.

John Cena vs Dolph Ziggler, RAW 1/15 (Steel Cage Match)

This wasn't awful, but it was a pretty bog standard WWE cage match, and that's not something to get excited about. It was also easily the weakest match these two have had together. Like most WWE cage matches, most of it was just a tired contest to see who could run away from their opponent the quickest. There were some small highlights, such as Dolph's outstanding counter to the STF into the Sleeper, and the spot with Cena carrying him on his back up to the second rope before falling backwards, but that was about it. Oh, and the HUGE DDT of course. As much as Ziggler looked great here (stiff offence, good timing), this was also everything everyone hates about Cena. Not just the tired-to-the-point-of-parody comeback sequences, but the absolutely atrocious finish. What a steaming pile that was. WWE seem to be going out of their way to make it clear that even though Dolph got one win over Cena and can be competitive with him, Cena can still beat him and his whole posse with one hand tied behind his back.

AJ is also just awful at this point, a complete waste who takes all of the wrestler's heat and makes herself the focus. Get the fuck out.

CM Punk vs Ryback, RAW 1/7/13 (TLC Match)

This was a fun match without ever really being anything outstanding. Ryback's unstoppable terminator gimmick is fun, and it's easy to see why he is so over when he lets the audience decide which inanimate object he suplexes his opponent onto (whilest hoisting them up in the air). I also liked him going nuts and smashing Punk with the announce table lid. Punk attacking Ryback's leg served as a smart way for him to have some sustained offence. Ryback didn't sell it much at all, but I guess it could be argued that's part of the gimmick. Punk missing the chair stomp and tweaking his knee was a great piece of selling and a smart transition. Ryback did look somewhat limited here, as apart from the table charge, he didn't even come close to taking a bump. Punk made up for that with some disgusting bumps on the ladder and the out-of-nowhere dumping from the bulldog counter. The interference finish was what it was, but I doubt anyone is complaining about it.

Also, Heyman is still as great as ever in a managerial role. His yells of excitement and despair are hysterical.

 The Big Show vs Alberto Del Rio, Smackdown 1/11/13 (Last Man Standing Match)

 This was pretty great and the best thing of 2013 so far. All of the big spots were really simple, but really clever (why wouldn't you press slam a guy through a table 2 minutes in if you could?). I wasn't sure of Del Rio as a face, but he won me over big and made the win feel really emotional. He isn't a particularly stiff worker, but his style of brawling is so scrappy and he is always willing to throw himself around and take a boatload of punishment. Big Show was great as the unstoppable monster as he always is, the guy just GETS IT. He will take 10 shots and only stagger, but can put his opponent down with one blow. That's how you present yourself as a monster. This was particularly great for the finish where Del Rio just rammed him repeatedly with the steel steps. Lots of big spots - the table press slam, the dropkick through the table, the barricade-collapsing charge, and a really clever nearfall with Del Rio breaking the count by landing on his feet as he rolled to the floor. Just like Show's title win from Sheamus, I was ready to complain that it was the wrong move, but the match won me over. Del Rio earned the title by proxy of surviving such a colossal ass-kicking, and I'm excited to see where both guys go from here.

So, over year later, I'm giving this thing a shot again. Due to the constraints of real life, I won't be writing nearly as much as I did last time around. I will probably keep this focused on WWE/US wrestling, with maybe the odd puro or lucha match here and there that I think is especially worth drawing attention to. Let's see how long this lasts.

Sami Callihan vs Brodie Lee, EVOLVE 8

Holy stiffness Batman! This was exactly the war you want these two guys to have. Right at the bell Sami rips Brodie's shirt off to lay in the chops and Brodie responds with an almighty pimp-hand. The chops both guys gave out were ungodly. They also played up the big vs small story well, with moments like Sami struggling to hit suplexes on the big man and your "cutting the big tree down" spot. Sami was intense as always, taking the straps down at one point and spitting on his hands to give a chop a little bit more muster. Brodie takes some huge bumps for a guy his size, includng missing a big boot in the corner and flying out of the ring. This was followed by Sami hitting a big dive that destroyed the railing behind them. Brodie repeatedly dumping Sami on the apron was mean. Finish was great with Sami hitting a stiff-as-a-motherfuck diving forearm and then the Stretch Muffler with kicks to the head. Just a war of a match.

Go Shiozaki vs Takeshi Morishima, NOAH 6/11

This was another depressing reminder of how uninteresting NOAH has become. Morishima was pretty solid I guess, and threw his weight around effectively. I dug his various butt attacks and him countering a suplerplex by just falling on top of Shiozaki. But still this was just a long, boring, plodding generic heavyweight match. Yawn.

Munenori Sawa vs Ikuto Hidaka, Zero-ONE 11/9

This was Sawa's retirement match, and it really was what you would expect that to be. I guess I can't hate on it too much becuase it was a nice send-off and a crowd-pleaser, but as a match it was entirely predictable. Sawa gets to run through his spots, play to crowd and generally feel good about himself. Their strikes were pretty tame, and it was just so long and aimless (like most puro juniors matches). Hidaka got a few ankle lock nearfalls in which were tediously long and had zero chance of winning the match. Plenty of annoying Sawa gymnastics, goofy faces and no-selling, and Hidaka pretty much waiting for Sawa to hit him with Shining Wizards was irritating. Atleast the KO finish looked pretty sick and the right guy won.

Mark Henry vs Daniel Bryan, WWE Smackdown 11/29 (Steel Cage)

Another great TV match between these two, and their best yet. Not only did this feel like a huge match, but both guys came out looking fucking legit. Henry was superb in this, managing to murder Bryan in brutal ways early on (slingshot into the cage?), but then selling his ass off and giving him enough offence that Bryan looked like he took him to the level. A heel working an injury angle can be hit and miss, but thanks to the booking it was used as a chink in Henry's armour for Bryan to expoit. As the match went on, Henry was reduced to just running into Bryan with clotheslines to cut him off (and they looked brutal thanks to both guys). The sequences with the Lebell lock countered then countered again into the Ankle lock was crazy and a HUGE nearfall for Bryan that looked as close to finishing Henry as anyone has come since he won the belt. Final minutes were way dramatic and the finish was epic. Henry came out looking like he had just been given hell, and Bryan looked legit for giving him such a harsh storm to weather. Also, Henry yelling "Happy New Year" at Bryan as he beat the crud out of him was hilarious.

Survivor Series

Dolph Ziggler vs John Morrison

Really good mid-card match, kind of like what they would have in a Superstars main event spot. Morrison continues to look infinitely better than he did this time last year, hitting all his flashy athletic stuff really fluidly, and Ziggler is currently on a hot streak of quality matches. Plenty of cool spots and counters, exchanges that kept you guessing, and they did a really great job of getting the most out of their moveset for hot nearfalls (the Sleeper, the Fame-asser, the running knee, etc).

Randy Orton/Sheamus/Kofi Kingston/Mason Ryan/Sin Cara vs Wade Barrett/Cody Rhodes/Jack Swagger/Dolph Ziggler/Hunico (Elimination)

WWE usually has no idea how to book these kind of big elimination tag matches, and whilest this one actually did have some solid booking going on, it was still a pretty drab affair. Cara injuring himself early obviously fucked up their plans and caused them to change it up, which didn't help. Way too much Mason Ryan, too much Kofi and too much Hunico. Not that I have much against Hunico (other than his lack of ring attire), but he's clearly the weakest worker on the heel side. Sheamus getting DQ'd was probably the cheapest way of protecting him, but atleast the finish was smartly booked with Wade and Cody both getting to look like a big deal without Orton losing face.

Mark Henry vs The Big Show

This was really dissapointing. I wouldn't go far enough to say it sucked, because they did enough right, but it was easily both men's worst match of the year. It was laid out pretty well, and the count-out nearfall playing off Summerslam was pretty smart, but the action was dull, and the crowd shitting all over it made it worse. That said, I will never hate a match that sees The Big Show doing a goddamn top rope elbow drop. Merciful Mother Of Fuck, that was one of the most insane things I have ever seen in wrestling.

Alberto Del Rio vs CM Punk

This was a good match, but I'd be lying if I said I was really into it. Despite the shitty build, I was still excited as it's two of the better workers in the company, but I thought this should have been much better. Took a long time to really get out of first gear, and the duelling arm-work (which kept the match interesting most of the way) didn't really go anywhere or get sold in a meaningful until the very end. Del Rio's best attributes as a worker (charisma, taking wicked bumps) weren't really shown, and I kinda hated the finish with Punk catching him in the Vice mere seconds after having his arm almost ripped out it's socket.

The Rock/John Cena vs Awesome Truth

First, let's talk about The Rock. He looked great, hadn't lost a beat. It'll be different working a singles match, but still. Those armdrags were SNAPPY, he took bumps, his charisma and presence is un-matched and he even busted out a freakin' Magistral Cradle. As a match this bombed, but literally had zero chance of ever being good. The "feuding partners" deal pretty much never makes a good match, especially when the WWE seemed to put so much effort into making it clear the heels had no chance of winning. Cena worked hard bumping and selling for them, but Awesome Truth just aren't a good in-ring team, which made most of the match a massive chore with everyone just waiting for The Rock. While this didn't make me any more excited about the WM28 main event, it did make me wish for Rock to return as a full or part-time roster member. Really it is a collosal waste that this might be one of the only two Rock matches we get, and only further highlights the stupidity and conservative nature of the WWE. Bah.

Low Ki vs Frankie Arion, CTWE 9/24

Pretty fun superstar vs local indy hero match. Ki is a big enough star at this point that him stepping into a small time promotion like this feels like a big moment for them, and Arion was pretty game. Arion doesn't do anything that will wow you or leave a lasting impression, but he was better than your average scrub and executed all his stuff well. Still, this was pretty much all Low Ki. He was really vicious early on when working Arion over, including some sick headbutts to the back of the neck and dumping him hard on the floor, and when it came time for Frankie's big comeback run, Ki put his offence over huge. One or two spots were slightly goofed and looked really over co-operative, but still a fun match of this kind and a great look at Ki in this role.

Suwama vs Jun Akiyama, All Japan 10/23

This was a good match, but definitely not the MOTYC it is being lauded at on some boards. The match on it's own is fine, but it's the emotion and outcome that puts it over the top and will probably lead to it being overated. 2/3 of the way in I was pretty on the fence about it and was wondering if when people call matches like this "King's Road" they actually understand what that means or wether they think it just means "suplexes off the apron", but the final third or so was pretty great and saved it. Akiyama's selling of the back, facial expressions, etc. were all pretty great, but that is what I have come to expect from a talent of his calibre. There was one uber-lame no-sell suplex exchange, which felt very forced and out-of-place. "This is a big NOAH/AJ title match, we have to do atleast one suplex fighting spirit spot" even if it was just as Suwama began regaining control of the match. Suwama in control is pretty dry and uninteresting, but atleast he tries to mix it up by busting out stuff like dives and an enziguri(!?). Anyway yeah, fine match that became great in the final section. Plenty of struggle and focus on transitions there, and I actually thought the kickout at 1>fire-up spot (which I usually cringe at) worked really well here as far as making Suwama look legit in the "ace" role and making the mountain Akiyama had to climb even bigger. Then there was THAT headbutt! Then a cradle nearfall!? Yeah. Good match though far from flawless or a MOTYC.

Drew McIntyre vs John Morrison, WWE Superstars 11/3

Pretty great little superstars main event and a nice reminder that these guys are still there and tearing it up. Morrison's flashy athletic shit was used pretty well throughout and his big spots (the flip off the stairs, the twisting hilo over the ring post) were impressive. Drew Mac is still Drew Mac and beat the tar out of him, and sold his ass off to make Morrison's offence look great. Really liked Drew suckering Morrison in to smash him into the ring frame, and the way they set-up the finish was really well done.

Mark Henry vs Daniel Bryan, WWE Smackdown 11/4

Well this was an awesome TV main event. Not necassarily something that will stand out at the end of the year, but a perfectly booked match between two of the best talents going that did an effective job making both of them look good whilest also building to the next PPV. After weeks of being almost non-existent job fodder, Henry made Bryan look great. When he was murdering him, he was really fucking murdering him, but he also gave him just enough offence to look like he could have pulled out the upset. The crowd pretty much exploded for Bryan's big comeback attempt, and the finish and everything after was good shit too.

William Regal vs Dean Ambrose, FCW 11/6

I remember the first time I ever saw Jon Moxley, it was a short squash against some masked doofus in CZW and thought "this guy looks like an indy William Regal with the way he is beating up this dork". Fast forward a couple years and this match happened. And it was GREAT. Regal cuts a promo early in the show making this feel like it is important for him as well as Ambrose, and that is how the match played out, with Regal seemingly more motivated than usual. He was just so good in this match, coming up with really unique clever ways to torture Ambrose, like tying his arm in the turnbuckle. And Ambrose's heelish one-armed comeback was fucking great too, just as him talking shit to Regal whilest being strangled with his own arm was. Really cut a fine balance between acting like an unlikable young prick, and a tough SOB you couldn't help but respect. I could have done with one final Ambrose comeback attempt before the finish, but he survived enough that when it was all said and done, he looked like the toughest motherfucker in FCW, and Regal looked like a killer. Great match.

William Regal vs Daniel Bryan, WWE Superstars 11/10

Two awesome Regal matches in the space of a week, yes that is what we need. With this being in the UK, Regal was really over, and Bryan worked almost in a heelish manner (refusing to break clean, taking cheapshots, etc). I wasn't expecting it and it made the match even more interesting. There was some slick chain wrestling to start with Regal looking absurdly quick and nimble for a 43 year old, and when they started laying it in the blows were stiff as fuck. At one point it looked like Bryan almost kicked Regal's head into the third row. As well as the student vs teacher story going on, Bryan targetted Regal's leg in a number of nifty ways. It didn't really lead to anything, especially when Bryan's finisher is an arm submission, but whatever, this was good. Also: Real Man's Man!

Mark Henry vs Daniel Bryan, WWE Smackdown 11/11

Much shorter than their first match, and not a main event so it felt less important. Still, it accomplished the same stuff the first match did (making both guys look strong), and what they did get time to do was good. Bryan managing to get the Lebell Lock in on Henry felt like a big moment, and Henry countering by straight-up deadlifting him into a slam was nuts.

Akira Tozawa vs Dingo, ACW "Guilty By Association"

Kinda borderline-ish, but I liked it enough. Both guys hit all their offence really well and lay in a really stiff beating on each other. Tozawa looked like he was pretty much making full contact with those bicycle kicks to the face. Dingo posts his hand and Tozawa works his arm a bit, including smashing it with chairs. Dingo makes a comeback after cutting off a dive attempt with a sick chairshot to the face, and goes to work on Tozawa. I was a fan of him in IWA:MS, so I am glad he Terry Funk'd his retirement. At one point he started kneeing Tozawa in the temple in an almost Regal-ish manner. Finishing run was good, I really liked Dingo's counter into a choke, and the crowd was pretty much going nuts throughout.

MASADA vs Jimmy Jacobs, ACW "Guilty By Association" (Hardcore)

This was solid, but a little underwhelming and couldn't top the match before it. A few minutes into the match both guys go the floor and fill the ring with chairs. The whole "ring of chairs" deal has created some great matches and moments before, but here I think it kind of restricted them later on. The brawling was all pretty good, and Jacobs spiking MASADA in the head was really horrifying, but without feeling like a gross-out exhibition. Jacobs took a number of wicked bumps, including an electric chair drop across chairs which he sold like it broke his tailbone. Jacobs also did a good job holding together the end run with a couple swank guilletine choke counters. The finish saw MASADA counter the Contra Code into a tombstone. Also as an aside that has no bearing on the match - the ACW commentators are god-awful.

Big Van Walter vs Finlay, wXw "Surprise"

Not an epic, but another good match from the Finlay Indy Run. They played up the big vs small story well, with Finlay having to work to knock Walter off his feet, where Walter just floored him constantly with ease. Both guys hit hard with Walter wailing on Finlay for most of the match. Finlay sells the back work like you would expect Finay to, I especially liked him not being able to hit the Celtic Cross because of it. The finish was not one I was expecting, with both guys brawling on the floor and Walter getting DQ'd for killing Finlay with a chair, but it came off feeling pretty organic and violent. This is just screaming for a re-match.

Jigsaw vs Obariyon, Chikara "Small But Mighty"

Pretty fun opening match. Very compact with a hot crowd, and worked at a good pace with a fair number of cool spots. Obariyon managed to counter a brainbuster into a lungblower and not have it looked totally contrived, and also hit an impressive deadlift slam on Jig (not that Jig is big, but Obariyon is also small-ish). Watching this I got the impression the Obariyon and Kodama may be two of the best scrubs Chikara have brought up in a while. They don't do stupid comedy or lame puro-nerd fanboy spots and actually execute their stuff pretty cripsly as well as having gimmicks that aren't goofy. Hopefully they continue to improve.

Eddie Kingston vs Kobald, Chikara "Small But Mighty"

Short match that was essentially a glorified handicap match with one of the other Batiri dudes helping beat down Kingston 2-on-1 for most of the match. Not particularly gripping, but Kingston can make that atleast half-way entertaining just through his charisma and stiffness when wailing on the masked goons. Both backfists looked nasty, but I hope Kingston starts branching out of Chikara again soon.

Kana/Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Carlos Amano/Yuki Ishikawa, Kana Pro 1/10

This match was ran in 2005 with Yoshida in Kana's place and was very fun. This was good without being overly similar. There wasn't as much comedy, or any blood, but the matwork was pretty tight and the finishing run between Ish and Kana was pretty epic. Fujiwara shows his age, but still beams with charisma, and there was a great camera shot for him doing his headbutt-the-ringpost spot, which made a really sick sound. The joshi girls matches up fairly well, but the big finale between Ish and Kana made it. Kana was laying into him with some stiff blows and Ish sold his ass off to make you believe he might actually lose to a girl, before making a pretty epic comeback.


Virus vs Stuka Jr., CMLL 8/30
Dragon Lee Jr./Stuka Jr. vs Euforia/Misterioso Jr., CMLL 9/30

Not an awful lot that can be said about either of these, but they were both very good matches. Virus vs Stuka is another big Virus title match that delivered. Plenty of slick stuff on the mat, and the end run was plenty of fun despite not being overly spectacular. Virus's ringpost armdrag is still one of the most impressive spots in wrestling. The tag is a balls out spotfest with all four guys working hard for the Anniversary show. Dragon Lee Jr. in particular stands out and hits some crazy stuff whilest making it look easy. The highlights were the technicos diving off of the main stage and Dragon Lee's leapfrog rana on the ramp.


RockNES Monsters vs Super Smash Bros, PWG "The Perils Of Rock 'N' Roll Decadence"
TJ Perkins vs Eddie Edwards, PWG "The Perils Of Rock 'N' Roll Decadence"

The two matches I watched from the weakest PWG show of the year (by far), both fairly underwhelming due to the inherent flaws of PWG. The tag has some fun stuff, but is not fast-paced enough/spectacular enough to be high-end spotfest, and was bogged down with a LOT of weak video game nerd comedy, as well as going too long. TJ vs Edwards suffers from an obnoxious crowd trying to get themselves over. The match itself was pretty middlin', but stuff like Eddie punching TJ in the chest just because the fans chanted for it was weak. The final minutes with them trading submissions was pretty good but that was it.

Mark Henry vs The Big Show, WWE Vengeance

Awesome clash of titans big man match that I have to say I loved more than most people probably did. Henry has been on a roll this year, and this match showed him working many facets. From stooging on the outside, to methodically picking apart Show's leg, to the big end run, he covered all bases. Show sold the leg work excellently and Henry's offence always looks devestating. When it came time to throw bombs, they threw monster-sized bombs that got the previously dead crowd on their feet. And then there was that finish, I totally lost my shit for that.

Alberto Del Rio vs John Cena, WWE Vengeance (Last Man Standing)

Not going to comment on the rest of the show, because I thought it was all fairly boring, but this was solid if unspectacular. Working a match in a collapsed ring is a pretty novel gimmick, but I think they could have done more with it. Del Rio took a fucking lunatic bump getting thrown out the ring into the barricade, but everything else in the first half of the match bored me. There's just something about these matches that just feels so... sterile. The lack of any blood or any real violence, the forced booking, Cena's sometimes corny facial expressions, the reliance on props to make it exciting... it just feels very heartless and forced to me. The stuff with the props and brawling up the stage was fun, and I liked that ADR beat on Cena after the interference to make him seem more legit, but I still wasn't into the match all that.

PWG Battle Of Los Angeles

Chris Hero vs Willie Mack

The kind of star vs lower down guy formula match that Hero has pretty much perfected over the last couple of years. In the same vein as his matches with Bonham, Gatson and Tozawa, and Willie brings tonnes to the table. Both guys beat the shit out of each other, including one lariat near the end in particular which looked like it could have killed a man. So very stiff, and it was paced and built really well. Willie's comeback was a little too easy for my liking, as he essentially no sold a match-ending move, but still great shit.

Kevin Steen vs Dave Finlay

This was not an epic bout, as it was a first round match and felt like one, but it was still really fucking good. Both guys brought it hard, and I loved all of the brawling and ripping at each other's faces. Finlay cheapshotting Steen instead of getting drawn into exchanges was classic. The legwork was sold great and well done from both ends too.

Claudio Castagnoli vs El Generico

Off the of my head I think this is almost certainly their best match together. Claudio has great chemistry with Generico like he does with Quack in that he's great at catching and bumping around for all his spots. They botched a rana spot but Claudio channeled Finlay himself and used it as an excuse to start beating the shit out Generico with a barrage of suplexes, and from that point on the match was fucking crazy and unpredictable. Some absolutely insane counters down the stretch that had me losing my mind, and the finish was very well done. Probably my favourite match from the show.

El Generico vs Willie Mack

Mostly just a fun comedy match. They had a dance-off, and I admit it got a laugh out of me. They did some Human Tornado tributes, with both guys going for the corner low-blow spot. This was supposed to be the "light" match for Generico as he had to work 3 times in the same night, but both guys still worked pretty hard near the end and it was still pretty damn stiff.

Kevin Steen vs Eddie Edwards

This was just "there". Not offencive but not particularly good. They started with a rote shoulderblock exchange, did a lot of comedy around poking each other in the eye and some other stuff. Eddie throws some mean kicks, and Steen biting him and mocking the American Wolves (to which the crowd chanted "Bite the wolf", ugh) was fairly entertaining, but then they lost me at the end when they traded superkicks like chops.

The Young Bucks vs The Kings Of Wrestling

I am glad both Hero and Claudio wrestled their BOLA matches, because if this was their swan song I would have been dissapointed. This was a long match that was like 90% comedy and the Kings making the Bucks their bitches. It's fun in premise but when it goes 25 minutes it can get boring. There was more incest gags at the Bucks which I didn't care for, but Claudio showing his power and stretching them out was fun stuff. I laughed at one of the Bucks begging "Please Claudio, don't!" before getting smacked. The Bucks were boring as always whenever they were on offence, and Hero was a non-entity despite being good off the hot tag, but really it was the length that killed it.

Kevin Steen vs El Generico

Like the FB match, I didn't come away blown away by this, but it was still a pretty fun hate-filled sprint. Much tighter than the FB match. Steen constantly playing to the crowd is easily his worst trait but I dug him taunting a kid in a Generico mask, and the big spots (dives from both guys, a tornado DDT up the wall) impressed. Some cool counters, and plenty of hate. It walked the fine line on overkill, but I think given the stakes and history it was on the right side. The finish was sick and I also thought the stuff that happened after the match with Generico bringing the kid in the ring and Steen smashing the trophy was pretty cool.

The Great Sasuke/Super Delfin/Gram Hamada/Jinsei Shinzaki/Tsubo Genjin vs Kaientai DX, K-Dojo 6/18

This was part of the Dick Togo retirement tour, and if nothing else it was cool seeing these guys go at it one last time. Obviously this couldn't touch the stuff they were doing in 1996, but it was never going to, so it was worked mostly as an exhibition with everyone getting to hit some of their trademarks and get their pops. Hanzo Nakajima (some dude in a Ninja gaiden-ish costume) replaced an injured Hayashi and was perfectly fine. Hamada hit a top rope rana, which was shocking for his age, but ultimately this was nothing more than a solid nostalgia match.

Go Shiozaki/Takashi Sugiura/Shuhei Taniguchi vs Yoshihiro Takayama/KENTA/Yoshinobu Kanemaru, NOAH 9/11

This was still a pretty awesome war. First brawl of this nature NOAH has done in several years and they should really do it more often. Everyone was really bringing it, even Kanemaru. Takayama brawls like a motherfucker with Go (hurling chairs at him, smashing him with the belt, etc), KENTA and Sugiura beat the living fuck out of each other and even the Taniguchi/Kanemaru end run was good. They could have sold the ass-kicking more, and it went a bit too long, but there was so much hate and so much payback I was willing to forgive. Takayama doing a full on "Come at me bro" pose while no selling an exhausted Go's chops was hilarious and their post-match brawling was great at hyping their title match.

Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose, FCW 9/18 (30 Minute Ironman)

I saw this getting a lot of praise and was sceptical because, shit, when was the last time Tyler Black was watchable? But it was actually a good match. Not great, but very good and I imagine one of the best things to happen in a FCW ring. The former ROH champ is still on the bland side, but his execution was much tighter and his chops and kicks all looked pretty stiff. The artist formerly known as Jon Moxley was pretty fantastic in this, he just beams with charisma and everything he does looks so natural. I loved his cocky dancing and taunting, and there was an amusing spot early where he was sea-sawing in the ropes as Rollins laid into him with kicks. They did the Rude/Steamboat story with Ambrose getting DQ'd with a lowblow then using the advantage to score 2 easy falls and keep Rollins in trouble. Rollins came back too early into the match for my liking, which took away a lot of the drama, but he actually sold a missed Pheonix Splash as a game-changing miss. The final minutes were suitably dramatic, and the overtime section started great with a big Ambrose flurry before a terribly Tyler Black-ish finish of bucklebombs and superkicks.

Dick Togo vs James Mason, ASW 8/2

Taken from Togo's retirement world retirement tour, this is from a Liverpool indy show. Pretty cool to see Togo adapt to this kind of match, working as a stooging, cheating heel instead of a more prototypical juniors style. Mason was very game, and is a really slick grappler, which meant some pretty cool mat exchanges between the two, and he hits his offence pretty well. He played to the crowd way too much for my liking, though. Whatever he was doing - in control, selling, mounting a comeback, he was always turning to the crowd and trying to get noise out of them; Felt like he should have focused more on his opponent.

Go Shiozaki vs Jun Akiyama, NOAH 8/6

First part of the match is pretty dry, but everything after Go getting his jaw cracked was really good stuff. Akiyama smashing and kneeing Go in his bloody mouth was not only really sick but a smart way of gaining and maintaining control through the match. Go gave his best effort since the Sasaki match, I thought he was really good and didn't do anything stupid. He has some crazy chops. Akiyama was also excellent, as he always is in the clutch, and the two of them put together a really well built, dramatic match. For a 30 minute match, I was also surpised at the lack of downtime once they got going. Best GHC title match since Morishima vs Sasaki IMO.


Black Terry/Negro Navarro vs Los Traumas, LUCHA POP 8/27

This was pretty awesome. Started off with Terry and T2 going on the mat, and it was actually pretty bleh. Too your-turn-my-turn and too nice, but it did serve it's purpose in helping to build to the big Navarro/T1 stand-off, with T1 instantly slapping his Dad down. Navarro sold that slap like a gunshot and Terry's "what the hell? I thought we were being sportsmen?" reaction was great. And then Navarro getting up and tying to rip his son's arm off as a receipt was SUPER-great. The mat wrestlig wasn't super tricky or flashy, but instead was intense and felt like guys trying to tear each other's limbs. T1 must have never got the presents he wanted for Christmas.

Randy Orton vs Mark Henry, WWE Night Of Champions

This was a good match with a really great, satisfying outcome. Henry has been the hottest act in the company since they nerfed Punk, and has been awesome all year, so to see him finally win the big one felt well deserved. The match itself was exactly what it should have been, with Henry being a total monster and Orton putting up a fight, but ultimately putting Henry over bigtime. Henry's offence all looked brutal (especially the bear paw swipe that knocked Orton to the outside) and Orton made him look like a killer. The commentators actually did a fine job and made the apron DDT feel like a huge moment, and the finish was great with how un-formulaic for a WWE match it was. Let the Mark Henry era begin.

CM Punk vs HHH, WWE Night Of Champions (No DQ)

Hunter is really reaching at this point, I don't think it's possible for him to work a match anymore without a bunch of smoke and mirrors. All of the brawling was actually pretty cool, and Punk's Savage elbow through the announce table was a "holy shit" spot. Once the over-booked interferences started this quickly became a pile of crp, though. Not only did they seemingly go on for what felt like forever, but they made no sense as the guys interfering were attacking both dudes. Punk may have survived one Pedigree, but this was still a massive step back for him.

Masato Tanaka vs Necro Butcher, Zero-ONE 9/17

Thought this was pretty underwhelming seeing as this is a good pairing on paper. The bumps were nasty but not anything memorable and I thought it was blatantly exhibition-y and went from spot to spot, instead of being a brawl. It may have been the bad camera angle but it also looked like Necro was pulling his punches quite a bit on the sitdown duel. Necro punching out the chair was great, but that was all I'll remember about this.

Munenori Sawa vs Hayato Fujita, Zero-ONE 9/17

Rock solid juniors kickfest. This kind of kneepad juniors kickfest is kind of generic and not really that compelling, but it's still better than a mastabatory spotest. Both dudes hit very hard and there was some good exchanges, but it never really reached that "wow" level. This was all about Sawa, giving him a last hurrah before his retirement at the end of the year, and Hayato sold his ass off for him. Sawa can be pretty goofy, and he toned it down a lot here, but still had a stupid grin on his face when getting his ass kicked, which was a little annoying.

PWG EIGHT

Kevin Steen vs PAC

This was a pretty love-it-or-hate-it kind of match and I was more in the latter half of that unfortnately. For me this is Kevin Steen at his worst, constantly doing lame comedy and playing to the crowd too much instead of focusing on the match. It's all so mastabatory and self-indulgent, which I wouldn't mind if he was a heel in PWG, which he isn't. It was even worse here as there moments where he would throw out stupid one-liners while trying to be serious. The big spots were all pretty big, and PAC in particular does some breath-taking shit like a twisting asai moonsault, but that wasn't enough to keep me into the match, and for an opener this was typically PWG-ish in going too long and having too many nearfalls. I did get a good kick out of Hero referencing Kelly Kelly on commentary, though.

Brian Cage-Taylor vs Brandon Gatson

This was an interesting match to watch. Not necassarily good, but interesting. Two (relatively) young guys going out and putting on their own match without being lead by a more experienced guy like Hero. Some of their ideas were good, some were not - a lot of stuff was just thrown at the wall. Gatson has some pretty slick highspots, and ate a pretty nasty clothesline bump on the apron. He also threw some nice kick combos and hit a pretty spectacular Sasuke Special and landed on his feet. Some parts were pretty sloppy, though, and some parts just felt like an indy moves exhibition.

El Generico/Ricochet vs Alex Shelley/Roderick Strong

For some reason I thought this was supposed to be Shelley and Aries? I figured since I'd downloaded it I'd give it a watch anyway.... so yeah, this pretty much sucked. First half of the match was horribly dull and boring, second half was just a shitty indy MOVEZ spotfest. They tried to make Generico vs Shelley a hot match-up with cheapshots, but I wasn't buying the intensity from either guy. Highlight of the match was a pretty insane out-of-nowhere dive from Ricochet.

Claudio Castagnoli vs Chris Hero

This was very, very good and easily the highlight of the show. I'm not sure wether I liked it over their first title match or not, but the did a good job of making it different enough whilest also keeping most of the things that made that match good. All of the opening matwork was really fun. They worked a bunch of different holds and kept it feeling like a chessgame, I especially loved the fight for leverage over the full nelson. In their first match Claudio targetted Hero's arm, and managed to keep control, but Hero was still managed to come back with elbows after a while, in this match Claudio targetted Hero's leg to much greater effect. They built really well from the mental chess opening stages to both guys getting testy and kicking it up through the gears. Hero moving his knee pad from his good leg onto his bum wheel to give it more protection is the sort of REALLY neat touch that makes a good match great, and I liked him not being able to hit the big discus boot because of it. Claudio used the legwork to hit a fucking insane Giant Swing into a Nuetralizer, and the finish itself was also sick as hell.

ROH Death Before Dishonor IX

Tommaso Ciampa/Rhino vs Homicide/Jay Lethal

This was just there. Totally unexciting opening match. Lethal looked good whenever he was in, hitting all of his stuff pretty crisply, but that is all there is to say. Ciampa pretty much sucks, and Rhino and 'Cide did nothing.

Shelton Benjamin vs Mike Bennett

I 100% legit fell asleep during this match watching it live. Granted, it was around 1AM UK time, and I was tired, but still. Watching it the next day, I got drowsy all over again. Totally boring and uninteresting match. Bennet kinda worked Benjamin's back with lots of tedius restholds, and there was some crap with Brutal Bob interfering, and that was that.

The Young Bucks vs FutureShock vs The Bravado Bros (Elimination Match)

This was OK for your undercard spotfest. There was some good spots including a sweet dive train, FutureShock hitting a Doomsday Device/Suicide dive combo, and one of the Bravados getting suplexed off the apron to the floor, but it never really hit that level of "holy shit this is crazy". The Bravados were heeling bigtime, and while I appreciate the effort it really did nothing but slow the match down. Once they were eliminated it picked up a lot, but was still not great or anything. This should have been the opener.

El Generico vs Jimmy Jacobs

This was the first half a really good match, interupted by the big Steen angle. It started with Jacbs being tentative and Generico aggressively trying to light a fire under him, and I was enjoying it all well and good. Jacobs hit a dive, a Spear on the apron, and then a big DDT off the top. At this point Steen comes out from the crowd to call Steve Corino a pussy before getting his mic cut-off. Security comes out to escort him before Jabobs decides this is too civil and dives on Steen to start a brawl. And it was awesome. Then Generico hits a big dive, only for Steen to dodge it (leaving Generico to whipe out security) and start cleaning house in the ring. Cary Silkin stepped in the ring and they teased Steen hitting Package Piledriver on him, which would have really been taking one for the team, but it was all broken up. Cornette managed to pop Steen in the face during all of the crazy, and Steen was escorted out while Generico and Jacobs still try to get at him. I am not sure what to make of the angle, as the ROH fanbase WANTS Steen to fuck up the place, which kind of kills it, but the whole thing came of feeling chaotic and REAL, and it made me want to see Steen vs everyone involved, so it did it's job.

Charlie Haas vs Michael Elgin

I like both of these guys more than most people seem to, but even I thought this was pretty underwhelming. They tried to play this off as a power vs power match, but how strong is Haas really? Elgin might be stocky, but he's not really that big, and I am not wowed by Haas being able to suplex him. The brief moments where they fought on the floor were good, but everything in the ring was pretty dry. Haas won with a lariat, which came off really flat as A) it isn't an established finisher in 2011 ROH and B) it didn't look like a match-ending move.

Roderick Strong vs Eddie Edwards (Ring Master's Challenge)

I debated wether to bother watching this or not, as I knew there would be no way this could be good. I started watching it for five minutes then realized it went atleast 45 minutes and said "fuck it". No thank you.

The Briscoe Brothers vs The All Night Express (Ladder War)

This iPPV was a one match show, and this was the one match. This wasn't the best match in the feud, and it wasn't as good as the Briscoes/Steenerco ladder match, but it was still very good. It kind of lacked the sense of wrecklessness and "shit is out-of-control" from their earlier matches, instead it was much more deliberate in it's violence. All four guys were killing each other with chairs, ladders and bits of broken tables. Titus and Jay were both completely drenched in their own blood, which was sick, and big bumps were taken by all. Mark did the Terry Funk helicopter spot, and then a pretty crazy splash off the big ladder through a table. King not bleeding kinda sucked, and I would have prefered a couple more big holy shit spots before the finish, but still a good blow-off to one of the best feuds of the year.

A bunch of matches where the men are men

Low Ki vs Amazing Red, ICW 4/3

This wasn't anything special, but fans of their original series together 9-10 years ago may enjoy this. All of their John Woo faux-ninja fighting sequences are still pretty cool, and both guys hit hard with their chops and kicks. It went way, way too long though, and lost steam pretty quickly after the first 15 minutes. I also thought it was way too even with Red controlling large parts of the match - part of the appeal of their original matches was Red trying not get obliterated by Ki. Ki getting back at some douchebag fan by casually tipping his drink over his crotch was pretty funny, though.

KENTA/Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs Kotaro Suzuki/Atsushi Aoki, NOAH 5/25

Aoki was fired up and KENTA hits people very hard but this was largely forgettable. The first 25 minutes were uninteresting, the big KENTA/Kotaro counter exchange looked pretty rehearsed and Kanemaru sucked as always. Standard lengthy juniors tag.

Jun Akiyama vs Katsuhiko Nakajima, NOAH 7/10

Solid match and Akiyama working juniors is always fun, but this didn't go beyond being solid. Nakajima brought it and Akiyama beat the crap out of him, but it lost it's heat and momentum pretty quickly and dragged after that. They got it back for the final minute, but meh.

Low Ki vs Necro Butcher, IWA:EC "Stiff Competition II"

Not sure where this would rank with their other two matches, but it's pretty great. All the ass-kicking you would expect. Unlike their first two matches, Necro wrestled more heel-ish here, cheapshotting Ki at the bell (after Ki brought some kid in the ring and gave him his t-shirt, which I thought was very cool), gauging his face, choking him, etc. He connects with one uppercut early that looks like it could have broke Ki's jaw. Ki sold the beating great and his double stomp on the bleachers was fucking nuts. Ki stomping on Necro's bare foot to escape a hold was pretty neat. Only thing I disliked was how in-organic the set-up to the chair stomp was, but it was still pretty brutal. The finish and the move that set it up both made me mouth the words "holy shit".

SHINGO vs Akira Tozawa, Dragon Gate 7/17

I was not in love with this, but I did like it a fair bit. This wasn't the Tozawa who we came to love in PWG, but he still knows how to kick some ass. As much as I detest SHINGO, I've never denied that he can hit hard and also deliver an ass-kicking, and that's what this match was. Both guys worked stiff, took big bumps and punched each other in the face. The dive caught into the DVD on the floor and the apron german suplex were both sick. The armwork was aimless but atleast SHINGO sold it for once and they actually had some struggle in between big moves. The crowd was pretty awful though and the finishing run was too typical of a Dragon Gate match and almost lost me. Still, the best DG singles match I have seen... maybe ever?

Takashi Sugiura vs Kensuke Sasaki, NOAH 7/23

Far, far from a flawless match but I did really dig it for one reason: They beat the living FUCK out of each other. Lord have mercy, this may have even been stiffer than Finlay vs Callihan. All of the suplexes and no-selling REALLY brought this down and they almost lost me with it at several points, but Christ alive if the pure violence and brutality wasn't compelling. Both of these guys are legit tough bastards and beat the living shit out of each other, the no-selling was unnecassary in adding faux-machismo. Still, holy fuck was this brutal and the story with both guys just trying knock the other guy the fuck out really worked. I lost it for the finish with the face-punching.

William Regal vs Darren Young, WWE NXT 9/6

A babyface Regal beats respect into a youngster! Regal is great at so many things, and beating people up has to be one of the best. It wasn't just about the stiff blows, but the coy veteran moves, like stepping on Young's hand as he begged off, and kicking him in the corner while acting innocent to the ref. Regal getting on the headset and asking Young to apologise was 100% Regal, and Young's bump over the turnbuckle before it was pretty damn bonkers. We all need more Regal on TV.

ROH Catch-up

Homicide vs Rhino, Best In The World

Fun brawl. Started off pretty hot and they kept it up all the way through. I could have done without Homicide no-selling a table bump, but Rhino looked good. He splattered himself on a missed dive and wrecklessly threw 'Cide around like a sack of potatoes. Post-match table Gore was also sick. Interested to see what they do with Rhino in ROH.

Christopher Daniels vs El Generico, Best In The World

This was not a perfect match, but overall was very good. Daniels turned heel at some point, and he actually wrestles like a heel (begging off, eye-raking, gathering heat, etc) instead of a bland indy dream match guy. Most of the match was pretty heated, and all of Generico's spots looked really good. One awesome moment where they are fighting outside the ring and some emo-looking Daniels fangirl is yelling shit at Generico, so he plants Daniels right in front of her and blasts him with a chop as an unofficial "fuck you". Daniels on offence for a long time dragged a bit, and a lot of his counters don't look organic and feel rehearsed, but the finishing run was pretty great. They did a boo/yay exchange, headbutted each other in the face, Generico teased an apron brainbuster but got launched into the railing before eating a suplex on the outside for a hot count-out nearfall. Generico's counter to the BME also looked sick. Easy MOTN.

WGTT vs The Kings Of Wrestling vs The All Night Express vs The Briscoes, Best In The World (Elimination Match)

Long ass match that was kind of just there. It is actually a little remarkable how this went for 40 minutes or so and was never really actively good nor actively bad. It just happened. The Briscoes/ANX stuff was the only real good point, as they still continue to hate on each other, though it came in the form of cheapshots and the like instead of one big moment or showdown. There was also a big dive train, which ended in Claudio teasing a Ricola Bomb on King OFF the top rope to the outside, but instead ended with a Benjamin leap-up superplex, which I found totally hilarious. The final five minutes were pretty exciting, but that is not enough, and it was obvious no one cared about seeing WGTT vs Kings one more round.

Eddie Edwards vs Davey Richards, Best In The World

I wasn't sure what to expect going in to this, as I have seen it pimped by a lot of people, but they were the same people who pimped Davey vs Tyler and that match was an abortion. Thankfully, Edwards is much better than Black and as a result this was much better. Not great, not even close to the ****3/4 match they were trying for, but I came away thinking it was OK rather than hating it. The main thing the match has going for it is just how absurdly stiff and violent it is. Half way through the match I was actually kind of digging it just because of how much they were beating the crud out of each other. Kicks, chops, shoot head-butts, all were hit with brain-cell killing force. Where the match fell down was on the more important stuff though. From both a structure and story-telling point of view this was a mess. For one thing, neither guy ever had a sustained amount of control in the match. It was too back-and-forth, Edwards gets the upper hand for a few minutes, then Davey takes over, then back again and so on. Really killed the heat for the match as they never built heat up on one of them or established a clear story. Secondly, the first half of the match had Davey specifically targetting Edwards's arm (which did include a sick counter to the backpack jawbreaker and some SICK face-stomps out of a juji attempt), then half way though he stops all together and starts working over his leg with his Kurt Angle imitation Ankle Lock routine. Again, this had a cool Indian Deathlock ankle lock variaton, but you can see where this falls down... especially when the finish was a fucking KO of all things. The crowd barely reacted for the finish for good reason, they did pretty much the exact opposite of build towards it. The "story-telling" moments of Davey talking to Eddie were hilariously forced as is Davey Richards nature, and the end run was a mess, with stupid backdrop trading, a 1-count nearfall off a lariat and some other stuff. The match was getting by fine on shear brutality up until the point where Davey was back on offence a minute after getting 2K1 Bombed on the apron, double stomped through a table then again in the ring all in sucession. That kind of says it all.

Mark Briscoe vs Kenny King, No Escape
Jay Briscoe vs Rhett Titus, No Escape

This was kind of like Bret vs Doink & Lawler from Summerslam '93 - on their own they are two good matches, as an overall package it's great. Granted, this wasn't as good as Bret vs Doink & Lawler, but you get the idea. The angle here was that during both matches their partners would be handcuffed to the ring so they wouldn't interfere. Well, there was still interference as they would get in plenty of cheapshots, but that wasn't a problem. Both matches featured plenty of stiff shots, trash talk, some big bumps and most importantly HATE. I love Mark's punch combo, and half of his match with King was spent wildly throwing each other in the barricades. Jay trying to deflect the "He's a moron" chant towards the ref was awesome. Titus throwing Jay into Mark and Titus's big dive were both cool spots and the big angle with Briscoes using bolt cutters to loophole the situation and beat the fuck out of Titus 2-on-1 style while King goes nuts watching was excellent. Jay scaring the referee out of the ring and then throwing the keys to King's cuffs into the crowd is why he's probably the best guy on the roster right now.

Chris Hero vs Colt Cabana, No Escape

Fun match, but really needed more from Colt to reach the next level. Colt was in comedy mode here and was out there to have a good time. I dug this as a way of throwing Hero off his game and psyching him out early, but the match really needed Colt to get more serious once Hero got the advantage and started beating him up. Even moreso when you consider Hero is higher up in the pecking order than Colt is. Colt does throw some pretty great punches, but his comeback attempt fell flat with the crowd hard, and the ref bump finish was the sort of thing that I grew tired of in Hero matches years back.

Yoshihito Sasaki/Shinya Ishikawa vs Ryuichi Kawakami/Kazuki Hashimoto, BJW 5/27

We miss the first half, but what we get is pretty decent. Sasaki still hates everyone and everything and that seems to carry every match he's in. Kawakami kinda sucks but can atleast dish out some sick elbows, and kills Ishikawa with a brutal german suplex. Dug the duel kicks on Sasaki and Sasaki really kills Hash for the finish. And then spits on him after, glorious.

Ryuji Ito/Abdullah Kobayashi/Shadow WX vs Yuko Miyamoto/Isami Kodaka/Kankuro Hoshino, BJW 5/27 (Deathmatch)

This was your standard garbage match, but built around resident jobber Hoshino taking an asskicking but then managing to pull out the upset win. That story aspect of the match made this watchable, as Hoshino really eats some gruesome shit and his final sectin facing off with Abby is the highlight of the match. Everything else was pretty bad though, typical shitty crowd brawling to start, Abby busting out some New Jack-esque wolverine glove, Shadow sucking, Ito sucking, etc. Finish was sick, though.

Damien Wayne vs Vordell Walker, GOUGE 6/25 (Falls Count Anywhere)

This took place in a cool outdoors setting. The stiff brawling all over the place was really good and the bumps on the wooden platform and through the table looked good even with the low-budget filming. Wayne's rope-hung legdrop and elbow drop across the chair were both nasty, creative spots and his bump through the ropes from the belly-to-belly was a little crazy. The blood added a lot, and the nearfalls section was really good despite the tiny crowd. Finish was a great way of having the heel win clean without the babyface look bad, and I marked for a piledriver actually being a finish in 2011.

Black Terry/Argos/Multifacetico vs. Dr. Cerebro/Mortiz/Semental, IWRG 8/7

Obviously this is all about Terry vs Cerebro and all of their brawling is pretty damn great. Loved the whipping with the belt. The other four guys did well in secondary roles, I really dug the 3-on-1 beating on Terry in the first fall. Argos's rana off the apron and Multifacetico's dive into the stands were both cool highspots, and I got a kick out of Terry talking shit in Mexican. The heel ref bullshit brought it down a little, but the final Terry vs Cerebro showdown was fairly epic.

Randy Orton vs Christian, Smackdown 8/30 (Steel Cage)

This was OK but had way too much lame WWE-style "escape the cage" focus. The first half was pretty weak and Christian on offence was kind of a bore. The ad break felt like it ate up a lot, but Orton was appropraitely intense and I marked for Christian's Frogsplash. The punt spot and Christian's fake-out before climbing the cage were both pretty clever, and the finish was appropraitely big, if a copy of the Punk/Orton blow-off. Thought the match was largely carried by the hot crowd but it was fine.

Summer Of BattlARTS

Yuki Ishikawa/Super Tiger II vs Munenori Sawa/Hideki Suzuki, 5/22

Solid match to set up the Ishikawa vs Sawa singles match, though pretty much all the quality was coming from Ish. Wether it was making Suzuki's matwork interesting or smacking the taste out of Sawa, everytime Ishikawa was in this was good. Sawa and Suzuki did an OK job baiting him and no one was afraid to get in some cheapshots. ST2 was pretty awful, doing lots of fancy gymnatics which looked out of place in a shoot-style setting. Highlight was probably Ishikawa catching Sawa's stupid wind-up punch combo into an armbar, and the finish set-up the singles match appropriately.

Manobu Suruga vs Takeshi Takeshima, 6/19

Shoot-style competitive squash, and not a very exciting one. Only went less about 6 minutes but most of it was long holds with no urgency to them. Takeshima did get cracked open, and he had a pretty great comeback/nearfall sequence, but that was it.

Daisuke Ikeda/Katsumi Usuda vs Hideki Suzuki/Tiger Shark, 6/19

Welcome the Daisuke Ikeda show..again. Similar to the 5/22 tag this was a one man show from Ikeda. Great selling of the youngster's submissions, and wasn't afraid to bite or claw his way out of a hold. What is it with the Tiger dudes doing flips and highspots in BattlARTS? I liked that the youngsters had to resort to devious tactics to gain the advantage over the vets, but it was lacking in the intensity/violence to take it to the next step.

Yuki Ishikawa vs Munenori Sawa, 6/19

Man this was good stuff here. Hot start with a handshake fake-out from Sawa, and plenty of blows being traded. The matwork had an almost viceral feel to it, with moments like Sawa pinning down Ish's hand and punching it. Ish busted out like a dosen swank counters (my favourite being the ankle lock out of the abdominal stretch) and was generally pretty outstanding. He let Sawa get plenty in on him and sold his ass off to make him look like an equal. There were moments where he looked like a tired old guy struggling to keep up with his younger rival. After struggling to make it up for the 10 count Ish said "fuck this" and resorted to dropping bombs on Sawa. Once again I loved Sawa trying to get cute with a stupid Mutoh spot and getting punished for it with an armbar, and Sawa desperately grabbing the ref during the finish was a very cool touch.