EVOLVE 1 blew me away. Not to say that every match on it was unbelievable, but the overall show was easily one of the most unique and exciting DVD products I have seen in a long time. So naturally, I was quite looking forward to watching “EVOLVE 2: Hero vs. Hidaka” (3/13/10). But does it live up to the first event? Only one way to find out!
-Good opener between Brad Allen and Chris Dickinson. Lots of superb back and forth between the two competitors. They definitely show you why they are potentially two of the biggest breakout stars on the roster.
-There isn’t a ton to Gran Akuma vs. Brodie Lee, but what they do give us is pretty entertaining. Both men look strong and mix a lot better than one might expect. Good stuff.
-Fun tag bout pitting Up In Smoke against Aeroform. Flip Kendrick and Louis Lyndon come out looking best, as they are perfectly on their game and put on an impressive showing. As big a fan I am of Cheech and Cloudy, I really didn’t find this to be their finest performance. Cheech in particular felt a bit sluggish, a bit like he was going through the motions. A little disappointing considering his strong showing on the first EVOLVE show back in January. Still though, the bout is action packed enough to keep it as a positive for the event.
-Kenn Doane is a great heel. And he knows how to play up a crowd like whoa. Doane vs. Caleb Konley is most noteworthy for the former Spirit Squad member’s overall act, which includes lots of headlocks, and generally lots of interacting with the audience. Konley is surprisingly decent in the ring, and with a different look, name, and character he could be something to watch. As it stands, he is generic indie pro wrestler #17.
-Hallowicked and Kyle O’Reilly have a good bout! As a fan of both men, I was ready for them to steal the show. They don’t. And that’s okay. The fifth match on an eleven match show probably shouldn’t be the contest of the night. This is a solid mid-card affair, and that’s perfectly fine. It is one of the many elements that make this overall a terrific event and a DVD that has incredible replay value. Like a good album, the whole is made by its parts, and this is an effective part.
-Fantastic match between Ricochet and Chuck Taylor! The action is glorious, the story is well developed and makes sense, and when things kick into second gear, we are given quite a few awesome sequences that bring this whole thing to another level. Sensational stuff!
-Feels like it has been a long time since I’ve seen a strong Claudio Castagnoli singles match. But here he is, looking amazing against Bobby Fish. This reminds me in a lot of ways of Claudio’s best singles work, from his match against El Generico to his match against Matt “Evan Bourne” Sydal, both in ROH from 2007 and both unforgettable. Fish is a strong talent and more than holds his own here against one of the best in the business, which is impressive to see. Superb contest, really first-rate.
-Well, at least Mercedes Martinez vs. Sumie Sakai is a better women’s match than the one on EVOLVE 1. That isn’t saying a whole lot. The problem is I’ve been watching these two wrestlers for years and neither is as good as they once were. Martinez in 2006 was blow-away. In 2010, she’s just not my cup of tea. Sakai in 2002 was a revelation of sorts. In 2010, well, let’s just say I wasn’t even sure it was the same woman at first. The bout has its moments, but overall I’m left thinking more about how these two were among the best at one point, and how they simply aren’t today.
-Jimmy Jacobs vs. Johnny Gargano is terrific! These two have an outstanding chemistry together and it makes for a great contest. Lots of top-notch action and an enjoyable narrative. Jacobs has been working so hard in EVOLVE and it has been a pleasure to watch. He reminds us why he has earned a place among the elite of the independent scene. And Gargano shows us why he is working to get there as well.
-Riveting four-team action with the stars of CHIKARA showing off their great multi-man match skills. It feels like I keep saying the same thing over and over, but it needs to be said – Mike Quackenbush and company have made eight-man matches an art all their own. Anytime they get to exercise their talents on a show, it is a treat. Quack and Jigsaw, The Colony, The Osirian Portal, and Hallowicked and Frightmare all look fantastic here and break out some exciting maneuvres. Thumbs up!
-For all intents and purposes, Chris Hero vs. Ikuto Hidaka is one of the best pure wrestling contests I have ever seen. Brilliant may not be a grand enough word to do justice to this clash. Hero and Hidaka are faultless, the story is spot-on, and the action is unbelievable. Consider the fact that there are really no “big” moments to the bout, but rather an on-going flow of mat-based offense and back and forth intensity that keep this compelling and entertaining, and you will understand why this is quite the accomplishment. Not many bouts manage to be both entirely scientific and entirely fascinating. I sat in awe while watching the entire affair unfold. This is a classic; a bout that will be looked back on time and time again as EVOLVE continues to grow. And it is without question a Match of the Year candidate. As of right now, it may be the match to beat. From a technical perspective, I have not seen a contest like this in a long, long time. Certainly not here in America.
For me, this makes two EVOLVE shows in a row with two blockbuster main event matches that I will gladly testify as must-see to any and every fan of the sport. It is also a second show that has excellent replay value. I have watched EVOLVE 2 twice now, and can’t wait to watch it again. We may only be two events in, but already EVOLVE is one of my favorite companies to follow.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
2010 – CHIKARA: A World of Comforting Illusion
It’s time to take a DVD expedition to Pottsville, PA to watch the next CHIKARA show in my collection, “A World of Comforting Illusion” (2/28/10). And hey, Renee thinks she’s been to the building they are in to see high school bands play! We may never know if it is true, but the chances of anybody in Pennsylvania having someplace better to be on a Saturday night are pretty low. ZING!
-The UnStable of Vin Gerard and STIGMA look really good in the opener against The Throwbacks. Lots of basic stuff here, but it all works and is all very entertaining. Sugar Dunkerton and Dasher Hatfield are perfect as the good guys you just want to root for. They’re as Americana as Richie Cunningham. And the evil constituents of the UnStable are the perfect foils for our heroes from Anytown, USA. Fun stuff!
-Green Ant is awesome, I’m just saying! His battle against Brodie Lee is quite enjoyable, with the young Ant more than holding his own against the Big Rig! Really liked these two together in the ring, but there’s not much else to say past that.
-Daizee Haze and Sara Del Rey of BDK once again clash with one of CHIKARA’s top teams, this time Hallowicked and Frightmare. The bout has some good things about it, but it also has some downfalls. The story is enjoyable, but a lot of the action comes off as spotty and lacks the fineness these talents are capable of. It is exciting to see Del Ray and Hallowicked clashing, and a lot of the match can be sold on that alone. If only the ring-work was smoother. Oh well.
-For some reason, I just couldn’t get into the four-way of The Osirian Portal vs. The Badd Boyz vs. The Super Smash Brothers vs. Claudio Castagnoli and Ares of BDK. On paper this sounds remarkable, and indeed my excitement was mostly raised watching the entrances, but by the time the match started it was gone. The in-ring work was okay, and the results aren’t totally predictable, but ultimately nothing about it engrossed me.
-Hate to say the same thing for Gran Akuma vs. Eddie Kingston, but unfortunately I have to admit a lack of engagement from their bout as well. I appreciate the story here, the attempts both men take at hitting each other with the hardest blow and swiftest kick possible to get the win. But the passion just wasn’t as strong as I was expecting. The finish comes when the bout is only just starting to move into second gear, which is a bit of a disappointment.
-Four on four time as BDK brethren Tim Donst, Lince Dorado, Pinkie “Pink Ant” Sanchez, and Tursas take on Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Equinox and Helios. It starts out a bit slow and spotty, but by the end the excitement is definitely turned all the way up. The eight-man tag is a CHIKARA staple, nay it is an art that the company has mastered, so there is really no surprise at how good this bout becomes. Not quite as enjoyable as the similar battle from “A Touch of Class,” but fun stuff never the less.
-The Colony and The Order of the Neo-Solar Temple are on fire in the main event! At least, they are for the first half. Things start out really great and the work done by all four men is fantastic. Lots of close counts and exciting moments highlight the first fall of this best two out of three match. But following this, things pretty much abruptly switch gears and the rest of the bout is sacrificed for significant story line development. It is entertaining, and important to the developing BDK vs. CHIKARA plot, so thumbs up for that; however, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to some disappointment that a match on its way to being great ended up stuck at good and sacrificed for the bigger picture.
-The UnStable of Vin Gerard and STIGMA look really good in the opener against The Throwbacks. Lots of basic stuff here, but it all works and is all very entertaining. Sugar Dunkerton and Dasher Hatfield are perfect as the good guys you just want to root for. They’re as Americana as Richie Cunningham. And the evil constituents of the UnStable are the perfect foils for our heroes from Anytown, USA. Fun stuff!
-Green Ant is awesome, I’m just saying! His battle against Brodie Lee is quite enjoyable, with the young Ant more than holding his own against the Big Rig! Really liked these two together in the ring, but there’s not much else to say past that.
-Daizee Haze and Sara Del Rey of BDK once again clash with one of CHIKARA’s top teams, this time Hallowicked and Frightmare. The bout has some good things about it, but it also has some downfalls. The story is enjoyable, but a lot of the action comes off as spotty and lacks the fineness these talents are capable of. It is exciting to see Del Ray and Hallowicked clashing, and a lot of the match can be sold on that alone. If only the ring-work was smoother. Oh well.
-For some reason, I just couldn’t get into the four-way of The Osirian Portal vs. The Badd Boyz vs. The Super Smash Brothers vs. Claudio Castagnoli and Ares of BDK. On paper this sounds remarkable, and indeed my excitement was mostly raised watching the entrances, but by the time the match started it was gone. The in-ring work was okay, and the results aren’t totally predictable, but ultimately nothing about it engrossed me.
-Hate to say the same thing for Gran Akuma vs. Eddie Kingston, but unfortunately I have to admit a lack of engagement from their bout as well. I appreciate the story here, the attempts both men take at hitting each other with the hardest blow and swiftest kick possible to get the win. But the passion just wasn’t as strong as I was expecting. The finish comes when the bout is only just starting to move into second gear, which is a bit of a disappointment.
-Four on four time as BDK brethren Tim Donst, Lince Dorado, Pinkie “Pink Ant” Sanchez, and Tursas take on Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Equinox and Helios. It starts out a bit slow and spotty, but by the end the excitement is definitely turned all the way up. The eight-man tag is a CHIKARA staple, nay it is an art that the company has mastered, so there is really no surprise at how good this bout becomes. Not quite as enjoyable as the similar battle from “A Touch of Class,” but fun stuff never the less.
-The Colony and The Order of the Neo-Solar Temple are on fire in the main event! At least, they are for the first half. Things start out really great and the work done by all four men is fantastic. Lots of close counts and exciting moments highlight the first fall of this best two out of three match. But following this, things pretty much abruptly switch gears and the rest of the bout is sacrificed for significant story line development. It is entertaining, and important to the developing BDK vs. CHIKARA plot, so thumbs up for that; however, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to some disappointment that a match on its way to being great ended up stuck at good and sacrificed for the bigger picture.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
2010 – PWG: As The Worm Turns
And we’re back in Reseda, CA for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s “As The Worm Turns” (2/27/10). Let’s get right into the action!
-Another great opener featuring some of the fresh faces of PWG! The company is smart to use these talents who are not being used in all of the other major indies as a drawing point for fans. They are unique to the product, and that makes seeing them on each show a really exciting experience. Johnny Goodtime, Jerome “LTP” Robinson, Malachi Jackson and Ryan Taylor are the four men given the spotlight here, and they do exceptional things with it. Everybody looks grand and already I am feeling high on this show. What a way to begin!
-Speaking of pushing new guys, the decision to put Brandon Gatson against Scott Lost is complete brilliance. Gatson walks away from this one looking like a huge star. His skill level is extraordinary, and generally he is a really exhilarating talent to watch. Lost is amazing too – but we knew that already – and it is Gatson’s awesomeness that is the story in this one. Another magnificent match!
-Whoa. You know, it is easy to forget how unbelievable a singles wrestler Chris Sabin is since he is part of one of the best teams in the world today with Alex Shelley. But there was a time when Sabin was an act worth investing your time in alone. Turns out, that hasn’t changed at all. In fact, Sabin has only gotten better in the ring. Sabin battles Roderick Strong in an excellent contest here; a match that I can’t say a single negative thing about. The pace is incredible, the action is furious, and overall this is a show-stealer without question. Wow.
-Really fun six-person tag with Brandon Bonham, Candice LeRae, and Joey Ryan taking on The Cutler Brothers and Christina Von Eerie. I’m a big fan of everybody here and had a good time watching this develop. Good stuff.
-Remember the time I talked about how immense Chris Sabin is as a singles wrestler and how easy that is to forget? The other half of the Motor City Machine Guns, Alex Shelley, is in a similar boat. To me he was never the best individual worker on any roster, but he was always solid. Looks like Sabin has rubbed off on his partner after all these years, as Shelley is simply on fire here against Chris Hero! Outstanding contest, right up there with Sabin vs. Strong as must-see! I have a whole new appreciation for Shelley in the ring. Hero too, honestly, as he isn’t one of my favorites all the time, but it is matches like this that make me believe the many people who argue he is one of the best on the scene today. Incredible!
-And yet another tremendous contest on this show, with The Young Bucks defending the PWG Tag Championship against 2 Skinny Black Guys of Low Moral Fiber, also known as El Generico and Chuck Taylor! I enjoy the Bucks as heels very much, and like that they have slowed down the pace of the early parts of their matches. It makes their big double team moves and spots mean a lot more later in the game. Generico is perfect as always, and Taylor now has my full support as the next major star of the independent pro wrestling scene. The back and forth between these four is exhilarating and this adds up to quite the exceptional match.
-As if this show hasn’t been amazing enough, our main event features Davey Richards taking on Kenny Omega for the PWG World Title. It should be no surprise that these two have a terrific contest, as they have been consistently two of the best on the roster for awhile now. Certainly I think back to their clash at “Ninety-Nine” in 2009, which was breathtaking by the end. This bout isn’t quite as strong as that, but it is still pretty great, and definitely worth checking out.
I don’t want to be one of those people who begs that if you can only buy one of something this year you should buy this, but if you can only buy one indie pro wrestling DVD this year, you should buy this! PWG has more than proven itself as essential viewing to every fan out there, and this particular show, with no less than three mind-blowing battles that I don’t want to stop talking about, is as vital as it gets!
-Another great opener featuring some of the fresh faces of PWG! The company is smart to use these talents who are not being used in all of the other major indies as a drawing point for fans. They are unique to the product, and that makes seeing them on each show a really exciting experience. Johnny Goodtime, Jerome “LTP” Robinson, Malachi Jackson and Ryan Taylor are the four men given the spotlight here, and they do exceptional things with it. Everybody looks grand and already I am feeling high on this show. What a way to begin!
-Speaking of pushing new guys, the decision to put Brandon Gatson against Scott Lost is complete brilliance. Gatson walks away from this one looking like a huge star. His skill level is extraordinary, and generally he is a really exhilarating talent to watch. Lost is amazing too – but we knew that already – and it is Gatson’s awesomeness that is the story in this one. Another magnificent match!
-Whoa. You know, it is easy to forget how unbelievable a singles wrestler Chris Sabin is since he is part of one of the best teams in the world today with Alex Shelley. But there was a time when Sabin was an act worth investing your time in alone. Turns out, that hasn’t changed at all. In fact, Sabin has only gotten better in the ring. Sabin battles Roderick Strong in an excellent contest here; a match that I can’t say a single negative thing about. The pace is incredible, the action is furious, and overall this is a show-stealer without question. Wow.
-Really fun six-person tag with Brandon Bonham, Candice LeRae, and Joey Ryan taking on The Cutler Brothers and Christina Von Eerie. I’m a big fan of everybody here and had a good time watching this develop. Good stuff.
-Remember the time I talked about how immense Chris Sabin is as a singles wrestler and how easy that is to forget? The other half of the Motor City Machine Guns, Alex Shelley, is in a similar boat. To me he was never the best individual worker on any roster, but he was always solid. Looks like Sabin has rubbed off on his partner after all these years, as Shelley is simply on fire here against Chris Hero! Outstanding contest, right up there with Sabin vs. Strong as must-see! I have a whole new appreciation for Shelley in the ring. Hero too, honestly, as he isn’t one of my favorites all the time, but it is matches like this that make me believe the many people who argue he is one of the best on the scene today. Incredible!
-And yet another tremendous contest on this show, with The Young Bucks defending the PWG Tag Championship against 2 Skinny Black Guys of Low Moral Fiber, also known as El Generico and Chuck Taylor! I enjoy the Bucks as heels very much, and like that they have slowed down the pace of the early parts of their matches. It makes their big double team moves and spots mean a lot more later in the game. Generico is perfect as always, and Taylor now has my full support as the next major star of the independent pro wrestling scene. The back and forth between these four is exhilarating and this adds up to quite the exceptional match.
-As if this show hasn’t been amazing enough, our main event features Davey Richards taking on Kenny Omega for the PWG World Title. It should be no surprise that these two have a terrific contest, as they have been consistently two of the best on the roster for awhile now. Certainly I think back to their clash at “Ninety-Nine” in 2009, which was breathtaking by the end. This bout isn’t quite as strong as that, but it is still pretty great, and definitely worth checking out.
I don’t want to be one of those people who begs that if you can only buy one of something this year you should buy this, but if you can only buy one indie pro wrestling DVD this year, you should buy this! PWG has more than proven itself as essential viewing to every fan out there, and this particular show, with no less than three mind-blowing battles that I don’t want to stop talking about, is as vital as it gets!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
2010 – ROH: 8th Anniversary Show
We enter the second month of the year with my first live show experience for 2010! It’s Ring of Honor’s “8th Anniversary Show” (2/13/10) from Manhattan, NY. These annual celebrations of ROH’s existence have always been a highlight, so let’s see if that trend is kept alive!
-Brian Kendrick makes his one-night-only return to ROH in the opener against Roderick Strong. Kendrick is once again becoming the wrestler I was a huge fan of before, and that is splendid to see. He more than keeps up with Strong and the two put together a great little bout. Really solid way to start the show, I only wish we had more Kendrick in our ROH future.
-The Kings of Wrestling vs. The Bravado Brothers has SQUASH written all over it. Indeed, the finish is never really in question. But the match itself is pretty fun! Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli are fantastic as a team, and they’ve added a ton to their tandem arsenal since they last paired a few years ago. Getting to see them show off these fancy new moves is enjoyable. And truthfully, the Bravado Brothers look good too! They get some decent offense in at times, and take a beating pretty well when they need to. Overall this is good stuff.
-Here is the first “uh oh” moment for me regarding this DVD. Eddie Kingston and Necro Butcher vs. Joey Ryan and Erick Stevens. At the show, I recall being basically entertained by this no disqualifications match. It isn’t a wrestling clinic or anything, but it isn’t meant to be. Upon re-watching the bout, I really have a hard time seeing anything that can be described as enjoyable. Really, this is just kind of there, with four guys doing a whole lot of nothing to take up time on the card. The big spot of the match still comes off as crazy, and for some reason Joey Ryan is particularly amusing to me, but overall this is as middle of the road as it gets.
-And now for the second, much larger “uh oh” of the night. El Generico vs. Davey Richards. I loved this match live. Absolutely adored it. And yet here on DVD, I find myself lukewarm to a lot of it. Things like Generico being psyched out by his current situation with Steen and Richards’ interactions with the crowd came across great in person, but here they are mostly lost on me. And the in-ring work takes a really long time to get going. Once the bout jumps into second gear, things pick up amazingly and the action becomes intense. By the finish, this definitely felt like a really good match, but not quite the blow-away contest I remembered. May have to watch this again at some point, but right now my thumb is up without being ecstatic over it.
-The Dark City Fight Club has the potential to be one of the best teams in the industry today. Truly I believe that; however, they won’t get to that point with matches like the one they have here against the Briscoes. This should have been a great clash of powerful teams. Instead, it is boring. There really is no other word for it. Nothing exciting happens at all, and this will go down as one of the more forgettable tag title contests in ROH history. At least the post match developments are pretty entertaining.
-Decent match between Delirious, Kenny King, Steve Corino, and Rasche Brown. Basically about as good as I was expecting from this group. Corino isn’t a favorite of mine, but I can see why people like him. He definitely tries hard to keep things going. Kenny King continues to be solid even though he seems like he should be superb; Delirious is Delirious, there’s really nothing new to report; and Rasche Brown continues to make me scratch my head by how much I like the guy. Every fiber of my being says don’t be a Brown fan, and yet once he gets going, I can’t help but be entertained. Forget it, I’m not going to fight it or be ashamed anymore, consider me on the Rasche Brown bandwagon!
-It is a bit odd looking back at the Colt Cabana vs. Kevin Steen bout from this show. The Steen vs. Generico feud has shaped into one of the best in ROH history, but the developments here were weird. Or at least they played out very oddly. Can’t really explain it, as I’m ultimately glad Corino and Cabana became involved in this multilayered story, but seeing how that happened on this show, it feels completely off the mark. So Steen’s working for Corino, or something, and Cabana needs to mind his own business, and...yeah, I don’t even know what they’re trying to do here. I’ll just be glad that things develop nicely past this show and forget this mess ever happened.
-And then there’s the main event. Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries for the ROH World Title, and there must be a winner. Overall this is a good match, though again one that I enjoyed more live than on DVD. There is some decent action between the two, but nothing as great as some of their matches from back in 2008. The story line involving the three judges at ringside – Roderick Strong, Kenny King, and Jim Cornette, there in case the match goes to a draw and a winner needs to be decided on – came off better in person than on video. Again, this may be one of those matches that need another home viewing to reconcile with my initial feelings, but for now my heart is more mild than wild for this contest.
Overall it was an okay show that benefitted greatly from the live event buzz and atmosphere that ROH does so well. A factor that, often times, does not translate well to the filmed product. Unfortunately, it seems this DVD is one of those times.
-Brian Kendrick makes his one-night-only return to ROH in the opener against Roderick Strong. Kendrick is once again becoming the wrestler I was a huge fan of before, and that is splendid to see. He more than keeps up with Strong and the two put together a great little bout. Really solid way to start the show, I only wish we had more Kendrick in our ROH future.
-The Kings of Wrestling vs. The Bravado Brothers has SQUASH written all over it. Indeed, the finish is never really in question. But the match itself is pretty fun! Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli are fantastic as a team, and they’ve added a ton to their tandem arsenal since they last paired a few years ago. Getting to see them show off these fancy new moves is enjoyable. And truthfully, the Bravado Brothers look good too! They get some decent offense in at times, and take a beating pretty well when they need to. Overall this is good stuff.
-Here is the first “uh oh” moment for me regarding this DVD. Eddie Kingston and Necro Butcher vs. Joey Ryan and Erick Stevens. At the show, I recall being basically entertained by this no disqualifications match. It isn’t a wrestling clinic or anything, but it isn’t meant to be. Upon re-watching the bout, I really have a hard time seeing anything that can be described as enjoyable. Really, this is just kind of there, with four guys doing a whole lot of nothing to take up time on the card. The big spot of the match still comes off as crazy, and for some reason Joey Ryan is particularly amusing to me, but overall this is as middle of the road as it gets.
-And now for the second, much larger “uh oh” of the night. El Generico vs. Davey Richards. I loved this match live. Absolutely adored it. And yet here on DVD, I find myself lukewarm to a lot of it. Things like Generico being psyched out by his current situation with Steen and Richards’ interactions with the crowd came across great in person, but here they are mostly lost on me. And the in-ring work takes a really long time to get going. Once the bout jumps into second gear, things pick up amazingly and the action becomes intense. By the finish, this definitely felt like a really good match, but not quite the blow-away contest I remembered. May have to watch this again at some point, but right now my thumb is up without being ecstatic over it.
-The Dark City Fight Club has the potential to be one of the best teams in the industry today. Truly I believe that; however, they won’t get to that point with matches like the one they have here against the Briscoes. This should have been a great clash of powerful teams. Instead, it is boring. There really is no other word for it. Nothing exciting happens at all, and this will go down as one of the more forgettable tag title contests in ROH history. At least the post match developments are pretty entertaining.
-Decent match between Delirious, Kenny King, Steve Corino, and Rasche Brown. Basically about as good as I was expecting from this group. Corino isn’t a favorite of mine, but I can see why people like him. He definitely tries hard to keep things going. Kenny King continues to be solid even though he seems like he should be superb; Delirious is Delirious, there’s really nothing new to report; and Rasche Brown continues to make me scratch my head by how much I like the guy. Every fiber of my being says don’t be a Brown fan, and yet once he gets going, I can’t help but be entertained. Forget it, I’m not going to fight it or be ashamed anymore, consider me on the Rasche Brown bandwagon!
-It is a bit odd looking back at the Colt Cabana vs. Kevin Steen bout from this show. The Steen vs. Generico feud has shaped into one of the best in ROH history, but the developments here were weird. Or at least they played out very oddly. Can’t really explain it, as I’m ultimately glad Corino and Cabana became involved in this multilayered story, but seeing how that happened on this show, it feels completely off the mark. So Steen’s working for Corino, or something, and Cabana needs to mind his own business, and...yeah, I don’t even know what they’re trying to do here. I’ll just be glad that things develop nicely past this show and forget this mess ever happened.
-And then there’s the main event. Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries for the ROH World Title, and there must be a winner. Overall this is a good match, though again one that I enjoyed more live than on DVD. There is some decent action between the two, but nothing as great as some of their matches from back in 2008. The story line involving the three judges at ringside – Roderick Strong, Kenny King, and Jim Cornette, there in case the match goes to a draw and a winner needs to be decided on – came off better in person than on video. Again, this may be one of those matches that need another home viewing to reconcile with my initial feelings, but for now my heart is more mild than wild for this contest.
Overall it was an okay show that benefitted greatly from the live event buzz and atmosphere that ROH does so well. A factor that, often times, does not translate well to the filmed product. Unfortunately, it seems this DVD is one of those times.
Friday, August 13, 2010
2010 – CHIKARA: A Touch Of Class
It’s time to start a whole new season of CHIKARA action with “A Touch of Class” (1/31/10) from Philadelphia, PA. We pick up where things left off last November, as the villainous Bruderschaft des Kreuzes made their existence know and their intention to take over the company clear. What will come of this war? Only one way to find out!
-The opener between BDK member Pinkie “Pink Ant” Sanchez and Green Ant is definitely a great start to the year! Pinkie is one of those guys who I’ve enjoyed with certain reservations in the past, but once he unmasked as Carpenter Ant, who I adored, Pinkie earned a whole new level of my admiration. Green Ant has also more than come into his own as an exciting member of the roster. These two bring an unexpected passion to this bout, making it quite the grand surprise! Good stuff.
-The main point behind The UnStable vs. Sugar Dunkerton, Player Uno, and Create-A-Wrestler is really to establish the return of CAW fan-favorite personality Dasher Hatfield. In that sense, it works, but do we really need a roughly ten minute match to pull that angle off? The action isn’t particularly that great, and overall this is forgettable.
-One of my favorite things about BDK is the formation of Daizee Haze and Sara Del Ray as a force in the tag division! Haze and Death Ray bring the intensity to their clash with the Osirian Portal, and it makes for a really good contest. Ophidian and Amasis are two of my favorites, so I wanted to see them win of course, but the sheer anger behind everything Haze and Del Ray unload on them is damn impressive. Thumbs up!
-Keeping my opposable appendage raised is Brodie Lee vs. Hallowicked! These two go together perfectly and I could watch them battle all day. Love that they both have the size and the speed, making for a really good contest.
-The story of the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple vs. Grizzly Redwood, Pelle Primeau, and Andy Ridge is that Temple leader UltraMantis Black has claimed he has more important matters to attend to than the BDK...like fighting a contention of ROH students. Fun stuff! Probably a lot more enjoyable than it should be. Everybody looks great here, even the Ring of Honor Crew, who if nothing else, learned how to take bumps like pros.
-Tim Donst vs. Player Dos for the Young Lions Cup is a very well put together match, but I’m really not sure if I liked it. I can tell that both guys were working hard, and Donst’s as a heel with BDK is absolutely great. He is worlds better as a bad guy. Who knew? But ultimately the bout didn’t leave me thinking wow that was good. There are solid components to it, but as a whole concept it feels a little disjointed. Plus, and I’m sad to admit this, there is shall we call it a “wardrobe malfunction” that Donst dons the entire time and it is kind of distracting. I want to be more mature and look past that, but it really kind of makes the match hit the skids. Sorry, had to be done. I’m ashamed, don’t worry.
-Eight-man tag time as The Future Is Now and Mike Quackenbush take on the BDK! Some really interesting plot twists here that are going to be essential viewing to the entire Bruderschaft storyline. The action starts out a bit slow, but things definitely pick up in classic CHIKARA eight-man tag style by the end! Really good stuff, easily the best match on this show.
-And then there’s the main event. F.I.S.T. vs. The Colony. This could be the most disappointed I’ve ever been in a CHIKARA match. Something is off with all four men, way off as a matter of fact. They all move slower than usual, and all seem to be missing a step. It bothers me because these teams have had fantastic matches, both against each other and apart, and yet here they are looking quite not good. If this was the first time I ever saw these guys wrestle, I would instantly have zero desire for seeing them again. As it stands, I’m glad I’ve seen them before and will chalk this up to four men having a bad night. It happens.
This isn’t one of my favorite CHIKARA shows overall. There’s some really good stuff, but there is also some really not good stuff. Call me spoiled, but I’ve come to expect more from CHIKARA.
-The opener between BDK member Pinkie “Pink Ant” Sanchez and Green Ant is definitely a great start to the year! Pinkie is one of those guys who I’ve enjoyed with certain reservations in the past, but once he unmasked as Carpenter Ant, who I adored, Pinkie earned a whole new level of my admiration. Green Ant has also more than come into his own as an exciting member of the roster. These two bring an unexpected passion to this bout, making it quite the grand surprise! Good stuff.
-The main point behind The UnStable vs. Sugar Dunkerton, Player Uno, and Create-A-Wrestler is really to establish the return of CAW fan-favorite personality Dasher Hatfield. In that sense, it works, but do we really need a roughly ten minute match to pull that angle off? The action isn’t particularly that great, and overall this is forgettable.
-One of my favorite things about BDK is the formation of Daizee Haze and Sara Del Ray as a force in the tag division! Haze and Death Ray bring the intensity to their clash with the Osirian Portal, and it makes for a really good contest. Ophidian and Amasis are two of my favorites, so I wanted to see them win of course, but the sheer anger behind everything Haze and Del Ray unload on them is damn impressive. Thumbs up!
-Keeping my opposable appendage raised is Brodie Lee vs. Hallowicked! These two go together perfectly and I could watch them battle all day. Love that they both have the size and the speed, making for a really good contest.
-The story of the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple vs. Grizzly Redwood, Pelle Primeau, and Andy Ridge is that Temple leader UltraMantis Black has claimed he has more important matters to attend to than the BDK...like fighting a contention of ROH students. Fun stuff! Probably a lot more enjoyable than it should be. Everybody looks great here, even the Ring of Honor Crew, who if nothing else, learned how to take bumps like pros.
-Tim Donst vs. Player Dos for the Young Lions Cup is a very well put together match, but I’m really not sure if I liked it. I can tell that both guys were working hard, and Donst’s as a heel with BDK is absolutely great. He is worlds better as a bad guy. Who knew? But ultimately the bout didn’t leave me thinking wow that was good. There are solid components to it, but as a whole concept it feels a little disjointed. Plus, and I’m sad to admit this, there is shall we call it a “wardrobe malfunction” that Donst dons the entire time and it is kind of distracting. I want to be more mature and look past that, but it really kind of makes the match hit the skids. Sorry, had to be done. I’m ashamed, don’t worry.
-Eight-man tag time as The Future Is Now and Mike Quackenbush take on the BDK! Some really interesting plot twists here that are going to be essential viewing to the entire Bruderschaft storyline. The action starts out a bit slow, but things definitely pick up in classic CHIKARA eight-man tag style by the end! Really good stuff, easily the best match on this show.
-And then there’s the main event. F.I.S.T. vs. The Colony. This could be the most disappointed I’ve ever been in a CHIKARA match. Something is off with all four men, way off as a matter of fact. They all move slower than usual, and all seem to be missing a step. It bothers me because these teams have had fantastic matches, both against each other and apart, and yet here they are looking quite not good. If this was the first time I ever saw these guys wrestle, I would instantly have zero desire for seeing them again. As it stands, I’m glad I’ve seen them before and will chalk this up to four men having a bad night. It happens.
This isn’t one of my favorite CHIKARA shows overall. There’s some really good stuff, but there is also some really not good stuff. Call me spoiled, but I’ve come to expect more from CHIKARA.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
2010 – PWG: Kurt RussellMania
He’s escaped from New York, tangoed with cash, and made executive decisions the likes of which Steven Segal has never before! And now, the venerable Academy Award attendee - at some point, to plug some movie, I’m sure - Kurt Russell has been immortalized by the good people at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla with “Kurt RussellMania” (1/30/10)! This is night two of the 2010 WrestleReunion convention and on paper it promises to be quite the show. Does it live up? Let’s find out!
- Love that the show starts out with an eight-person tag full of folks I’m seeing here for the first time. Getting to watch new talents excites me from the start, and the match keeps my enthusiasm alive! There are some highly thrilling spots, and overall everybody involved looks great and leaves me wanting more. Especially impressive is Johnny Goodtime, who has a fantastic look and some really inventive offense.
-Two more new-to-me talents in Brandon Bonham and Brandon Gatson in the next contest. Consider me a fan of both men following this! Bonham has a strong image and some decent in-ring talent. Gatson is more generic in look but makes up for it tenfold in ability. He pulls off a few genuinely wow worthy maneuvers, which is great. Things go a little long, but overall this is grand.
-Was not expecting the level of intensity that Human Tornado and Super Crazy brought to their clash. Holy cow, did one of these guys scratch the other’s car or something? Both men go all out here and put on a heck of a show. It may be the best Super Crazy has looked in awhile, and definitely adds to the case of Human Tornado being one of the best on the indie scene.
-Davey Richards vs. Kevin Steen is an odd encounter. The first half is all fun, with men kissing men and random drum solos, and it is entertaining. Weird and maybe even off-putting to those who like their wrestling “serious,” but it is what it is, for better or worse. The second half is far more focused on in-ring action, and there should be no surprise that when these two center their attention on having a strong sprint of action, it comes off as great. Uneven as a whole, but like modern art, if you let go and just experience it, you’ll ultimately be amused.
-Does anybody expect much out of a Great Muta match in the year 2010? The guy moves better than most people his age still actively wrestling can, but he’s still hardly a spring chicken, if I may borrow a phrase my grandparents might use. Muta teams with KAI against Scott Lost and Joey Ryan, and while it isn’t anything to write home about, it is pretty decent considering the limitations brought on by one of the competitors. Ultimately, this is really about the moment of having a legend in the ring with two of PWG’s best, and that moment is pretty awesome. No complaints from me.
-Should have been wearing my “MARK” t-shirt (available at GIMMICK$!) for the El Generico vs. Jushin “Thunder” Liger match. I am such a mark sometimes and this was one of those times. I love both of these guys, one is a favorite since childhood and the other is at the top of my current list. Not even sure I had a preference as to who would win, but I definitely reacted to every near fall and close call throughout the bout. What an exuberant viewing experience.
-Brian Kendrick and Paul London are easily one of my favorite teams of the last decade, and while they have both lost a step post-WWE, seeing them against the Young Bucks is still a bit of a dream match. The Bucks are in full heel mode and it is a real treat to watch. They just exude such smugness that you want to see them taken to school. The match is generally slower than expected, which isn’t a bad thing per se. Good stuff overall, not phenomenal or show stealing, but a first-rate, solid tag match.
-Seeing Rob Van Dam in a PWG ring is a pretty far-out thing! Seeing RVD take on two of the top indie talents today is also kind of a strange sight. But once you get past that, you focus in on a solid main event bout! Roderick Strong comes off looking the best to me. His interactions with Van Dam are excellent and reaffirm how great Strong is. Chris Hero, as the third wheel in this triple threat, doesn’t quite work as smoothly with RVD, but he doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb exactly either. Strong and Hero also clash nicely, and overall it is an enjoyable finale to the show if nothing else.
While there may not be any brilliant or classic matches on the show, there is a ton of stuff I love here. From the exciting new talents being used, to the dream matches that are tremendous on levels above simply ring work, everything here is a blast to watch. Lots of fun and that is all I can really ask for from a show.
- Love that the show starts out with an eight-person tag full of folks I’m seeing here for the first time. Getting to watch new talents excites me from the start, and the match keeps my enthusiasm alive! There are some highly thrilling spots, and overall everybody involved looks great and leaves me wanting more. Especially impressive is Johnny Goodtime, who has a fantastic look and some really inventive offense.
-Two more new-to-me talents in Brandon Bonham and Brandon Gatson in the next contest. Consider me a fan of both men following this! Bonham has a strong image and some decent in-ring talent. Gatson is more generic in look but makes up for it tenfold in ability. He pulls off a few genuinely wow worthy maneuvers, which is great. Things go a little long, but overall this is grand.
-Was not expecting the level of intensity that Human Tornado and Super Crazy brought to their clash. Holy cow, did one of these guys scratch the other’s car or something? Both men go all out here and put on a heck of a show. It may be the best Super Crazy has looked in awhile, and definitely adds to the case of Human Tornado being one of the best on the indie scene.
-Davey Richards vs. Kevin Steen is an odd encounter. The first half is all fun, with men kissing men and random drum solos, and it is entertaining. Weird and maybe even off-putting to those who like their wrestling “serious,” but it is what it is, for better or worse. The second half is far more focused on in-ring action, and there should be no surprise that when these two center their attention on having a strong sprint of action, it comes off as great. Uneven as a whole, but like modern art, if you let go and just experience it, you’ll ultimately be amused.
-Does anybody expect much out of a Great Muta match in the year 2010? The guy moves better than most people his age still actively wrestling can, but he’s still hardly a spring chicken, if I may borrow a phrase my grandparents might use. Muta teams with KAI against Scott Lost and Joey Ryan, and while it isn’t anything to write home about, it is pretty decent considering the limitations brought on by one of the competitors. Ultimately, this is really about the moment of having a legend in the ring with two of PWG’s best, and that moment is pretty awesome. No complaints from me.
-Should have been wearing my “MARK” t-shirt (available at GIMMICK$!) for the El Generico vs. Jushin “Thunder” Liger match. I am such a mark sometimes and this was one of those times. I love both of these guys, one is a favorite since childhood and the other is at the top of my current list. Not even sure I had a preference as to who would win, but I definitely reacted to every near fall and close call throughout the bout. What an exuberant viewing experience.
-Brian Kendrick and Paul London are easily one of my favorite teams of the last decade, and while they have both lost a step post-WWE, seeing them against the Young Bucks is still a bit of a dream match. The Bucks are in full heel mode and it is a real treat to watch. They just exude such smugness that you want to see them taken to school. The match is generally slower than expected, which isn’t a bad thing per se. Good stuff overall, not phenomenal or show stealing, but a first-rate, solid tag match.
-Seeing Rob Van Dam in a PWG ring is a pretty far-out thing! Seeing RVD take on two of the top indie talents today is also kind of a strange sight. But once you get past that, you focus in on a solid main event bout! Roderick Strong comes off looking the best to me. His interactions with Van Dam are excellent and reaffirm how great Strong is. Chris Hero, as the third wheel in this triple threat, doesn’t quite work as smoothly with RVD, but he doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb exactly either. Strong and Hero also clash nicely, and overall it is an enjoyable finale to the show if nothing else.
While there may not be any brilliant or classic matches on the show, there is a ton of stuff I love here. From the exciting new talents being used, to the dream matches that are tremendous on levels above simply ring work, everything here is a blast to watch. Lots of fun and that is all I can really ask for from a show.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
2010 – ROH: SoCal Showdown
We’ve evolved, we’ve opened the gate, and now we’ve head to California for Ring of Honor’s first DVD release of the year, “SoCal Showdown” (1/29/10). This is also the first of two major wrestling cards held during the 2010 WrestleReunion convention weekend. The second show, brought to us by our friends at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, will be discussed later. Right now it’s all about ROH!
-Good opener with Colt Cabana and El Generico taking on Scott Lost and Scorpio Sky. It is thrilling to see Lost and Sky getting a shot in ROH, and they intend to impress without question. This is entertaining stuff and a spot-on way to start the night.
-The Erick Stevens vs. Necro Butcher “Anything Goes” bout didn’t quite click. Neither man does anything to look especially strong or cover any new ground. Won’t call it a waste per se as I don’t know that these two could have been better used on this card, but this is forgivably forgettable fare if I’ve ever seen it.
-Really wanted to like the Roderick Strong vs. Delirious match, but from early on they lost my interest and never gained it back. Yes Strong is great, and yes Delirious is better than he is often given credit for, and yes they have had some good clashes against each other before. Heck this may even be a really well wrestled contest, but I couldn’t tell you because I just wasn’t engrossed enough to care. Sorry.
-Consider me a number of years too late for this, but I’m officially starting to explore the option of jumping on the Joey Ryan bandwagon. The work I’ve seen from Ryan in PWG has always been good, and at times even great, but it is his match here against Tyler Black that really has me taking notice. Ryan works the crowd perfectly, his in-ring style shines, and overall he builds a great story with Black. Speaking of Tyler, let’s not take anything away from the man here, he is definitely a big part of why this match is so good. It takes two to tango, and while Ryan can probably make up for a less than stellar opponent if need be, the need does not exist at all here.
-This is what bothers me about Jerry Lynn sometimes. We have Kenny King cutting a promo about wanting to cripple Lynn. Wanting to end his career and his ability to walk; this is vicious stuff. So Lynn comes out and he hits the ring like a man possessed to fight for his right for mobility. Well, actually no, he doesn’t. Instead he enters the arena and takes time to pose for the customers. Huh? Way to kill the fire that should be in this battle from the start. It takes awhile before the heat builds back and the two actually go after each other in a manner fitting of a grudge match. The post match events are pretty good as well. Overall it is a fine contest, but that little bit at the start really took it down a notch before things were even underway.
-Kevin Steen and Human Tornado have easily the most entertaining encounter of the evening. This is Steen’s first post-turn performance in an ROH ring, and he is beyond on top of his game. Everything about Steen’s work here is gold. Not to be outdone, Human Tornado gives us a fantastic showing against the evil antagonist. The energy is high and overall this is a whole lot of oomph added to the show.
-As a Jushin “Thunder” Liger fan from childhood, it is an awesome treat to see the Japanese superstar come into ROH and wrestle one of the best members of the roster. ROH World Champion Austin Aries is definitely more than qualified for the role and the two have a fun little bout. It is definitely enjoyable, if not something that you need to seek out or risk your life being incomplete without seeing.
-For some reason, on paper, the idea of the eight man tag team main event with The American Wolves and The Kings of Wrestling against The Briscoe Brothers and The Young Bucks did nothing for me. Maybe I have a prejudice against multi-man tags as headlining attractions, but never the less my anticipation for this contest was pretty low. Glad to say the match definitely exceeded every expectation and delivered a thrilling contest all the way around. What most strikes me is how this almost feels more like a four-way between four teams as opposed to an eight-man tag. The heels and the faces are separate, yes, but there is a lot of focus on individual teams and the myriad of great double team maneuvers available in their repertoires. Things build nicely and reach an exhilarating pace that is just awesome to watch. This could be argued as the best match of the show, and it definitely leaves a lasting memory.
-Good opener with Colt Cabana and El Generico taking on Scott Lost and Scorpio Sky. It is thrilling to see Lost and Sky getting a shot in ROH, and they intend to impress without question. This is entertaining stuff and a spot-on way to start the night.
-The Erick Stevens vs. Necro Butcher “Anything Goes” bout didn’t quite click. Neither man does anything to look especially strong or cover any new ground. Won’t call it a waste per se as I don’t know that these two could have been better used on this card, but this is forgivably forgettable fare if I’ve ever seen it.
-Really wanted to like the Roderick Strong vs. Delirious match, but from early on they lost my interest and never gained it back. Yes Strong is great, and yes Delirious is better than he is often given credit for, and yes they have had some good clashes against each other before. Heck this may even be a really well wrestled contest, but I couldn’t tell you because I just wasn’t engrossed enough to care. Sorry.
-Consider me a number of years too late for this, but I’m officially starting to explore the option of jumping on the Joey Ryan bandwagon. The work I’ve seen from Ryan in PWG has always been good, and at times even great, but it is his match here against Tyler Black that really has me taking notice. Ryan works the crowd perfectly, his in-ring style shines, and overall he builds a great story with Black. Speaking of Tyler, let’s not take anything away from the man here, he is definitely a big part of why this match is so good. It takes two to tango, and while Ryan can probably make up for a less than stellar opponent if need be, the need does not exist at all here.
-This is what bothers me about Jerry Lynn sometimes. We have Kenny King cutting a promo about wanting to cripple Lynn. Wanting to end his career and his ability to walk; this is vicious stuff. So Lynn comes out and he hits the ring like a man possessed to fight for his right for mobility. Well, actually no, he doesn’t. Instead he enters the arena and takes time to pose for the customers. Huh? Way to kill the fire that should be in this battle from the start. It takes awhile before the heat builds back and the two actually go after each other in a manner fitting of a grudge match. The post match events are pretty good as well. Overall it is a fine contest, but that little bit at the start really took it down a notch before things were even underway.
-Kevin Steen and Human Tornado have easily the most entertaining encounter of the evening. This is Steen’s first post-turn performance in an ROH ring, and he is beyond on top of his game. Everything about Steen’s work here is gold. Not to be outdone, Human Tornado gives us a fantastic showing against the evil antagonist. The energy is high and overall this is a whole lot of oomph added to the show.
-As a Jushin “Thunder” Liger fan from childhood, it is an awesome treat to see the Japanese superstar come into ROH and wrestle one of the best members of the roster. ROH World Champion Austin Aries is definitely more than qualified for the role and the two have a fun little bout. It is definitely enjoyable, if not something that you need to seek out or risk your life being incomplete without seeing.
-For some reason, on paper, the idea of the eight man tag team main event with The American Wolves and The Kings of Wrestling against The Briscoe Brothers and The Young Bucks did nothing for me. Maybe I have a prejudice against multi-man tags as headlining attractions, but never the less my anticipation for this contest was pretty low. Glad to say the match definitely exceeded every expectation and delivered a thrilling contest all the way around. What most strikes me is how this almost feels more like a four-way between four teams as opposed to an eight-man tag. The heels and the faces are separate, yes, but there is a lot of focus on individual teams and the myriad of great double team maneuvers available in their repertoires. Things build nicely and reach an exhilarating pace that is just awesome to watch. This could be argued as the best match of the show, and it definitely leaves a lasting memory.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
2010 – Dragon Gate USA: Fearless
Second stop on the journey through 2010 brings us to the Congress Theater in Chicago, IL for Dragon Gate USA “Fearless” (1/23/10). While I am not new to the company as a whole – I’ve attended two live events prior to this – I am sampling their home video merchandise for the first time with this show.
Admittedly, some aspects of the production aren’t favorable. Specifically, the lack of transition from the one match on the main card that is only for the DVD to the “Pay-Per-View” portion of the night bothers me. Seems like they are going for a knock the fourth wall down approach, where the viewer is “in the know” regarding the taping. Personally, I’d rather see some simple editing that leaves me none the wiser about this. No need to include me in on such things. Just give me the wrestling.
Moving past that slight complaint, let us look match by match at the event:
-Really couldn’t get into Gran Akuma vs. TJP. I like both guys a lot and definitely felt their work here was solid, but there was nothing that drew me in and made me emotionally invested in the bout. It was just there.
-Was expecting a potential speed-barrier challenging contest from CIMA and Super Crazy vs. Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw match. In actuality, things are kept pretty slow between the four. A lot of time is spent on pushing the Quack/CIMA feud and generally keeping things mat-based and simple. Not a complaint, just a note of how different this was compared to what was anticipated. Overall it is a lot of fun if not quite the show-stealer that could have been. And that’s okay.
-Wasn’t expecting much from Brian Kendrick vs. Jimmy Jacobs. Kendrick has lost a step or two since his return to the independent scene, from what I’ve seen so far anyway, while Jacobs is one of those guys I always forget how much I enjoy until I see him again. But this bout was a pleasant surprise! Both men work really hard and put over a pretty decent story. There may not be any particularly memorable spots, but overall the contest leaves a good impression.
-Wasn’t sure what to expect at all from Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Davey Richards. Having never seen Mochizuki before, it was a real flip of the coin as to whether I’d enjoy this or not. Happy to report from the ground of the airport that this match was brilliant! What a fantastic contest, with both men looking like solid gold superstars and really going all out on each other. Mochizuki may be my new favorite Dragon Gate talent based on this bout alone. Love the psychology of the two men working on different specific parts of the other man’s body and doing all they can with that to get the win. Everything about this contest is excellent. Match of the night, without question. Between this and his match against Kota Ibushi from EVOLVE 1, I’m starting to think Richards vs. any Japanese talent is the ultimate recipe for squared circle awesomeness.
-Enjoyable elimination match with The Young Bucks vs. Shingo and YAMATO vs. Masato Yoshino and Naruki Doi. There are some fun moments and generally the whole affair is entertaining. Nothing was “wow” worthy, which is a bit disappointing given the talents involved, but complaining about a lack of jaw-dropping moments makes me sound too much like a spoiled indie wrestling fan. So let’s not go down that road and simply say this was good at best.
-BxB Hulk vs. Dragon Kid for the Open The Freedom Gate championship unfortunately falls a bit flat. Much like the opener, this is a bout where there is a real disconnect between the action and the audience. I wanted to care about the outcome and the action, especially since these are two of my favorites on the Dragon Gate roster, but ultimately I just couldn’t do it. The match was just there, which isn’t what you want a main event to be.
Overall Fearless is an okay show...but not what I was expecting.
Admittedly, some aspects of the production aren’t favorable. Specifically, the lack of transition from the one match on the main card that is only for the DVD to the “Pay-Per-View” portion of the night bothers me. Seems like they are going for a knock the fourth wall down approach, where the viewer is “in the know” regarding the taping. Personally, I’d rather see some simple editing that leaves me none the wiser about this. No need to include me in on such things. Just give me the wrestling.
Moving past that slight complaint, let us look match by match at the event:
-Really couldn’t get into Gran Akuma vs. TJP. I like both guys a lot and definitely felt their work here was solid, but there was nothing that drew me in and made me emotionally invested in the bout. It was just there.
-Was expecting a potential speed-barrier challenging contest from CIMA and Super Crazy vs. Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw match. In actuality, things are kept pretty slow between the four. A lot of time is spent on pushing the Quack/CIMA feud and generally keeping things mat-based and simple. Not a complaint, just a note of how different this was compared to what was anticipated. Overall it is a lot of fun if not quite the show-stealer that could have been. And that’s okay.
-Wasn’t expecting much from Brian Kendrick vs. Jimmy Jacobs. Kendrick has lost a step or two since his return to the independent scene, from what I’ve seen so far anyway, while Jacobs is one of those guys I always forget how much I enjoy until I see him again. But this bout was a pleasant surprise! Both men work really hard and put over a pretty decent story. There may not be any particularly memorable spots, but overall the contest leaves a good impression.
-Wasn’t sure what to expect at all from Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Davey Richards. Having never seen Mochizuki before, it was a real flip of the coin as to whether I’d enjoy this or not. Happy to report from the ground of the airport that this match was brilliant! What a fantastic contest, with both men looking like solid gold superstars and really going all out on each other. Mochizuki may be my new favorite Dragon Gate talent based on this bout alone. Love the psychology of the two men working on different specific parts of the other man’s body and doing all they can with that to get the win. Everything about this contest is excellent. Match of the night, without question. Between this and his match against Kota Ibushi from EVOLVE 1, I’m starting to think Richards vs. any Japanese talent is the ultimate recipe for squared circle awesomeness.
-Enjoyable elimination match with The Young Bucks vs. Shingo and YAMATO vs. Masato Yoshino and Naruki Doi. There are some fun moments and generally the whole affair is entertaining. Nothing was “wow” worthy, which is a bit disappointing given the talents involved, but complaining about a lack of jaw-dropping moments makes me sound too much like a spoiled indie wrestling fan. So let’s not go down that road and simply say this was good at best.
-BxB Hulk vs. Dragon Kid for the Open The Freedom Gate championship unfortunately falls a bit flat. Much like the opener, this is a bout where there is a real disconnect between the action and the audience. I wanted to care about the outcome and the action, especially since these are two of my favorites on the Dragon Gate roster, but ultimately I just couldn’t do it. The match was just there, which isn’t what you want a main event to be.
Overall Fearless is an okay show...but not what I was expecting.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
2010 – EVOLVE 1: Richards vs. Ibushi
It is a brand new year and there’s no better way to start things off then with the introduction of a brand new promotion – EVOLVE! How high can this debuting company set the bar for independent pro wrestling in 2010? You have NO idea!
As of this writing, and over the course of three days, I’ve watched "EVOLVE 1: Richards vs. Ibushi" (1/16/10) twice. Full viewings both times, from the opening match to the main event. This is a fantastically put together product full of tremendous wrestling. And at slightly over two hours, the show gives you tons of action without asking for too much time from your schedule.
Let’s go match by match through the event:
-You put a DVD into your player. You hit play. You have no idea what to expect of what is about to come on your TV. In a best case scenario, you get Bobby Fish vs. Kyle O’Reilly – an amazing, hard-hitting, passionate battle from two men you’re not too familiar with but now want to be! What a way to kick the show off. With this one bout and these two men, everything you need to know about EVOLVE is established. The style, the zeal, the level of competition, it is all right there. And it is awesome! I’ve seen some work from both men before and considered myself curious to see more, but now I am a bona fide fan of Fish and O’Reilly. This is a contest I can watch over and over and react to every time. Love it.
-Nice to see Chuck Taylor and Cheech Hernandez work a more serious match than what was maybe expected of the two. It is very different for them, but both men make up for their toned down personalities by spicing up their usual move arsenals. Cheech especially pulls a few wow-worthy maneuvers out of his bag of tricks.
-Another fast-paced, assertive affair comes at us between Arik Cannon and Ricochet. Both men look absolutely awesome here and have just the right amount of time to put on a great spectacle of athleticism and tell a strong story. Good stuff.
-Perhaps EVOLVE is going for “something different” with tag team wrestling, but the lack of tags in the TAG match between the Dark City Fight Club and Aeroform bothered me a bit. Past that, the action from the four men is pretty solid, with Aeroform showing off their remarkable abilities in the air and DCFC demonstrating their best impressions of brick walls. Maybe it is because I like the Fight Club already, they remind me so of the types of teams that populated ECW many moons ago, but generally speaking I enjoyed this match.
-Don’t know that there is technically much to say about Mercedes Martinez vs. Niya. What we have here is clearly an attempt to show off Martinez as a powerhouse, and in that respect, the bout works. Wish it could have been longer and more competitive, but can’t take points away for the contest doing exactly what it aimed to do.
-Find myself on the fence (less painful than it sounds) about Silas Young vs. Brad Allen. On the one hand, both men bring the intensity and have quite the battle. At times it is downright brutal and neither guy walks away without looking battered for their efforts. On the other hand, there is a certain lack of shall we call it finesse with some of the action. It troubles me a bit, as over the years I’ve wanted more and more to be a Silas Young fan and now that he is regularly working where I can watch, he seems to have lost a step or two from what I was expecting. He isn’t bad, not by any fathomable definition of the word, but he isn’t as sharp or polished as I originally thought. Allen, on the other hand (that’s three hands for those keeping count) is a promising young talent that shows lots of potential for being a huge star. Ultimately, the story is great and overall the match is entertaining so thumbs up.
-Being perfectly blunt here – I haven’t seen Jimmy Jacobs look as happy or healthy as he does here in years. The tan does him well, the hair looks good, and overall he appears joyful to be involved in EVOLVE. That’s a great thing, as a happy Jimmy Jacobs is a Jimmy Jacobs that is completely on his game. Jacobs is great as a fan favorite against Ken Doane, who for his part does a perfect job playing the bad guy that feeds on the audiences’ disdain. There may be nothing particularly special to point out about this match, but both guys do a lot with their roles to keep it enjoyable.
-Another bout featuring two guys I haven’t seen a lot of yet, this time Johnny Gargano and Chris Dickinson. And again, they are two new-to-me wrestlers that I want to see way more of! Fantastic and inventive is the best way to describe both men. Gargano comes off as the more colorful of the two characters, but Dickinson’s ability and intensity speaks for itself. Really good stuff.
-I keep using passion and intensity to describe so many matches on this show, and by now it should be clear that what EVOLVE aims to bring to the table is exactly those two things. Muneori Sawa vs. TJP is again all about the aforementioned words. The two men strike stiffly, fight fluidly and overall put on one heck of an outing. Their willingness to go all out in an attempt to leave the crowd dazzled by their encounter is nothing short of remarkable. The ending does feel a bit sudden, and frankly it would have been nice to see this match go a bit longer. That aside, Sawa and TJP are great and watching these titans clash is a lot of fun. When people are looking back ten years from now at the classics of the company’s early days, they will no doubt look to this match.
-Every time talents from CHIKARA go out and “do their thing,” it is expectedly excellent. Same rule applies here as Mike Quackenbush, Frightmare, and Hallowicked take on Gran Akuma, Icarus, and Brodie Lee. Anybody who is already a fan of CHIKARA shouldn’t be surprised by how pleasing this bout is. Anybody who hasn’t seen their work before should be in for quite the treat.
-Advanced warning: I’m not sure any actual words will truly do justice for Kota Ibushi vs. Davey Richards in the first EVOLVE main event. I can try using clichés like brilliant, epic, and astonishing. And of course I’m going to use intense and point out the level of passion both men show. I can call it an early Match of the Year contender and heck maybe even match of the decade though that’s a really early declaration. I can talk about how this had me yelling at the TV, jumping from my couch seat, and generally scaring my guinea pig because of how involved and excited I was during every brutal moment and could be finish. I can say all of these things, but really, you should just go watch the match for yourself and be left in awe as I was.
In the end, I am left feeling extremely high on the EVOLVE product and looking forward to seeing both their next shows and what the rest of the wrestling world has in store to compete with them. 2010, off to an unbelievable start.
As of this writing, and over the course of three days, I’ve watched "EVOLVE 1: Richards vs. Ibushi" (1/16/10) twice. Full viewings both times, from the opening match to the main event. This is a fantastically put together product full of tremendous wrestling. And at slightly over two hours, the show gives you tons of action without asking for too much time from your schedule.
Let’s go match by match through the event:
-You put a DVD into your player. You hit play. You have no idea what to expect of what is about to come on your TV. In a best case scenario, you get Bobby Fish vs. Kyle O’Reilly – an amazing, hard-hitting, passionate battle from two men you’re not too familiar with but now want to be! What a way to kick the show off. With this one bout and these two men, everything you need to know about EVOLVE is established. The style, the zeal, the level of competition, it is all right there. And it is awesome! I’ve seen some work from both men before and considered myself curious to see more, but now I am a bona fide fan of Fish and O’Reilly. This is a contest I can watch over and over and react to every time. Love it.
-Nice to see Chuck Taylor and Cheech Hernandez work a more serious match than what was maybe expected of the two. It is very different for them, but both men make up for their toned down personalities by spicing up their usual move arsenals. Cheech especially pulls a few wow-worthy maneuvers out of his bag of tricks.
-Another fast-paced, assertive affair comes at us between Arik Cannon and Ricochet. Both men look absolutely awesome here and have just the right amount of time to put on a great spectacle of athleticism and tell a strong story. Good stuff.
-Perhaps EVOLVE is going for “something different” with tag team wrestling, but the lack of tags in the TAG match between the Dark City Fight Club and Aeroform bothered me a bit. Past that, the action from the four men is pretty solid, with Aeroform showing off their remarkable abilities in the air and DCFC demonstrating their best impressions of brick walls. Maybe it is because I like the Fight Club already, they remind me so of the types of teams that populated ECW many moons ago, but generally speaking I enjoyed this match.
-Don’t know that there is technically much to say about Mercedes Martinez vs. Niya. What we have here is clearly an attempt to show off Martinez as a powerhouse, and in that respect, the bout works. Wish it could have been longer and more competitive, but can’t take points away for the contest doing exactly what it aimed to do.
-Find myself on the fence (less painful than it sounds) about Silas Young vs. Brad Allen. On the one hand, both men bring the intensity and have quite the battle. At times it is downright brutal and neither guy walks away without looking battered for their efforts. On the other hand, there is a certain lack of shall we call it finesse with some of the action. It troubles me a bit, as over the years I’ve wanted more and more to be a Silas Young fan and now that he is regularly working where I can watch, he seems to have lost a step or two from what I was expecting. He isn’t bad, not by any fathomable definition of the word, but he isn’t as sharp or polished as I originally thought. Allen, on the other hand (that’s three hands for those keeping count) is a promising young talent that shows lots of potential for being a huge star. Ultimately, the story is great and overall the match is entertaining so thumbs up.
-Being perfectly blunt here – I haven’t seen Jimmy Jacobs look as happy or healthy as he does here in years. The tan does him well, the hair looks good, and overall he appears joyful to be involved in EVOLVE. That’s a great thing, as a happy Jimmy Jacobs is a Jimmy Jacobs that is completely on his game. Jacobs is great as a fan favorite against Ken Doane, who for his part does a perfect job playing the bad guy that feeds on the audiences’ disdain. There may be nothing particularly special to point out about this match, but both guys do a lot with their roles to keep it enjoyable.
-Another bout featuring two guys I haven’t seen a lot of yet, this time Johnny Gargano and Chris Dickinson. And again, they are two new-to-me wrestlers that I want to see way more of! Fantastic and inventive is the best way to describe both men. Gargano comes off as the more colorful of the two characters, but Dickinson’s ability and intensity speaks for itself. Really good stuff.
-I keep using passion and intensity to describe so many matches on this show, and by now it should be clear that what EVOLVE aims to bring to the table is exactly those two things. Muneori Sawa vs. TJP is again all about the aforementioned words. The two men strike stiffly, fight fluidly and overall put on one heck of an outing. Their willingness to go all out in an attempt to leave the crowd dazzled by their encounter is nothing short of remarkable. The ending does feel a bit sudden, and frankly it would have been nice to see this match go a bit longer. That aside, Sawa and TJP are great and watching these titans clash is a lot of fun. When people are looking back ten years from now at the classics of the company’s early days, they will no doubt look to this match.
-Every time talents from CHIKARA go out and “do their thing,” it is expectedly excellent. Same rule applies here as Mike Quackenbush, Frightmare, and Hallowicked take on Gran Akuma, Icarus, and Brodie Lee. Anybody who is already a fan of CHIKARA shouldn’t be surprised by how pleasing this bout is. Anybody who hasn’t seen their work before should be in for quite the treat.
-Advanced warning: I’m not sure any actual words will truly do justice for Kota Ibushi vs. Davey Richards in the first EVOLVE main event. I can try using clichés like brilliant, epic, and astonishing. And of course I’m going to use intense and point out the level of passion both men show. I can call it an early Match of the Year contender and heck maybe even match of the decade though that’s a really early declaration. I can talk about how this had me yelling at the TV, jumping from my couch seat, and generally scaring my guinea pig because of how involved and excited I was during every brutal moment and could be finish. I can say all of these things, but really, you should just go watch the match for yourself and be left in awe as I was.
In the end, I am left feeling extremely high on the EVOLVE product and looking forward to seeing both their next shows and what the rest of the wrestling world has in store to compete with them. 2010, off to an unbelievable start.
Friday, July 23, 2010
A FREAKING TIME MACHINE!!!
So I’m doing some spring cleaning in July, because that’s how I do, and what do I find in the back of my linens closet that is used for just about everything but linens? A FREAKING TIME MACHINE!
Now I’ll admit I’ve never used one of these newfangled concoctions before. But I went for it anyway, typed in some stuff on the old school IBM keyboard, something all time machines should be equipped with as I’ve just decided, and BAM! I’ve jumped from April 2009 all the way to January 2010! In independent wrestling DVDs!
Okay, so most of that is a tall tale. I don’t do spring cleaning, period. But I have made a decision regarding this blog. When I started, all those months ago, my intention was to get through the many, many indie shows I had from 2009 as quickly as possible so that I could both have them under my belt and catch up on shows from 2010. Unfortunately, my schedule just didn’t allow for the consuming of 60 plus wrestling shows in quite the time frame I hoped for. By now I should be long done; instead, I’m only at April.
So I’ve decided to move forward. I will be watching those shows I have from 2010, in date order, starting right now so that I may be able to add to the independent pro wrestling in 2010 conversation.
Does this mean I’ve quit 2009? Well, not exactly. While my main focus now will be 2010, the goal is to be caught up and waiting for new releases. During that between time, I will definitely go back to 2009, in order still, and follow through with watching every show I have from that year. I also plan to eventually view all of the Ring of Honor I own, and various other wrestling shows, a lot of which has gone unwatched by me so far.
And I plan on getting more into Japanese wrestling, both classic and contemporary. Prepare to see reviews of current Japanese shows and of anything older I can get my hands on courtesy of Highspots.com.
Each new blog entry will likely be named so that you know what kind of review is coming at you. For example, a review for a 2010 show will have “2010” at the beginning of the title. Current Japanese reviews will have some title too, though clearly I must now think of something clever for this to work. Same for the classics.
Okay, consider this note done; now back to what we’re all here for, the wrestling!
Now I’ll admit I’ve never used one of these newfangled concoctions before. But I went for it anyway, typed in some stuff on the old school IBM keyboard, something all time machines should be equipped with as I’ve just decided, and BAM! I’ve jumped from April 2009 all the way to January 2010! In independent wrestling DVDs!
Okay, so most of that is a tall tale. I don’t do spring cleaning, period. But I have made a decision regarding this blog. When I started, all those months ago, my intention was to get through the many, many indie shows I had from 2009 as quickly as possible so that I could both have them under my belt and catch up on shows from 2010. Unfortunately, my schedule just didn’t allow for the consuming of 60 plus wrestling shows in quite the time frame I hoped for. By now I should be long done; instead, I’m only at April.
So I’ve decided to move forward. I will be watching those shows I have from 2010, in date order, starting right now so that I may be able to add to the independent pro wrestling in 2010 conversation.
Does this mean I’ve quit 2009? Well, not exactly. While my main focus now will be 2010, the goal is to be caught up and waiting for new releases. During that between time, I will definitely go back to 2009, in order still, and follow through with watching every show I have from that year. I also plan to eventually view all of the Ring of Honor I own, and various other wrestling shows, a lot of which has gone unwatched by me so far.
And I plan on getting more into Japanese wrestling, both classic and contemporary. Prepare to see reviews of current Japanese shows and of anything older I can get my hands on courtesy of Highspots.com.
Each new blog entry will likely be named so that you know what kind of review is coming at you. For example, a review for a 2010 show will have “2010” at the beginning of the title. Current Japanese reviews will have some title too, though clearly I must now think of something clever for this to work. Same for the classics.
Okay, consider this note done; now back to what we’re all here for, the wrestling!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Paint Your Wagon...With Blood!
Continuing down the 2009 Ring of Honor road, we arrive in Dayton, OH for “A Cut Above” (4/24/09), a show named for the gushing gash atop Roderick’s Strong head that appears during the main event. More on that later, let’s go match by match through the entire night.
-Decent opener between Eddie Edwards and Bryan Danielson. The goal here is obviously to make Edwards stand out as a singles competitor against one of the best ROH has to offer, and it works. Definitely a nice thing to see as a new star is built before our eyes. Good mat work from both men. Nothing spectacular per se, but it is solid enough to keep the match entertaining.
-Rasche Brown doesn’t have the look of an enjoyable wrestler, but man, when he gets in the ring, the personality turns on and the fun begins. Brown is highly amusing to watch, and is definitely the best part about the four-way between him, Claudio Castagnoli, Matt Cross, and Silas Young. All of the men look good, but it is Brown’s show, without question.
-A match as short as Jimmy Rave vs. Grizzly Redwood can hardly call for any reaction really. The post match antics, on the other hand, are completely hilarious in a now I’ve seen it all in pro wrestling sort of way. Consider this a spoiler warning, though I don’t know how disappointing a spoiler this would constitute – “Dirty” Ernie Osiris literally steals the shoes off of Grizzly Redwood’s feet. Off of his feet! His stinky, nasty feet! Times are tough, yes, but nothing will ever make that okay! If this is the start of a feud, well, I don’t even know what to say as a follow up to that.
-Pretty good tag bout with Austin Aries and Rhett Titus against the Phoenix Twins. The dynamic between Aries and Titus is particularly interesting, and Titus has really come into his own as a major talent in ROH. The Phoenix Twins look good as well, thus overall making this a fair outing for everybody involved.
-At first, the idea of seeing another Chris Hero vs. Colt Cabana match so soon after their Pro Wrestling Guerrilla encounter had me none too excited. Luckily, these two competitors put on a completely different show from that PWG bout. A much more entertaining show, frankly. Lots of humor and lots of great mat work from both men. Definitely a more enjoyable contest than I was expecting.
-Refreshing to see Jimmy Jacobs taking on somebody so different than his usual mix of ROH enemies in Egotistico Fantastico. The bout is good. Fantastico hits his entire repertoire of star worthy spots and generally has a good showing. And Jacobs benefits from having some fresh blood to work his act against.
-Hey look, another match Pro Wrestling Guerrilla just treated me to a few shows ago! And technically speaking, this is the third time I’ve watched Tyler Black and Davey Richards clash in the ring in 2009. Fortunately, their interactions are always strong and seem to get better with every outing. Their battle here is quite the sprint of great action that comes together perfectly. The climax of the contest is especially thrilling. Overall it is a really good bout, perhaps the best on this show.
-Wanted to enjoy Kevin Steen and Jay Briscoe vs. The Dark City Fight Club, I really did, but the match did not connect with me at all. Not a bad contest really, just nothing that held my interest long enough to warrant a fully positive response.
-Main event time with Jerry Lynn defending the ROH World Title against Roderick Strong. As mentioned earlier, the memorable moment of this bout is Strong bleeding buckets and yet continuing even though it legitimately looks like he will pass out at any given moment. The performance is noteworthy and respectable, but the match overall is only good at best. Without the accidental moment, there wouldn’t be a thing to remember here. Lynn and Strong work well together and put on a solid bout, but I do expect a bit more with the world championship up for grabs.
-Decent opener between Eddie Edwards and Bryan Danielson. The goal here is obviously to make Edwards stand out as a singles competitor against one of the best ROH has to offer, and it works. Definitely a nice thing to see as a new star is built before our eyes. Good mat work from both men. Nothing spectacular per se, but it is solid enough to keep the match entertaining.
-Rasche Brown doesn’t have the look of an enjoyable wrestler, but man, when he gets in the ring, the personality turns on and the fun begins. Brown is highly amusing to watch, and is definitely the best part about the four-way between him, Claudio Castagnoli, Matt Cross, and Silas Young. All of the men look good, but it is Brown’s show, without question.
-A match as short as Jimmy Rave vs. Grizzly Redwood can hardly call for any reaction really. The post match antics, on the other hand, are completely hilarious in a now I’ve seen it all in pro wrestling sort of way. Consider this a spoiler warning, though I don’t know how disappointing a spoiler this would constitute – “Dirty” Ernie Osiris literally steals the shoes off of Grizzly Redwood’s feet. Off of his feet! His stinky, nasty feet! Times are tough, yes, but nothing will ever make that okay! If this is the start of a feud, well, I don’t even know what to say as a follow up to that.
-Pretty good tag bout with Austin Aries and Rhett Titus against the Phoenix Twins. The dynamic between Aries and Titus is particularly interesting, and Titus has really come into his own as a major talent in ROH. The Phoenix Twins look good as well, thus overall making this a fair outing for everybody involved.
-At first, the idea of seeing another Chris Hero vs. Colt Cabana match so soon after their Pro Wrestling Guerrilla encounter had me none too excited. Luckily, these two competitors put on a completely different show from that PWG bout. A much more entertaining show, frankly. Lots of humor and lots of great mat work from both men. Definitely a more enjoyable contest than I was expecting.
-Refreshing to see Jimmy Jacobs taking on somebody so different than his usual mix of ROH enemies in Egotistico Fantastico. The bout is good. Fantastico hits his entire repertoire of star worthy spots and generally has a good showing. And Jacobs benefits from having some fresh blood to work his act against.
-Hey look, another match Pro Wrestling Guerrilla just treated me to a few shows ago! And technically speaking, this is the third time I’ve watched Tyler Black and Davey Richards clash in the ring in 2009. Fortunately, their interactions are always strong and seem to get better with every outing. Their battle here is quite the sprint of great action that comes together perfectly. The climax of the contest is especially thrilling. Overall it is a really good bout, perhaps the best on this show.
-Wanted to enjoy Kevin Steen and Jay Briscoe vs. The Dark City Fight Club, I really did, but the match did not connect with me at all. Not a bad contest really, just nothing that held my interest long enough to warrant a fully positive response.
-Main event time with Jerry Lynn defending the ROH World Title against Roderick Strong. As mentioned earlier, the memorable moment of this bout is Strong bleeding buckets and yet continuing even though it legitimately looks like he will pass out at any given moment. The performance is noteworthy and respectable, but the match overall is only good at best. Without the accidental moment, there wouldn’t be a thing to remember here. Lynn and Strong work well together and put on a solid bout, but I do expect a bit more with the world championship up for grabs.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Double Feature DOS!
Two shows for the price of one (sort of) as Ring Of Honor presents “Double Feature II” (4/17/09 and 4/18/09).
First up we have “The Hunt Begins” from Montreal, Quebec:
-Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs should hate each other. HATE. In fact, Black spends an entire interview segment before the match talking about essentially maiming Jacobs first chance he gets tonight. So why is it that when these two meet in the ring, their disdain seems to be gladly put aside in the name of a fair and proper pro wrestling contest? It feels unnatural and frankly comes off as disappointing. The first half of the match feels slow; it is as if neither man is in any particular rush to finish the other off. The second part picks up quite a bit. There is some really good work from both guys, but again, no passion or desire to destroy one another like there really should have been. I was generally let down by how vanilla this contest ended up being.
-Austin Aries singling out Kenny Omega and telling him to prove his worth during their four-way against Roderick Strong and Jay Briscoe is a truly great booking move. It draws attention early on to Omega, who is fairly new in the ROH ring, and who could be a huge star for the company if given the shot. The match essentially comes down to four great workers busting out some fun things to entertain the crowd, which is fine in my book. Lots of entertaining stuff, especially the moments shared between Strong and Briscoe.
-Can’t say a lot about Claudio Castagnoli and Jimmy Rave vs. Colt Cabana and Brent Albright. It is a perfectly acceptable match and keeps you fairly amused while it is on, but then it is also the kind of match you could go make a sandwich during and really not miss a thing. Not bad, just not essential.
-Main event time as Kevin Steen, El Generico, and Bryan Danielson take on The American Wolves and Sylvain Grenier. Actually a pretty enjoyable match! Can’t say that was expected, especially with Grenier involved. Everybody works really hard and puts on a good showing. Again, it is nothing must see or can’t miss, but it is interesting enough if you do check it out.
Now onto “Tag Title Classic” from Markham, Ontario:
-Colt Cabana has been really enjoyable in his post-WWE indie scene run so far. He isn’t lighting the world ablaze with five-star matches or anything, but he’s been showing some really solid in-ring prowess. Cabana and Claudio Castagnoli mix really well together here and do quite a bit of interesting chain wrestling that wasn’t expected of either man. Good match.
-In some ways, the Austin Aries, Rhett Titus, and Kenny King vs. Kevin Steen, Kenny Omega, and Player “Generico” Dos six-man is even better than the tag main event from the night before. Okay, maybe not better, but more entertaining? I don’t know, I just liked it! It is especially nice seeing Dos stand out among these competitors. Again another up and coming star that deserves some special attention paid to him by the audience.
-Definitely found the Jimmy Jacobs vs. Delirious Markham Street Fight to be better than Jacobs vs. Black from the first half of this DVD. A bloody brawl is exactly what these two should be having, and they do a pretty good job of it.
-Unfortunately, Roderick Strong vs. Jay Briscoe did nothing for me here. On paper, the rematch from their awesome encounter at Stylin’ & Profilin’ earlier in 2009 sounded quite exciting, but in execution – not so much. Can’t really say what it is that didn’t work here, but there a big disconnect for me from the bout. Not bad, just not as captivating as I was hoping for.
-Not quite a “tag title classic,” but The American Wolves vs. Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black is a pretty good match. The name of the show could be something of a spoiler, but let’s avoid that and simply say that the opening of the bout drags a bit, which starts things off on the wrong foot. Eventually though the action gets way more involved and things become quite enjoyable, even if the finish can be seen coming from a mile away, especially if you know your ROH history. In some ways, that may do the match a disservice, as being able to guess what the conclusion of the contest will be takes away a large part of the drama; however, overall the action gets quite good and ends the night on a strong note.
First up we have “The Hunt Begins” from Montreal, Quebec:
-Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs should hate each other. HATE. In fact, Black spends an entire interview segment before the match talking about essentially maiming Jacobs first chance he gets tonight. So why is it that when these two meet in the ring, their disdain seems to be gladly put aside in the name of a fair and proper pro wrestling contest? It feels unnatural and frankly comes off as disappointing. The first half of the match feels slow; it is as if neither man is in any particular rush to finish the other off. The second part picks up quite a bit. There is some really good work from both guys, but again, no passion or desire to destroy one another like there really should have been. I was generally let down by how vanilla this contest ended up being.
-Austin Aries singling out Kenny Omega and telling him to prove his worth during their four-way against Roderick Strong and Jay Briscoe is a truly great booking move. It draws attention early on to Omega, who is fairly new in the ROH ring, and who could be a huge star for the company if given the shot. The match essentially comes down to four great workers busting out some fun things to entertain the crowd, which is fine in my book. Lots of entertaining stuff, especially the moments shared between Strong and Briscoe.
-Can’t say a lot about Claudio Castagnoli and Jimmy Rave vs. Colt Cabana and Brent Albright. It is a perfectly acceptable match and keeps you fairly amused while it is on, but then it is also the kind of match you could go make a sandwich during and really not miss a thing. Not bad, just not essential.
-Main event time as Kevin Steen, El Generico, and Bryan Danielson take on The American Wolves and Sylvain Grenier. Actually a pretty enjoyable match! Can’t say that was expected, especially with Grenier involved. Everybody works really hard and puts on a good showing. Again, it is nothing must see or can’t miss, but it is interesting enough if you do check it out.
Now onto “Tag Title Classic” from Markham, Ontario:
-Colt Cabana has been really enjoyable in his post-WWE indie scene run so far. He isn’t lighting the world ablaze with five-star matches or anything, but he’s been showing some really solid in-ring prowess. Cabana and Claudio Castagnoli mix really well together here and do quite a bit of interesting chain wrestling that wasn’t expected of either man. Good match.
-In some ways, the Austin Aries, Rhett Titus, and Kenny King vs. Kevin Steen, Kenny Omega, and Player “Generico” Dos six-man is even better than the tag main event from the night before. Okay, maybe not better, but more entertaining? I don’t know, I just liked it! It is especially nice seeing Dos stand out among these competitors. Again another up and coming star that deserves some special attention paid to him by the audience.
-Definitely found the Jimmy Jacobs vs. Delirious Markham Street Fight to be better than Jacobs vs. Black from the first half of this DVD. A bloody brawl is exactly what these two should be having, and they do a pretty good job of it.
-Unfortunately, Roderick Strong vs. Jay Briscoe did nothing for me here. On paper, the rematch from their awesome encounter at Stylin’ & Profilin’ earlier in 2009 sounded quite exciting, but in execution – not so much. Can’t really say what it is that didn’t work here, but there a big disconnect for me from the bout. Not bad, just not as captivating as I was hoping for.
-Not quite a “tag title classic,” but The American Wolves vs. Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black is a pretty good match. The name of the show could be something of a spoiler, but let’s avoid that and simply say that the opening of the bout drags a bit, which starts things off on the wrong foot. Eventually though the action gets way more involved and things become quite enjoyable, even if the finish can be seen coming from a mile away, especially if you know your ROH history. In some ways, that may do the match a disservice, as being able to guess what the conclusion of the contest will be takes away a large part of the drama; however, overall the action gets quite good and ends the night on a strong note.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
PWG ONE HUNDRED!!!!
For those of you keeping count, it is time for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s 100th show, the suitably titled “One Hundred” (4/12/09), filmed in beautiful Reseda, CA in front of a live studio audience.
-One night after being in the main event of a fantastic show against another of the best teams in the world, The Young Bucks prove that there ain’t no rest for the wicked as they take the opening slot on this card to battle The Cutler Brothers. I don’t know a lot of teams that would be so eager to follow up a brilliant outing with Grade-A talent like the Motor City Machine Guns by battling a team fairly unproven on this stage. The Bucks take that challenge and almost seem intent to prove that they can have a great match with anybody.
Consider it proven. The Bucks and the Cutlers look fantastic against each other, and this bout does a lot to build the Cutlers as that “next big PWG tag team” and put them on par with the Young Bucks as having the potential to explode not just in California but all over the world. Great match.
-Expecting a good match from Scott Lost vs. Roderick Strong is like assuming raindrops will fall from dark clouds – duh, of course that’s going to happen. What you don’t always see coming is an intense thunderstorm from that grey sky. Lightening crashes between Lost and Strong from the word go, and both men toss each other around like there is some money owed between them. My jaw was left ajar quite a few times. Good stuff.
-Not sure I can put into words exactly what Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny Omega is, other than entertaining as all get out. I don’t think I’ve had reason to describe a match as hysterical before now, but there you go. And the actual wrestling, when they get to it, is pretty fantastic too. Omega as PWG MVP continues in the highest fashion here!
-Man, say what you want about Paul London post-WWE, but the man takes a beating here against Joey Ryan. London bumps left and right, in the ring, out of the ring, all over the place, and he has the black and blues to show for it. Ryan is perfect here as well. Generally speaking a really good match that leaves both guys looking battered and bruised.
-Amusing work in the Austin Aries, Chuck Taylor, and Human Tornado vs. B-Boy, Scorpio Sky, and Candice LeRae match. LeRae especially looks impressive given how seamlessly she mixes with the men. The lady more than stands out and that is saying a lot given the caliber of talent in the ring. Plus getting some payoff to the Aries/LeRae interaction from last night’s World Title match was nice.
-Last time I watched Davey Richards battle Tyler Black one on one was in an ROH ring, as the main event of a show, and it was great. This time the two men have somehow managed to make their encounter even better! Not sure if it has to do with the overall quality of the night making them aim bigger than before, but whatever the case, this contest is incredible! Really great stuff, easily reminded me why I admire both men.
-El Generico vs. Sonjay Dutt is unfortunately the first contest of the night that really doesn’t deliver. It has a lot to do with Dutt, who tries so hard to play the heel here and fails miserably. He comes off as annoying, useless, and generally not fun to watch. Generico does his best to keep the match strong, but it simply isn’t enough. Okay contest in terms of wrestling, but would have been a lot better if Dutt didn’t spend so much time trying to sell his bad attitude. And don’t even get me started on the specific heel tactic Dutt uses that Davey Richards did literally one match before! What the hell? Not saying Davey has ownership over it or anything, but it was literally minutes earlier! Lame!
-Main event time as Chris Hero defends the PWG World Title against Colt Cabana. Neither guy is among my favorites, so I was pleasantly surprised by how well they meshed. Their great chemistry leads to a pretty good, if not entirely memorable match. Far from being the best bout of the evening, but this is in an odd way a perfect way to end an incredibly stacked show.
-One night after being in the main event of a fantastic show against another of the best teams in the world, The Young Bucks prove that there ain’t no rest for the wicked as they take the opening slot on this card to battle The Cutler Brothers. I don’t know a lot of teams that would be so eager to follow up a brilliant outing with Grade-A talent like the Motor City Machine Guns by battling a team fairly unproven on this stage. The Bucks take that challenge and almost seem intent to prove that they can have a great match with anybody.
Consider it proven. The Bucks and the Cutlers look fantastic against each other, and this bout does a lot to build the Cutlers as that “next big PWG tag team” and put them on par with the Young Bucks as having the potential to explode not just in California but all over the world. Great match.
-Expecting a good match from Scott Lost vs. Roderick Strong is like assuming raindrops will fall from dark clouds – duh, of course that’s going to happen. What you don’t always see coming is an intense thunderstorm from that grey sky. Lightening crashes between Lost and Strong from the word go, and both men toss each other around like there is some money owed between them. My jaw was left ajar quite a few times. Good stuff.
-Not sure I can put into words exactly what Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny Omega is, other than entertaining as all get out. I don’t think I’ve had reason to describe a match as hysterical before now, but there you go. And the actual wrestling, when they get to it, is pretty fantastic too. Omega as PWG MVP continues in the highest fashion here!
-Man, say what you want about Paul London post-WWE, but the man takes a beating here against Joey Ryan. London bumps left and right, in the ring, out of the ring, all over the place, and he has the black and blues to show for it. Ryan is perfect here as well. Generally speaking a really good match that leaves both guys looking battered and bruised.
-Amusing work in the Austin Aries, Chuck Taylor, and Human Tornado vs. B-Boy, Scorpio Sky, and Candice LeRae match. LeRae especially looks impressive given how seamlessly she mixes with the men. The lady more than stands out and that is saying a lot given the caliber of talent in the ring. Plus getting some payoff to the Aries/LeRae interaction from last night’s World Title match was nice.
-Last time I watched Davey Richards battle Tyler Black one on one was in an ROH ring, as the main event of a show, and it was great. This time the two men have somehow managed to make their encounter even better! Not sure if it has to do with the overall quality of the night making them aim bigger than before, but whatever the case, this contest is incredible! Really great stuff, easily reminded me why I admire both men.
-El Generico vs. Sonjay Dutt is unfortunately the first contest of the night that really doesn’t deliver. It has a lot to do with Dutt, who tries so hard to play the heel here and fails miserably. He comes off as annoying, useless, and generally not fun to watch. Generico does his best to keep the match strong, but it simply isn’t enough. Okay contest in terms of wrestling, but would have been a lot better if Dutt didn’t spend so much time trying to sell his bad attitude. And don’t even get me started on the specific heel tactic Dutt uses that Davey Richards did literally one match before! What the hell? Not saying Davey has ownership over it or anything, but it was literally minutes earlier! Lame!
-Main event time as Chris Hero defends the PWG World Title against Colt Cabana. Neither guy is among my favorites, so I was pleasantly surprised by how well they meshed. Their great chemistry leads to a pretty good, if not entirely memorable match. Far from being the best bout of the evening, but this is in an odd way a perfect way to end an incredibly stacked show.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Take one down, pass it around...
Time to head back to Reseda, California for a weekend of tomfoolery the likes of which can only be provided by Pro Wrestling Guerrilla! And this is a big weekend for them, as they celebrate their 99th and 100th events!
First up is the aptly named “Ninety-Nine” (4/11/09):
-Great opener with Scorpio Sky and Los Luchas taking on Scott Lost and The Cutler Brothers. Really impressed by everybody here, all men I have not seen a lot of yet but really want to see way more from.
-Bryan Danielson makes Chuck Taylor look like a star. Plain and simple, that’s what I walk away from their match thinking. Danielson is amazing, as always, but it is Taylor who gets the most out of this bout. From the comedic spots to the more action packed moments, everything works great and definitely raises both men up a notch in my book. Between King Of Trios and this, Taylor and Danielson have really shown a fantastic chemistry with each other.
-Really solid outing between Joey Ryan and B-Boy. Strong work from both men and an unexpected ending that is a perfect finish to this match.
-Kenny Omega is clearly making a play for 2009 PWG MVP. First there is his great bout with El Generico at Express Written Consent, and now this fantastic contest against Davey Richards. There is a bit of the shenanigans Omega seems to excel at, followed by some dazzling action between the two. The closing stretch of the match plays out as an extreme exchange of exceptional moves that must be seen to be believed.
-I’m not the biggest Sonjay Dutt fan, not in the last few years anyway; I remember a time in the early 2000s when Sonjay was astonishing and exciting, and he just isn’t the same guy anymore. TANGENT! Sorry, where were we? Oh yeah, Dutt has a decent outing here against Roderick Strong. The match blends in a bit among the rest of this excellent card, but that isn’t necessarily a knock against it. Strong looks great and Dutt keeps up well enough. Good bout.
-Another first-class contest for this show with Tyler Black taking on El Generico. Not a lot to say about it, their in-ring is top-notch, the story is enjoyable, and overall it adds to the high-quality of the night.
-I like Chris Hero vs. Austin Aries based on their back and forth ring work, but I have some problems with the story. Mainly, how Austin Aries seems to focus more on harassing Hero’s corner lady Candice LeRae and not on trying to win the PWG World Title. Why would Aries do that? It feels completely unnatural and frankly makes the PWG Title look a bit weak considering that it apparently isn’t important enough for Aries to look past a dame and try hard to win. Good match, weird story.
-It is impossible not to expect The Young Bucks vs. The Motor City Machine Guns to be chock full of awesomeness. That they deliver with some of the best tag team wrestling possible AND a fantastic story to boot makes this match particularly great. The Guns come in as verifiable veterans of the independent scene, ready to show these “young” up and comers exactly how it is done. But the Bucks are more than ready to prove their worth as one of the best pairs out there today. Nobody does double team maneuvers like these four, and they deliver in leaps and bounds in ways that go beyond anything you can imagine. A really impressive main event!
First up is the aptly named “Ninety-Nine” (4/11/09):
-Great opener with Scorpio Sky and Los Luchas taking on Scott Lost and The Cutler Brothers. Really impressed by everybody here, all men I have not seen a lot of yet but really want to see way more from.
-Bryan Danielson makes Chuck Taylor look like a star. Plain and simple, that’s what I walk away from their match thinking. Danielson is amazing, as always, but it is Taylor who gets the most out of this bout. From the comedic spots to the more action packed moments, everything works great and definitely raises both men up a notch in my book. Between King Of Trios and this, Taylor and Danielson have really shown a fantastic chemistry with each other.
-Really solid outing between Joey Ryan and B-Boy. Strong work from both men and an unexpected ending that is a perfect finish to this match.
-Kenny Omega is clearly making a play for 2009 PWG MVP. First there is his great bout with El Generico at Express Written Consent, and now this fantastic contest against Davey Richards. There is a bit of the shenanigans Omega seems to excel at, followed by some dazzling action between the two. The closing stretch of the match plays out as an extreme exchange of exceptional moves that must be seen to be believed.
-I’m not the biggest Sonjay Dutt fan, not in the last few years anyway; I remember a time in the early 2000s when Sonjay was astonishing and exciting, and he just isn’t the same guy anymore. TANGENT! Sorry, where were we? Oh yeah, Dutt has a decent outing here against Roderick Strong. The match blends in a bit among the rest of this excellent card, but that isn’t necessarily a knock against it. Strong looks great and Dutt keeps up well enough. Good bout.
-Another first-class contest for this show with Tyler Black taking on El Generico. Not a lot to say about it, their in-ring is top-notch, the story is enjoyable, and overall it adds to the high-quality of the night.
-I like Chris Hero vs. Austin Aries based on their back and forth ring work, but I have some problems with the story. Mainly, how Austin Aries seems to focus more on harassing Hero’s corner lady Candice LeRae and not on trying to win the PWG World Title. Why would Aries do that? It feels completely unnatural and frankly makes the PWG Title look a bit weak considering that it apparently isn’t important enough for Aries to look past a dame and try hard to win. Good match, weird story.
-It is impossible not to expect The Young Bucks vs. The Motor City Machine Guns to be chock full of awesomeness. That they deliver with some of the best tag team wrestling possible AND a fantastic story to boot makes this match particularly great. The Guns come in as verifiable veterans of the independent scene, ready to show these “young” up and comers exactly how it is done. But the Bucks are more than ready to prove their worth as one of the best pairs out there today. Nobody does double team maneuvers like these four, and they deliver in leaps and bounds in ways that go beyond anything you can imagine. A really impressive main event!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Freaking pesto!
CZW has become the pesto on my independent wrestling menu. I try to like it. I want to like it. I know it has all the elements of something I should adore, and yet I just can’t do it. Not for a lack of trying obviously, but something about CZW always manages to leave an odd taste in my mouth. Like pesto.
The most striking aspect about watching “Eye For An Eye” (4/11/09) is how all over the place the event seems to be. At times it seems like nobody knows what is going on. How am I, the viewer, supposed to follow the show when I’m pretty sure half the wrestlers and referees aren’t following it either?
Time to take it match by oh so confusing match:
-The junior heavyweight scramble to start the show is fine if completely humdrum. If you can remember the names of three out of eight or so guys in the bout, you get a cookie.
-Jon Dahmer and Toby Klein have an okay bout. Nothing even remotely worth writing home about. I really don’t like Dahmer’s look or his presence. I don’t like him, period.
-Finally something entertaining! Call me crazy, but I enjoy Greg Excellent and his act. Plus he’s a pretty decent worker, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect. Devon Moore isn’t a favorite of mine, but he tries pretty hard here and comes off looking good for it. Amazing how that works. Overall a decent contest.
-Last time I watched Drew Blood and Pinkie Sanchez do battle, I was surprised by how well they worked together. This time, not so much. Unfortunately their timing seems to be off, and a lot of moves are sloppy as oppose to impressive. Their rhythm starts coming together towards the end, but then there is an odd finish that plays out and leaves me completely cold. Ah well.
-I really like Egotistico Fantastico. He has a ton of star potential. Same goes for Ryan McBride. So naturally I looked forward to seeing the two square off. A lot of the match goes very well, with some solid work from both men. Good wrestling, without question. Unfortunately, the finish is once again out of left field and a total mood killer. I’m not sure if McBride was legitimately injured near the end of the bout and the ending was done out of necessity, or if it was all staged, but it comes off as fake. Either way, it deflates any high the action in the match had me on up to that confusing moment.
-And now for a singles match that becomes a handicap match that becomes a tag team match, though nobody seems to know that any of that was going to happen at all. You know what, there really isn’t much else to say about Ruckus and Sabian vs. LJ Cruz and Alex Colon; it was a mess to figure out what match was even happening, and it was nothing to write home about once things took shape.
-I’m unfortunately starting to question my “mark” status for The Best Around. Their match here against Team AnDrew is okay at best. There is a ton of mat work going on, and most of it is pretty decent, but there’s absolutely no passion or story behind any of it. And then there’s the finish, or lack there of. Really not sure what the point of this bout was, especially with it ending the way it does. What a waste.
-Still not a death match fan, but I give Nick Gage and Deranged a ton of credit for keeping me entertained throughout their I Quit match. Both men seem as dedicated to ultra violence as Mike Quackenbush is to bending people into pretzels. There is no shortage of bone shattering spots here, or blood to chase said spots with. And the finish is actually pretty brilliant. It may disappoint some fans, but to me it made complete sense. It is one of the smartest ways to end an I Quit match that I have ever seen. Bravo for that.
-Really enjoyed the main event with Drake Younger and Brain Damage taking on Sami Callihan and Jon Moxley. Definitely one of the more brutal matches I have watched this year, and they pull it off without an overabundance of huge spots. The blood flows and the action is fierce throughout. Good stuff.
The last two contests are definitely worthwhile, but overall the show is meh at best. If I didn’t already own the next event, I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to acquire it. Freaking pesto.
The most striking aspect about watching “Eye For An Eye” (4/11/09) is how all over the place the event seems to be. At times it seems like nobody knows what is going on. How am I, the viewer, supposed to follow the show when I’m pretty sure half the wrestlers and referees aren’t following it either?
Time to take it match by oh so confusing match:
-The junior heavyweight scramble to start the show is fine if completely humdrum. If you can remember the names of three out of eight or so guys in the bout, you get a cookie.
-Jon Dahmer and Toby Klein have an okay bout. Nothing even remotely worth writing home about. I really don’t like Dahmer’s look or his presence. I don’t like him, period.
-Finally something entertaining! Call me crazy, but I enjoy Greg Excellent and his act. Plus he’s a pretty decent worker, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect. Devon Moore isn’t a favorite of mine, but he tries pretty hard here and comes off looking good for it. Amazing how that works. Overall a decent contest.
-Last time I watched Drew Blood and Pinkie Sanchez do battle, I was surprised by how well they worked together. This time, not so much. Unfortunately their timing seems to be off, and a lot of moves are sloppy as oppose to impressive. Their rhythm starts coming together towards the end, but then there is an odd finish that plays out and leaves me completely cold. Ah well.
-I really like Egotistico Fantastico. He has a ton of star potential. Same goes for Ryan McBride. So naturally I looked forward to seeing the two square off. A lot of the match goes very well, with some solid work from both men. Good wrestling, without question. Unfortunately, the finish is once again out of left field and a total mood killer. I’m not sure if McBride was legitimately injured near the end of the bout and the ending was done out of necessity, or if it was all staged, but it comes off as fake. Either way, it deflates any high the action in the match had me on up to that confusing moment.
-And now for a singles match that becomes a handicap match that becomes a tag team match, though nobody seems to know that any of that was going to happen at all. You know what, there really isn’t much else to say about Ruckus and Sabian vs. LJ Cruz and Alex Colon; it was a mess to figure out what match was even happening, and it was nothing to write home about once things took shape.
-I’m unfortunately starting to question my “mark” status for The Best Around. Their match here against Team AnDrew is okay at best. There is a ton of mat work going on, and most of it is pretty decent, but there’s absolutely no passion or story behind any of it. And then there’s the finish, or lack there of. Really not sure what the point of this bout was, especially with it ending the way it does. What a waste.
-Still not a death match fan, but I give Nick Gage and Deranged a ton of credit for keeping me entertained throughout their I Quit match. Both men seem as dedicated to ultra violence as Mike Quackenbush is to bending people into pretzels. There is no shortage of bone shattering spots here, or blood to chase said spots with. And the finish is actually pretty brilliant. It may disappoint some fans, but to me it made complete sense. It is one of the smartest ways to end an I Quit match that I have ever seen. Bravo for that.
-Really enjoyed the main event with Drake Younger and Brain Damage taking on Sami Callihan and Jon Moxley. Definitely one of the more brutal matches I have watched this year, and they pull it off without an overabundance of huge spots. The blood flows and the action is fierce throughout. Good stuff.
The last two contests are definitely worthwhile, but overall the show is meh at best. If I didn’t already own the next event, I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to acquire it. Freaking pesto.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
La-Z-Booking
Supercard Of Honor IV left me feeling quite good about the Ring of Honor product and wrestling in general. What an unbelievable event that was, and surely the follow-up, Take No Prisoners 2009 (4/4/09), should be just as good, right?
Let’s go match by match through the show and find out:
-Actually really like the opener between Colt Cabana and Ace Steel. The student vs. teacher vibe is in full effect, and both men play it up very well. Good way to start the night.
-Remember that time I swooned over the six-man tag that pit Kevin Steen, Jay Briscoe, and Magno against Eddie Edwards, Chris Hero, and Incognito? The eight-man tag here, which adds El Generico and Davey Richards respectively to each team, didn’t quite elicit my love anywhere near as much. The contest comes off as common and uneventful. And short. Basically if you want to see most of these men do battle, go back and watch Supercard Of Honor IV where they did it right the first time.
-Have to admit, I really enjoyed Jimmy Jacobs vs. Necro Butcher here. There is lots of blood, lots of crazy spots, and lots of chemistry between the two that ties the match together.
-Not to undersell Claudio Castagnoli, Brent Albright, or Blue Demon, Jr., but if you were going to remove one element from the entertaining four-way from SOH IV to make it a three-way, El Generico should not have been it. Not much of anything happens between Claudio, Albright, and Demon, making for a completely forgettable match. But hey, you could just go watch the aforementioned bout from the night before! Common theme alert!
-Roderick Strong vs. Alex Koslov should be a much better contest. It is good, but it needed way more time to develop. Things feel rushed and overall not focused. Had the story been given a chance to grow, it likely would have been a highlight of the weekend as oppose to a mostly unremarkable outing. Both men were WAY better the night before.
-On paper, the four-way world title match between Jerry Lynn, Bryan Danielson, Erick Stevens and D’Lo Brown hardly sounded exciting. In execution, the bout plays out as mostly enjoyable. They pack a lot of action into a short period of time, which is nice, and everybody is allowed a spot or two to let them stand out. Good stuff.
-Tyler Black and Austin Aries standing on opposite sides of a tag team contest is nothing new to this weekend, but pairing them with KENTA and Katsuhiko Nakajima certainly keeps it from feeling like a repeat of the night before. The real story here is the competition between KENTA and Nakajima, two men who light up the ring every time they go kick-to-kick against each other. Black and Aries are both on top of their games here as well, but it is KENTA and Nakajima that bring this one to the next level. This is definitely the best match of the show. Great stuff.
Overall Take No Prisoners 2009 is a bit of a disappointment as much of the card feels hurried through and rehashed from literally the night before. This final taped pay-per-view effort from ROH feels lazy, and that is frustrating. If it weren’t for KENTA and Nakajima in the main event, there wouldn’t be a single “pay-per-view” quality bout to this pay-per-view show. That bothers me.
Let’s go match by match through the show and find out:
-Actually really like the opener between Colt Cabana and Ace Steel. The student vs. teacher vibe is in full effect, and both men play it up very well. Good way to start the night.
-Remember that time I swooned over the six-man tag that pit Kevin Steen, Jay Briscoe, and Magno against Eddie Edwards, Chris Hero, and Incognito? The eight-man tag here, which adds El Generico and Davey Richards respectively to each team, didn’t quite elicit my love anywhere near as much. The contest comes off as common and uneventful. And short. Basically if you want to see most of these men do battle, go back and watch Supercard Of Honor IV where they did it right the first time.
-Have to admit, I really enjoyed Jimmy Jacobs vs. Necro Butcher here. There is lots of blood, lots of crazy spots, and lots of chemistry between the two that ties the match together.
-Not to undersell Claudio Castagnoli, Brent Albright, or Blue Demon, Jr., but if you were going to remove one element from the entertaining four-way from SOH IV to make it a three-way, El Generico should not have been it. Not much of anything happens between Claudio, Albright, and Demon, making for a completely forgettable match. But hey, you could just go watch the aforementioned bout from the night before! Common theme alert!
-Roderick Strong vs. Alex Koslov should be a much better contest. It is good, but it needed way more time to develop. Things feel rushed and overall not focused. Had the story been given a chance to grow, it likely would have been a highlight of the weekend as oppose to a mostly unremarkable outing. Both men were WAY better the night before.
-On paper, the four-way world title match between Jerry Lynn, Bryan Danielson, Erick Stevens and D’Lo Brown hardly sounded exciting. In execution, the bout plays out as mostly enjoyable. They pack a lot of action into a short period of time, which is nice, and everybody is allowed a spot or two to let them stand out. Good stuff.
-Tyler Black and Austin Aries standing on opposite sides of a tag team contest is nothing new to this weekend, but pairing them with KENTA and Katsuhiko Nakajima certainly keeps it from feeling like a repeat of the night before. The real story here is the competition between KENTA and Nakajima, two men who light up the ring every time they go kick-to-kick against each other. Black and Aries are both on top of their games here as well, but it is KENTA and Nakajima that bring this one to the next level. This is definitely the best match of the show. Great stuff.
Overall Take No Prisoners 2009 is a bit of a disappointment as much of the card feels hurried through and rehashed from literally the night before. This final taped pay-per-view effort from ROH feels lazy, and that is frustrating. If it weren’t for KENTA and Nakajima in the main event, there wouldn’t be a single “pay-per-view” quality bout to this pay-per-view show. That bothers me.
Friday, July 2, 2010
SOH IV
There are times when I question why I am watching so many wrestling shows from the same year. And then there are times when I watch a few shows in a row that are all excellent, and really I can’t complain at all. Missing any of these events would have been a severe disservice to myself!
Ring Of Honor’s Supercard Of Honor IV (4/3/09) marks the fifth show in a row that I’d argue as being brilliant. As the first half of the ROH WrestleMania Weekend tradition, SOH IV sets out with an epic card full of potential show-stealing bouts. Of course they can’t all steal the show, but that doesn’t stop them from adding up to a show that steals the year!
Let’s go match by match through the night:
-Have to admit, Rhett Titus wowed me a little in his meeting with Erick Stevens. Some of Titus’ weaknesses were still apparent, like his overuse of posing, but his work was generally more crisp and flawless then I can ever recall seeing from him before. Rhett has come into his own as a solid grappler. Stevens looks good too, making this an overall really strong opener.
-Wasn’t expecting much out of the six-man tag pitting Chris Hero, Eddie Edwards, and Incognito against Kevin Steen, Jay Briscoe, and Magno, but holy cow did it turn out to be amazing! I love unexpected moments in matches, and there’s a big one here that leads to lots of clever improvisation. An entertaining, exhilarating, and overall tremendous contest!
-Again, wow. Just WOW. Roderick Strong and Katsuhiko Nakajima follow up the six-man with an incredible, hard-hitting bout that is full of so much intensity and excitement that it basically leaps off of your TV and dropkicks you in the chin with awesomeness! I love the zeal these two have and how they completely go for it the whole match through. Fantastic!
-There really isn’t much to talk about with Bobby Dempsey vs. Kamala, but that’s not a complaint. The segment is entertaining and a nice break after the two previous matches.
-There must have been a box of Wheaties getting passed around the locker room before this show, because everybody is more than on their game tonight! Another superb contest with El Generico taking on Claudio Castagnoli, Blue Demon, Jr., and Brent Albright in a four-way! Everybody looks like a star in this thrilling bout!
-Bryan Danielson and Alex Koslov have an amusing, well paced match that really shows off Koslov’s strengths. Danielson’s too, but when doesn’t Danielson remind us of how great he is? Koslov is an ace at selling, has some really clever spots, and more than keeps up with Danielson in the ring. Really good stuff, and another strong part of this blow-away show.
-A nice change of pace and style to the night with Colt Cabana vs. D’Lo Brown. They work what we’ll call a “heavyweight” style, for lack of a better term, and together they work it very well. There is great chemistry between the two men. Good match.
-A lot has been said about Davey Richards vs. KENTA. It is possible that no other match on the indie scene in 2009 received more instant praise and adoration than their encounter here. It has been called Match of the Year, and labeled with five stars by those that trust in the star rating system. From where I sit, Davey vs. KENTA was great, really great, but excellent? Not quite.
It could be that there has just been too much hype surrounding the bout, or perhaps other viewers were pulled in more by these two athletes. Having watched this contest three times now, wondering what I was missing after the first two times, I have to simply assume that this is a case of me disagreeing with everybody else. And that’s okay.
I do respect KENTA and Davey for their remarkable showing. Their flow is fantastic, and the way they build the match to the point where every move could be the last is quite the sight. I just didn’t get as much story out of this as say Strong/Nakajima. Nor did I get the same level of intensity, or at least the selling of said intensity.
Davey vs. KENTA is without question immense and a big part of making this overall night outstanding, but it isn’t my favorite bout on the card, let alone of the year. Good stuff though, I do want to stress that.
-There are some really enjoyable moments with Austin Aries and Jimmy Jacobs vs. Tyler Black and Necro Butcher. I especially liked the constant teasing and build-up of big spots that paid off huge when they were finally achieved. The four keep it interesting if nothing else.
-We’ve hit the end. Nigel McGuinness vs. Jerry Lynn. ROH World Title on the line. The match is high-quality, particularly considering Nigel’s multitude of injuries. He shouldn’t be able to pull off half the things he does with a body as beaten down as his. In some ways, this match follows a similar story to that of KENTA vs. Nigel from the previous ROH show. It doesn’t quite match up – the KENTA contest had many unexpected spots and moments that really blew me away – but that isn’t to say that Lynn and McGuinness don’t go all out to really put a final exclamation point on the night.
Another really good bout, which I know I’ve said a lot of times throughout this review but hey, that just shows you how unbelievable this event is.
Ring Of Honor’s Supercard Of Honor IV (4/3/09) marks the fifth show in a row that I’d argue as being brilliant. As the first half of the ROH WrestleMania Weekend tradition, SOH IV sets out with an epic card full of potential show-stealing bouts. Of course they can’t all steal the show, but that doesn’t stop them from adding up to a show that steals the year!
Let’s go match by match through the night:
-Have to admit, Rhett Titus wowed me a little in his meeting with Erick Stevens. Some of Titus’ weaknesses were still apparent, like his overuse of posing, but his work was generally more crisp and flawless then I can ever recall seeing from him before. Rhett has come into his own as a solid grappler. Stevens looks good too, making this an overall really strong opener.
-Wasn’t expecting much out of the six-man tag pitting Chris Hero, Eddie Edwards, and Incognito against Kevin Steen, Jay Briscoe, and Magno, but holy cow did it turn out to be amazing! I love unexpected moments in matches, and there’s a big one here that leads to lots of clever improvisation. An entertaining, exhilarating, and overall tremendous contest!
-Again, wow. Just WOW. Roderick Strong and Katsuhiko Nakajima follow up the six-man with an incredible, hard-hitting bout that is full of so much intensity and excitement that it basically leaps off of your TV and dropkicks you in the chin with awesomeness! I love the zeal these two have and how they completely go for it the whole match through. Fantastic!
-There really isn’t much to talk about with Bobby Dempsey vs. Kamala, but that’s not a complaint. The segment is entertaining and a nice break after the two previous matches.
-There must have been a box of Wheaties getting passed around the locker room before this show, because everybody is more than on their game tonight! Another superb contest with El Generico taking on Claudio Castagnoli, Blue Demon, Jr., and Brent Albright in a four-way! Everybody looks like a star in this thrilling bout!
-Bryan Danielson and Alex Koslov have an amusing, well paced match that really shows off Koslov’s strengths. Danielson’s too, but when doesn’t Danielson remind us of how great he is? Koslov is an ace at selling, has some really clever spots, and more than keeps up with Danielson in the ring. Really good stuff, and another strong part of this blow-away show.
-A nice change of pace and style to the night with Colt Cabana vs. D’Lo Brown. They work what we’ll call a “heavyweight” style, for lack of a better term, and together they work it very well. There is great chemistry between the two men. Good match.
-A lot has been said about Davey Richards vs. KENTA. It is possible that no other match on the indie scene in 2009 received more instant praise and adoration than their encounter here. It has been called Match of the Year, and labeled with five stars by those that trust in the star rating system. From where I sit, Davey vs. KENTA was great, really great, but excellent? Not quite.
It could be that there has just been too much hype surrounding the bout, or perhaps other viewers were pulled in more by these two athletes. Having watched this contest three times now, wondering what I was missing after the first two times, I have to simply assume that this is a case of me disagreeing with everybody else. And that’s okay.
I do respect KENTA and Davey for their remarkable showing. Their flow is fantastic, and the way they build the match to the point where every move could be the last is quite the sight. I just didn’t get as much story out of this as say Strong/Nakajima. Nor did I get the same level of intensity, or at least the selling of said intensity.
Davey vs. KENTA is without question immense and a big part of making this overall night outstanding, but it isn’t my favorite bout on the card, let alone of the year. Good stuff though, I do want to stress that.
-There are some really enjoyable moments with Austin Aries and Jimmy Jacobs vs. Tyler Black and Necro Butcher. I especially liked the constant teasing and build-up of big spots that paid off huge when they were finally achieved. The four keep it interesting if nothing else.
-We’ve hit the end. Nigel McGuinness vs. Jerry Lynn. ROH World Title on the line. The match is high-quality, particularly considering Nigel’s multitude of injuries. He shouldn’t be able to pull off half the things he does with a body as beaten down as his. In some ways, this match follows a similar story to that of KENTA vs. Nigel from the previous ROH show. It doesn’t quite match up – the KENTA contest had many unexpected spots and moments that really blew me away – but that isn’t to say that Lynn and McGuinness don’t go all out to really put a final exclamation point on the night.
Another really good bout, which I know I’ve said a lot of times throughout this review but hey, that just shows you how unbelievable this event is.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Finishing out the Trios!
Now to finish off the festivities, let’s go match by match through Chikara King Of Trios 2009 Night 3 (3/29/09). Again, spoilers aplenty, consider this your final warning.
-The opening match, a semi-final of the tournament, is easily the best match for The UnStable all weekend. Guess that isn’t too hard to pull off going against Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson, and Dave Taylor. Good way to start the night. Especially enjoy that Danielson is now selling an injury that started the previous night and made worse by Vin Gerard and his goons. That’s dedication to a story.
-Second semi-final contest, F.I.S.T. vs. The Future Is Now, and this continues F.I.S.T.’s strong showing over the three shows. The Future Is Now looks great too, but Chuck Taylor, Icarus, and Gran Akuma have been solid gold all weekend long. And I must say officially now, commit this to what we’ve replaces paper with in the future, Chuck Taylor’s Awful Waffle is my favorite finishing move today, period.
-Arik Cannon and El Generico are great, just great. And their match here is great, really great. But what I love most about these guys is how obvious it is that they have different levels of greatness achievable at any time. They can be mid-card great, they can be main event great, it all depends on what is being asked for. Great as this match is, you just know they could have one even greater if they wanted to. And that’s awesome.
-The Tag Team Gauntlet is a mixed bag, but ultimately it is entertaining. Getting essentially eleven mini-matches never hurt anybody, and when some of those minis include The Young Bucks vs. Da Soul Touchaz, The Young Bucks vs. Cheech And Cloudy, and Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw vs. Brodie Lee and Grizzly Redwood, you really can’t complain. It runs long, and begins to feel predictable, but overall it is a good time.
-Lots of amusing action and moments in the eight-man tag with Kudo, Michael Nakazawa and The Osirian Portal taking on The Colony and the North Star Express. If you ever wondered how many baby oil spots can be worked into one match, you will have your answer here.
-Don’t want to call it an indie scene dream match, but I will admit to salivating when I read that there was an Austin Aries and Eddie Kingston clash here. The bout is everything any fan of the two would expect – well paced, well worked, and well served by the intensity of both men. Well done.
-Kota Ibushi already earned his money printing status during the four-way on the previous show, and here he pays it forward by helping to make Player Dos look better than he ever has before! Dos always had tons of potential, but on this night his star is realized. Ibushi and Dos move at a lightening-quick pace and bust out some completely unpredictable spots and moments to make for a really amazing match. If you remember only one thing from Trios weekend, remember how grand these two proved themselves to be.
-At last we’ve reached the end, and what an ending it is. F.I.S.T. is relentless, and Team Uppercut is suddenly on a whole new playing field. Claudio and company’s dominance throughout the tournament has led to this moment, battling the homegrown team that arguably wants the win more than anybody else. I love the work F.I.S.T. does on Danielson’s injury, again playing off the story that has grown throughout the weekend. The finish is perfect, and generally speaking this is one of the best trios matches of the weekend. What an excellent finish to an exceptional set of shows.
-The opening match, a semi-final of the tournament, is easily the best match for The UnStable all weekend. Guess that isn’t too hard to pull off going against Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson, and Dave Taylor. Good way to start the night. Especially enjoy that Danielson is now selling an injury that started the previous night and made worse by Vin Gerard and his goons. That’s dedication to a story.
-Second semi-final contest, F.I.S.T. vs. The Future Is Now, and this continues F.I.S.T.’s strong showing over the three shows. The Future Is Now looks great too, but Chuck Taylor, Icarus, and Gran Akuma have been solid gold all weekend long. And I must say officially now, commit this to what we’ve replaces paper with in the future, Chuck Taylor’s Awful Waffle is my favorite finishing move today, period.
-Arik Cannon and El Generico are great, just great. And their match here is great, really great. But what I love most about these guys is how obvious it is that they have different levels of greatness achievable at any time. They can be mid-card great, they can be main event great, it all depends on what is being asked for. Great as this match is, you just know they could have one even greater if they wanted to. And that’s awesome.
-The Tag Team Gauntlet is a mixed bag, but ultimately it is entertaining. Getting essentially eleven mini-matches never hurt anybody, and when some of those minis include The Young Bucks vs. Da Soul Touchaz, The Young Bucks vs. Cheech And Cloudy, and Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw vs. Brodie Lee and Grizzly Redwood, you really can’t complain. It runs long, and begins to feel predictable, but overall it is a good time.
-Lots of amusing action and moments in the eight-man tag with Kudo, Michael Nakazawa and The Osirian Portal taking on The Colony and the North Star Express. If you ever wondered how many baby oil spots can be worked into one match, you will have your answer here.
-Don’t want to call it an indie scene dream match, but I will admit to salivating when I read that there was an Austin Aries and Eddie Kingston clash here. The bout is everything any fan of the two would expect – well paced, well worked, and well served by the intensity of both men. Well done.
-Kota Ibushi already earned his money printing status during the four-way on the previous show, and here he pays it forward by helping to make Player Dos look better than he ever has before! Dos always had tons of potential, but on this night his star is realized. Ibushi and Dos move at a lightening-quick pace and bust out some completely unpredictable spots and moments to make for a really amazing match. If you remember only one thing from Trios weekend, remember how grand these two proved themselves to be.
-At last we’ve reached the end, and what an ending it is. F.I.S.T. is relentless, and Team Uppercut is suddenly on a whole new playing field. Claudio and company’s dominance throughout the tournament has led to this moment, battling the homegrown team that arguably wants the win more than anybody else. I love the work F.I.S.T. does on Danielson’s injury, again playing off the story that has grown throughout the weekend. The finish is perfect, and generally speaking this is one of the best trios matches of the weekend. What an excellent finish to an exceptional set of shows.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Mark Wahlberg/George Clooney movie reference here...Night 2
Time now to look at CHIKARA King of Trios 2009 Night 2 (3/28/09) and since almost every match is based on the results of the previous night, be aware that there are SPOILERS aplenty ahead.
-Opening the show with the first of two four-way Rey De Voladores qualifying matches is smart. There’s nothing like some fast-paced action to set the tone for the night. Austin Aries is no longer in fan friendly mode, instead playing his wicked ways up to the max as the only heel in the bout. Matt Jackson, Player Dos, and Fire Ant all mix perfectly with Aries and each other, making for an outstanding contest.
-The first of the quarter-finals round of the Trios tournament is next, with Team F.I.S.T. taking on the F1rst Family in what may be the single best trios match of the entire weekend. If there was a recipe for how to have the perfect six-man tag bout, this would be it. From mat work to aerial offense, these teams are tremendous and they go all out to get through to the next round. What an excellent match.
-Initially when I watched these shows, many moons ago, there was one match that I absolutely hated with all the fire of seven suns or some derivative there of – the LWA offer match of The Submission Squad vs. Davey Vega and Gary The Barn Owl. Giving this bout a second viewing, I can honestly say that hate is a strong word, but I really really don’t like it (hey there Plain White T’s!)
There is a lot wrong here, from the Submission Squad not being able to pull off even a half convincing submission hold, to Gary The Barn Owl having the most amazing ring name ever and being a total disappointment once you see him. I call this the Wonder Bra phenomenon – big on first impression, big letdown once you see what’s behind it. Truthfully, the match isn’t worthy of a “classically bad” status, but it is a waste of time that is totally out of place on this show. I’d like to say it is forgettable, but Gary The Barn Owl will haunt your dreams. View at your own risk.
-The Osirian Portal vs. The Future Is Now starts out pretty good, it really does. And then Escorpion Egipcio accidentally rips Lince Dorado’s ear off of his mask, and following that moment, the bout goes completely down hill. It is as if none of the competitors knows what to do anymore, and a complete cluster continues in place of the once well oiled match. A shame, since things really did start out pretty good. As an aside let me say Lince should now be considered the kid-friendly lucha version of Cactus Jack, given the ear incident.
-I might as well stop watching the rest of 2009 right now, because I’ve seen the match of the year, hands down, no way anything is better than this. This being the four-way Rey De Voladores qualifier of El Generico vs. Nick Jackson vs. Jigsaw vs. Kota Ibushi. No matter how many times you see this bout, it will still find new ways to surprise you with each viewing. Everybody looks incredible, and so many moments are beyond jaw-dropping in their levels of awesomeness. What brilliance, plain flat-out brilliance.
-It is no easy feat to follow up the previous contest, but The UnStable and Da Soul Touchaz do as good a job as anybody could hope for. Their match is entertaining if nothing else. Really can’t ask for more. And if you wanted more, just go back and watch the four-way again, because that match has everything you will ever need.
-Twiggy vs. Player Uno is our ISW offer match, and the first singles bout of the weekend. The two work really well with each other, and Player Uno in particular looks better here than he has in any other of his singles outings I’ve seen before. Good, fun stuff.
-This tournament would have been missing something if Team Uppercut and The Masters Of A Thousand Holds didn’t cross paths at some point. Their clash is naturally chock-full of remarkable mat-based wrestling. Anybody who is a fan of scientific in-ring work should be in heaven with this one. It really is quite grand and a privilege to watch.
-Opening the show with the first of two four-way Rey De Voladores qualifying matches is smart. There’s nothing like some fast-paced action to set the tone for the night. Austin Aries is no longer in fan friendly mode, instead playing his wicked ways up to the max as the only heel in the bout. Matt Jackson, Player Dos, and Fire Ant all mix perfectly with Aries and each other, making for an outstanding contest.
-The first of the quarter-finals round of the Trios tournament is next, with Team F.I.S.T. taking on the F1rst Family in what may be the single best trios match of the entire weekend. If there was a recipe for how to have the perfect six-man tag bout, this would be it. From mat work to aerial offense, these teams are tremendous and they go all out to get through to the next round. What an excellent match.
-Initially when I watched these shows, many moons ago, there was one match that I absolutely hated with all the fire of seven suns or some derivative there of – the LWA offer match of The Submission Squad vs. Davey Vega and Gary The Barn Owl. Giving this bout a second viewing, I can honestly say that hate is a strong word, but I really really don’t like it (hey there Plain White T’s!)
There is a lot wrong here, from the Submission Squad not being able to pull off even a half convincing submission hold, to Gary The Barn Owl having the most amazing ring name ever and being a total disappointment once you see him. I call this the Wonder Bra phenomenon – big on first impression, big letdown once you see what’s behind it. Truthfully, the match isn’t worthy of a “classically bad” status, but it is a waste of time that is totally out of place on this show. I’d like to say it is forgettable, but Gary The Barn Owl will haunt your dreams. View at your own risk.
-The Osirian Portal vs. The Future Is Now starts out pretty good, it really does. And then Escorpion Egipcio accidentally rips Lince Dorado’s ear off of his mask, and following that moment, the bout goes completely down hill. It is as if none of the competitors knows what to do anymore, and a complete cluster continues in place of the once well oiled match. A shame, since things really did start out pretty good. As an aside let me say Lince should now be considered the kid-friendly lucha version of Cactus Jack, given the ear incident.
-I might as well stop watching the rest of 2009 right now, because I’ve seen the match of the year, hands down, no way anything is better than this. This being the four-way Rey De Voladores qualifier of El Generico vs. Nick Jackson vs. Jigsaw vs. Kota Ibushi. No matter how many times you see this bout, it will still find new ways to surprise you with each viewing. Everybody looks incredible, and so many moments are beyond jaw-dropping in their levels of awesomeness. What brilliance, plain flat-out brilliance.
-It is no easy feat to follow up the previous contest, but The UnStable and Da Soul Touchaz do as good a job as anybody could hope for. Their match is entertaining if nothing else. Really can’t ask for more. And if you wanted more, just go back and watch the four-way again, because that match has everything you will ever need.
-Twiggy vs. Player Uno is our ISW offer match, and the first singles bout of the weekend. The two work really well with each other, and Player Uno in particular looks better here than he has in any other of his singles outings I’ve seen before. Good, fun stuff.
-This tournament would have been missing something if Team Uppercut and The Masters Of A Thousand Holds didn’t cross paths at some point. Their clash is naturally chock-full of remarkable mat-based wrestling. Anybody who is a fan of scientific in-ring work should be in heaven with this one. It really is quite grand and a privilege to watch.
Monday, June 28, 2010
The Night One Of The King Of The Trios Of 2009 Tournament!
CHIKARA’s annual King Of Trios weekend has grown into arguably the biggest tournament on the independent pro wrestling scene. The 2009 edition keeps that reputation alive with 16 unique teams, some homegrown and some from countries on the other side of the world, all battling for the honor of being the best three man band around!
And now to tackle these shows, starting from the beginning! And fair warning, specifically for nights two and three of this tackling – given the nature of these events, it is essentially impossible to speak about without spoiling some results. Therefore, consider yourself spoiler-warned.
Here we go, match by match for King Of Trios 2009 Night 1 (3/27/09):
-FAN FRIENDLY AUSTIN ARIES IS THE GREATEST THING EVER! With that out of my system, I can now tell you that Team EPIC WAR vs. The F1rst Family is quite great, with a fantastic amount of entertaining spots that leave all six men looking strong. What an excellent way to start the night off.
-I wanted to like The Osirian Portal vs. Team PWG a lot more than I did. It is a good match, but there are a ton of blown spots that leave an overall awkward impression. The moments that do go smoothly come off brilliantly, and El Generico especially looks like an all-star among the contenders.
-If any match had ultimate styles clash written all over it, The Roughnecks of Brodie Lee, Grizzly Redwood, and Eddie Kingston taking on Team Uppercut of Claudio Castagnoli, Dave Taylor, and Bryan Danielson was it. Somehow everything comes together impeccably and makes for a really enjoyable bout. Kingston clashing with Danielson is grander than any fan of both men could hope for, and Claudio’s biggest swing ever on the littlest lumberjack is a sight that must be seen.
-These pairings have been on fire tonight! Team CZW and Da Soul Touchaz mix like Absolute Vanilla and Ginger Ale (go ahead, go try it, this write-up will still be here when you get back, and it’ll be way funnier to read). From the opening match shenanigans to the high flying final stretch, everything is a blast!
-Easily the most unique six-man of the night, Team F.I.S.T. and the Death Match Kings have a fun brawl followed by some pretty strong in-ring competition. It works both as a shining example of what each team is known for, and proof that both sets of stars can step out of their comfort zones and still deliver the goods. Best match of the night, if only because it is so fresh and different from everything else.
-The flippy-dos and crazy spots fill for the evening is easily achieved by The Future Is Now vs. Team DDT. For better or worse, and my view falls somewhere in the middle, the match is like watching a high speed car crash. Bodies flying all over, dogs and cats living together peacefully, just complete and utter chaos. Helios and Kota Ibushi are the best on their respective teams, and anytime they are in the ring things really excel. But a sense of overkill does linger in the air. Good bout, but it may be trying a bit too hard.
-Really enjoyed the dynamics of the Incoherence vs. Masters Of A Thousand Holds contest. The rookie Frightmare is given a real chance to explode as he more than holds his own against established vets Mike Quackenbush, Jorge Rivera, and Johnny Saint. Hallowicked goes toe to toe with Quack in a really great student/teacher showdown that proves exactly how brilliant Hallowicked is in the ring. And Delirious does a great job of taking a beating and making sure everybody looks good giving it to him. Plus, at 71 years old, Johnny Saint is a wonder to watch. The stuff he pulls off is truly amazing. Really you can’t ask for more from this match.
-Wasn’t expecting that the last match of the night would be my least favorite. Something about the pairing of The UnStable against The Cold Front of Al Snow, Glacier, and D-Lo Brown just didn’t make for great wrestling. Not that any of these guys are bad per se, but none of them are particularly that great. The match leaves a lot to be desired. At 26 minutes it is far and away the longest bout of the night, and it shows. They gave me a marathon when I wanted a sprint.
And now to tackle these shows, starting from the beginning! And fair warning, specifically for nights two and three of this tackling – given the nature of these events, it is essentially impossible to speak about without spoiling some results. Therefore, consider yourself spoiler-warned.
Here we go, match by match for King Of Trios 2009 Night 1 (3/27/09):
-FAN FRIENDLY AUSTIN ARIES IS THE GREATEST THING EVER! With that out of my system, I can now tell you that Team EPIC WAR vs. The F1rst Family is quite great, with a fantastic amount of entertaining spots that leave all six men looking strong. What an excellent way to start the night off.
-I wanted to like The Osirian Portal vs. Team PWG a lot more than I did. It is a good match, but there are a ton of blown spots that leave an overall awkward impression. The moments that do go smoothly come off brilliantly, and El Generico especially looks like an all-star among the contenders.
-If any match had ultimate styles clash written all over it, The Roughnecks of Brodie Lee, Grizzly Redwood, and Eddie Kingston taking on Team Uppercut of Claudio Castagnoli, Dave Taylor, and Bryan Danielson was it. Somehow everything comes together impeccably and makes for a really enjoyable bout. Kingston clashing with Danielson is grander than any fan of both men could hope for, and Claudio’s biggest swing ever on the littlest lumberjack is a sight that must be seen.
-These pairings have been on fire tonight! Team CZW and Da Soul Touchaz mix like Absolute Vanilla and Ginger Ale (go ahead, go try it, this write-up will still be here when you get back, and it’ll be way funnier to read). From the opening match shenanigans to the high flying final stretch, everything is a blast!
-Easily the most unique six-man of the night, Team F.I.S.T. and the Death Match Kings have a fun brawl followed by some pretty strong in-ring competition. It works both as a shining example of what each team is known for, and proof that both sets of stars can step out of their comfort zones and still deliver the goods. Best match of the night, if only because it is so fresh and different from everything else.
-The flippy-dos and crazy spots fill for the evening is easily achieved by The Future Is Now vs. Team DDT. For better or worse, and my view falls somewhere in the middle, the match is like watching a high speed car crash. Bodies flying all over, dogs and cats living together peacefully, just complete and utter chaos. Helios and Kota Ibushi are the best on their respective teams, and anytime they are in the ring things really excel. But a sense of overkill does linger in the air. Good bout, but it may be trying a bit too hard.
-Really enjoyed the dynamics of the Incoherence vs. Masters Of A Thousand Holds contest. The rookie Frightmare is given a real chance to explode as he more than holds his own against established vets Mike Quackenbush, Jorge Rivera, and Johnny Saint. Hallowicked goes toe to toe with Quack in a really great student/teacher showdown that proves exactly how brilliant Hallowicked is in the ring. And Delirious does a great job of taking a beating and making sure everybody looks good giving it to him. Plus, at 71 years old, Johnny Saint is a wonder to watch. The stuff he pulls off is truly amazing. Really you can’t ask for more from this match.
-Wasn’t expecting that the last match of the night would be my least favorite. Something about the pairing of The UnStable against The Cold Front of Al Snow, Glacier, and D-Lo Brown just didn’t make for great wrestling. Not that any of these guys are bad per se, but none of them are particularly that great. The match leaves a lot to be desired. At 26 minutes it is far and away the longest bout of the night, and it shows. They gave me a marathon when I wanted a sprint.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
And now the BIG one...
At last we’ve hit the first milestone on the annual Ring Of Honor calendar year with the 7th Anniversary Show (3/21/09). While I plan to discuss every match on this massive card, there is one bout that must be discussed at the forefront. It is a contest that can easily be described in such clichés as “instant classic,” “epic encounter,” and “match of the year.”
Nigel McGuinness vs. KENTA. ROH World Title on the line. You know from the start that these two will stop at nothing to get the victory; however, the story that develops is something quite unexpected. McGuinness has spent over a year as champion and he has dominated many a challenger in that time. Now Nigel is in a much different position. He is broken and worn, signs of a long title reign finally catching up. Tonight he not only battles the Japanese star in the opposing corner, but also his own body.
For KENTA, this is the perfect opportunity to at last reach the top of this promotion. He pulls no punches, or more accurately kicks, in his quest to capture the prize. But Nigel is wounded and desperate, and willing to go for the gullet with every move he is able to struggle through and pull off.
The intensity between them is off the charts, and the action is at times ferocious. It is a truly blockbuster clash that goes beyond all expectations and becomes something completely unique. All clichés aside, this match is brilliant.
Now on to the other eight bouts on the show:
-Really fun opener pitting Roderick Strong and Erick Stevens against Rhett Titus and Kenny King. These are two of the best tag parings around right now, and their skills shine here. Good times.
-Claudio Castagnoli and Brent Albright have reached a point where their chemistry is a science (see what I did there?) The two have their best battle yet, though once again we are left with a finish that isn’t the most desirable. It would have been nice, especially on this big stage, to have a better ending, but thankfully it isn’t so much of a let down that it takes away from the overall proceedings.
-Greatest Bobby Dempsey match ever! Short, simple, and fun. That’s all I ever asked for! And now I’ve gotten it.
-Jerry Lynn vs. Mike Quackenbush didn’t come off well to me live, but on DVD a lot of the intricacies between the two really shine. Not quite the technical masterpiece of Quack/Danielson from the show prior, but a pretty darn good pure wrestling contest in its own right.
-Fun brawl between the Age Of The Fall with special guest Austin Aries and Age Of The Fall Wolfpac. Any excuse to see these guys dive at each other, a lot, is fine by me. The match really picks up once the numbers dwindle down to the final three. Overall good stuff, the one elimination by disappearance call aside.
-Considering the back of the DVD cover spoils this, I will give the slightest spoiler warning now and then go for exactly what I want to say...okay, good, for those of you who made it to the other side of the ellipsis, here we go – two of the biggest moments of the night come in the ROH returns of Jimmy Rave and Colt Cabana, as they team with Bison Smith and Bryan Danielson, respectively. The contest is a ton of fun, and the excitement in the air almost overshadows any actual wrestling going on.
-My initial fear with Jay Briscoe vs. D-Lo Brown was that this would be another “good competition” bout where there’s really no story to tell but just a friendly contest. Happy to report that sociable is tossed aside for fierce as D-Lo pulls out dirty tactics to try and win his first contest as a regular roster member. The two mix well and the narrative they play through is just right, making for some really good stuff.
-Nobody brings the battle to a tag team war quite like Kevin Steen and El Generico, and here they clash with the American Wolves in another exceptional chapter in their feud. So many fantastic spots and such great work from everybody involved. The match just needs to be seen. This is definitely one of the best feuds of the year, and this will show you why.
Nigel McGuinness vs. KENTA. ROH World Title on the line. You know from the start that these two will stop at nothing to get the victory; however, the story that develops is something quite unexpected. McGuinness has spent over a year as champion and he has dominated many a challenger in that time. Now Nigel is in a much different position. He is broken and worn, signs of a long title reign finally catching up. Tonight he not only battles the Japanese star in the opposing corner, but also his own body.
For KENTA, this is the perfect opportunity to at last reach the top of this promotion. He pulls no punches, or more accurately kicks, in his quest to capture the prize. But Nigel is wounded and desperate, and willing to go for the gullet with every move he is able to struggle through and pull off.
The intensity between them is off the charts, and the action is at times ferocious. It is a truly blockbuster clash that goes beyond all expectations and becomes something completely unique. All clichés aside, this match is brilliant.
Now on to the other eight bouts on the show:
-Really fun opener pitting Roderick Strong and Erick Stevens against Rhett Titus and Kenny King. These are two of the best tag parings around right now, and their skills shine here. Good times.
-Claudio Castagnoli and Brent Albright have reached a point where their chemistry is a science (see what I did there?) The two have their best battle yet, though once again we are left with a finish that isn’t the most desirable. It would have been nice, especially on this big stage, to have a better ending, but thankfully it isn’t so much of a let down that it takes away from the overall proceedings.
-Greatest Bobby Dempsey match ever! Short, simple, and fun. That’s all I ever asked for! And now I’ve gotten it.
-Jerry Lynn vs. Mike Quackenbush didn’t come off well to me live, but on DVD a lot of the intricacies between the two really shine. Not quite the technical masterpiece of Quack/Danielson from the show prior, but a pretty darn good pure wrestling contest in its own right.
-Fun brawl between the Age Of The Fall with special guest Austin Aries and Age Of The Fall Wolfpac. Any excuse to see these guys dive at each other, a lot, is fine by me. The match really picks up once the numbers dwindle down to the final three. Overall good stuff, the one elimination by disappearance call aside.
-Considering the back of the DVD cover spoils this, I will give the slightest spoiler warning now and then go for exactly what I want to say...okay, good, for those of you who made it to the other side of the ellipsis, here we go – two of the biggest moments of the night come in the ROH returns of Jimmy Rave and Colt Cabana, as they team with Bison Smith and Bryan Danielson, respectively. The contest is a ton of fun, and the excitement in the air almost overshadows any actual wrestling going on.
-My initial fear with Jay Briscoe vs. D-Lo Brown was that this would be another “good competition” bout where there’s really no story to tell but just a friendly contest. Happy to report that sociable is tossed aside for fierce as D-Lo pulls out dirty tactics to try and win his first contest as a regular roster member. The two mix well and the narrative they play through is just right, making for some really good stuff.
-Nobody brings the battle to a tag team war quite like Kevin Steen and El Generico, and here they clash with the American Wolves in another exceptional chapter in their feud. So many fantastic spots and such great work from everybody involved. The match just needs to be seen. This is definitely one of the best feuds of the year, and this will show you why.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Tales from the Steel City
Time for the less-big half of Ring of Honor’s first big weekend of the year with “Steel City Clash” (3/20/09).
-I can’t explain what it is about Sterling James Keenan’s look that I like. It should come across as awful and yet he makes it work. Go figure. But past look, Keenan doesn’t strike me as anything all too special. His match with Delirious is basic and unmemorable. If anything leaves a lasting impression, it is the crowd that was seemingly served warm milk before the show and is now ready for nap time. Why so quiet? This is wrestling. Not golf. Not art. Not reading. Wrestling! Make some noise!
-Fantastic storyline development prior to the Rhett Titus and Kenny King vs. Erick Stevens and Matt Cross match, but the bout itself is only okay at best. Again, the crowd is dead, which for me takes away from the ability to be engaged by what is supposed to be thrilling interaction.
-Okay, so it turns out maybe we are watching art here, since the only way to describe Bryan Danielson vs. Mike Quackenbush is as a technical masterpiece. Both men are so skilled and know very well how to infuse their personalities into the subtle strokes of mat wrestling. It is truly a treat to watch. And it was the perfect match for this audience, as the general silence only adds to the incredible mood here. Who saw that coming? Great stuff for sure.
-Props to Jerry Lynn, Claudio Castagnoli, and Brent Albright for following up the intense mat display of Danielson and Quack by going in a different direction and delivering something completely exhilarating. They have lots of thrilling spots and use of the triple threat situation well, which all together makes for a first-rate contest!
-I really have to commend the progression of this card, as it has been a shining example of how using different styles to follow each other can make for a strong, interesting show. After a technical clinic and a spot-filled frenzy, we are now treated to an all-over-the-arena brawl that is so much fun to watch. Tyler Black, Necro Butcher, Jimmy Jacobs, and Brodie Lee all work really hard to give us something we haven’t seen yet tonight, and it pays off completely. Very entertaining, far more so than I was expecting an Age of the Fall vs. Age of the Fall Wolfpac match to be.
-It is such a simple thing, but using Austin Aries avoiding Roderick Strong’s chops as the narrative of their match completely hooked me. It is such a brilliant story, especially considering how well known Strong has become for his forearm strikes, and it makes for a kind of different game being played between the two than one might have expected.
-You know, at the start of this show, I really wasn’t feeling it. Quiet audience, Sterling James Keenan, yada yada. But now that we’ve reached the end I must say wow. Especially wow to the main event, which is loaded with a ton of intensity. Having KENTA and El Generico on one side of the ring and Nigel McGuinness and Davey Richards on the other promised to be something special, but I wasn’t expecting so much electricity and so many exciting moments to happen. That there were stories born here that will follow through to the next show only adds to the overall awesomeness.
-I can’t explain what it is about Sterling James Keenan’s look that I like. It should come across as awful and yet he makes it work. Go figure. But past look, Keenan doesn’t strike me as anything all too special. His match with Delirious is basic and unmemorable. If anything leaves a lasting impression, it is the crowd that was seemingly served warm milk before the show and is now ready for nap time. Why so quiet? This is wrestling. Not golf. Not art. Not reading. Wrestling! Make some noise!
-Fantastic storyline development prior to the Rhett Titus and Kenny King vs. Erick Stevens and Matt Cross match, but the bout itself is only okay at best. Again, the crowd is dead, which for me takes away from the ability to be engaged by what is supposed to be thrilling interaction.
-Okay, so it turns out maybe we are watching art here, since the only way to describe Bryan Danielson vs. Mike Quackenbush is as a technical masterpiece. Both men are so skilled and know very well how to infuse their personalities into the subtle strokes of mat wrestling. It is truly a treat to watch. And it was the perfect match for this audience, as the general silence only adds to the incredible mood here. Who saw that coming? Great stuff for sure.
-Props to Jerry Lynn, Claudio Castagnoli, and Brent Albright for following up the intense mat display of Danielson and Quack by going in a different direction and delivering something completely exhilarating. They have lots of thrilling spots and use of the triple threat situation well, which all together makes for a first-rate contest!
-I really have to commend the progression of this card, as it has been a shining example of how using different styles to follow each other can make for a strong, interesting show. After a technical clinic and a spot-filled frenzy, we are now treated to an all-over-the-arena brawl that is so much fun to watch. Tyler Black, Necro Butcher, Jimmy Jacobs, and Brodie Lee all work really hard to give us something we haven’t seen yet tonight, and it pays off completely. Very entertaining, far more so than I was expecting an Age of the Fall vs. Age of the Fall Wolfpac match to be.
-It is such a simple thing, but using Austin Aries avoiding Roderick Strong’s chops as the narrative of their match completely hooked me. It is such a brilliant story, especially considering how well known Strong has become for his forearm strikes, and it makes for a kind of different game being played between the two than one might have expected.
-You know, at the start of this show, I really wasn’t feeling it. Quiet audience, Sterling James Keenan, yada yada. But now that we’ve reached the end I must say wow. Especially wow to the main event, which is loaded with a ton of intensity. Having KENTA and El Generico on one side of the ring and Nigel McGuinness and Davey Richards on the other promised to be something special, but I wasn’t expecting so much electricity and so many exciting moments to happen. That there were stories born here that will follow through to the next show only adds to the overall awesomeness.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Insanity Unleashed
Match by match for ROH “Insanity Unleashed” (3/14/09) from Indianapolis, IN!
-Wasn’t expecting much from “Spyder” Nate Webb vs. Flash Flannigan, since I really don’t know either guy. Consider me impressed! They have a pretty solid match with both guys showing tons of fantastic personality. Nothing comes off as too memorable in-ring wise, but I am definitely walking away wanting to see more of Nate Webb, and wondering why Flannigan hasn’t been a major heel anywhere big recently because I could see building an entire promotion around the guy.
-My initial reaction to learning that tags were necessary during the three-way dance between Bryan Danielson, Kenny Omega, and Claudio Castagnoli was a resounding “HUH?” This felt like a killing Clark Kent level rule change that just wasn’t going to work. But I have to admit, I pretty well liked this modification to the usual triple threat match. It made for a unique experience here, something different and fresh. Helps that the trio of guys doing battle are able to work the rule change to its fullest and get an interesting story out of the new limitations. All the way around this is really good and really works.
-Jay Briscoes vs. Chris Hero is perfectly fine, if not mostly unmemorable. Can’t really say much more about it, unfortunately, as it is one of those mid-card matches that is simply there.
-You know my love for Kenny King and Rhett Titus as a team, so naturally having the chance to see them fight Kevin Steen and El Generico for the tag belts is quite exciting. But the match itself, sadly to say, is a bit underwhelming. The four men have some fun early on, which is great, but things never really build to the level I was hoping for. Much of the contest feels stuck in the same gear, when it really should have excelled to a much higher notch by the ending. Not bad by any degree, but not what I was expecting based on the past performances of everybody involved.
-That Silas Young gets so much offense in on Bison Smith, as oppose to being completely crushed by the behemoth, makes their clash a pleasant surprise. Nothing to talk up here really, this isn’t a brilliant match or anything, but it is better than it probably had any intention of being.
-Something seemed a bit off between Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, Roderick Strong, and Brent Albright. A lot of moves just seemed oh so slightly out of sync, which becomes a bit distracting. Other then the moments that Richards and Strong share in the ring, which are epic in intensity, the rest of the bout is okay at best and leaves me overall feeling more meh than motivated.
-Ah, Jimmy Jacobs vs. Delirious. Truthfully, this is an entertaining little brawl, with lots of strong interaction between the two. It isn’t the kind of match that steals the show or will be worth looking back on come the end of the year, but it is decently entertaining during the actual proceedings.
-Randomly thrown together tag team main event! Seriously though, I get the idea of having a couple of your main event stars pair-up and scuffle just for the sake of having a good finish to the night, but when the resulting match drags quite a bit, has zero story going on, and ends on an overall flat note, it leaves me feeling quite blah about the whole thing. At least the closing moments, after the encounter is concluded, do something to tease where the overall World Title scene is heading, but everything before that can easily be skipped without missing a thing.
-Wasn’t expecting much from “Spyder” Nate Webb vs. Flash Flannigan, since I really don’t know either guy. Consider me impressed! They have a pretty solid match with both guys showing tons of fantastic personality. Nothing comes off as too memorable in-ring wise, but I am definitely walking away wanting to see more of Nate Webb, and wondering why Flannigan hasn’t been a major heel anywhere big recently because I could see building an entire promotion around the guy.
-My initial reaction to learning that tags were necessary during the three-way dance between Bryan Danielson, Kenny Omega, and Claudio Castagnoli was a resounding “HUH?” This felt like a killing Clark Kent level rule change that just wasn’t going to work. But I have to admit, I pretty well liked this modification to the usual triple threat match. It made for a unique experience here, something different and fresh. Helps that the trio of guys doing battle are able to work the rule change to its fullest and get an interesting story out of the new limitations. All the way around this is really good and really works.
-Jay Briscoes vs. Chris Hero is perfectly fine, if not mostly unmemorable. Can’t really say much more about it, unfortunately, as it is one of those mid-card matches that is simply there.
-You know my love for Kenny King and Rhett Titus as a team, so naturally having the chance to see them fight Kevin Steen and El Generico for the tag belts is quite exciting. But the match itself, sadly to say, is a bit underwhelming. The four men have some fun early on, which is great, but things never really build to the level I was hoping for. Much of the contest feels stuck in the same gear, when it really should have excelled to a much higher notch by the ending. Not bad by any degree, but not what I was expecting based on the past performances of everybody involved.
-That Silas Young gets so much offense in on Bison Smith, as oppose to being completely crushed by the behemoth, makes their clash a pleasant surprise. Nothing to talk up here really, this isn’t a brilliant match or anything, but it is better than it probably had any intention of being.
-Something seemed a bit off between Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, Roderick Strong, and Brent Albright. A lot of moves just seemed oh so slightly out of sync, which becomes a bit distracting. Other then the moments that Richards and Strong share in the ring, which are epic in intensity, the rest of the bout is okay at best and leaves me overall feeling more meh than motivated.
-Ah, Jimmy Jacobs vs. Delirious. Truthfully, this is an entertaining little brawl, with lots of strong interaction between the two. It isn’t the kind of match that steals the show or will be worth looking back on come the end of the year, but it is decently entertaining during the actual proceedings.
-Randomly thrown together tag team main event! Seriously though, I get the idea of having a couple of your main event stars pair-up and scuffle just for the sake of having a good finish to the night, but when the resulting match drags quite a bit, has zero story going on, and ends on an overall flat note, it leaves me feeling quite blah about the whole thing. At least the closing moments, after the encounter is concluded, do something to tease where the overall World Title scene is heading, but everything before that can easily be skipped without missing a thing.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Hindsight and Such...
I keep up on current news with most of the wrestling companies I follow. Especially Ring Of Honor. Especially because I attend a number of their live shows, so being up to date with what is going on is important. So of course I knew about Ric Flair coming into ROH long before watching his first show with the company, “Stylin’ & Profilin’” (3/13/09). And I know how his run with the company went, how it ended on bad terms, and how little it did to bring new fans to ROH. Thus watching that original appearance Flair made with ROH now, it all comes across as very...eh, whatever. It doesn’t help that Flair tries so hard to get his son a match with the ROH World Champion by working that suggestion into a promo and hoping that the eager audience will force the booking to occur (they didn’t).
I’ll move past the “Nature Boy” portion of the show and focus on the matches now. Seems more constructive. And if there’s one thing I’m all about, it’s constructivism. But hey, who isn’t all about abstract artistic movements founded in Russia during the 20th century?
-Now THAT is how you start a show! Jay Briscoe and Roderick Strong have easily one of the best singles matches I’ve seen so far in my 2009 viewing, certainly in ROH and possibly overall. They both show impressive technical prowess, both turn the intensity meter a little bit past ten, and both just steal this show before it has even really begun. Wow. The great surprise here is while Strong is somebody you expect such aptitude from, Jay Briscoe isn’t. Jay may never be known as a singles wrestler, but he proves here that he can be one of the absolute best. Amazing match, thumbs way up for it.
-Love how much MsChif vs. Daizee Haze feels like a “title” match. I know, I know, it IS a title match, but on paper it just doesn’t have that big bout sound to it. Great use of story and great chemistry between the two women, which is a nice surprise since while I adore MsChif, I don’t always think of Daizee Haze as being that great. But she is, and it shows here. Overall it is a really strong contest.
-Do Silas Young and Austin Aries get paid more to be in the same match whenever they’re booked on the same ROH show? At least Claudio Castagnoli and Kenny Omega are added to the mix, making for an at times exciting four-way attraction. Lots of good work from everybody involved.
-Honestly, I really didn’t enjoy the six-man pitting Kevin Steen, El Generico, and Bobby Dempsey against Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, and Chris Hero. Anytime the American Wolves and Steen and Generico interacted, things were somewhat interesting, but most of the match just did not click with me. Dempsey really doesn’t belong in there. And Hero is good, but he feels a little odd man out when what we really want to see is the Wolves and Steen and Generico going after each other uninterrupted. Overall a meh match, unfortunately.
-It is crazy how great a team Kenny King and Rhett Titus have become. The connection they have is amazing, and a real treat to watch. Their bout here with Irish Airborne, who I like a lot as well, is highly enjoyable, even if it is clearly designed to make King and Titus look good. Truth is, the Irish Airborne also come out looking like gold, which is no small feat for what could have amounted to a squash match.
-We’ve seen the American Dragon vs. The Monster storyline before, in the classic Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima series back in 2007. It is only natural to think back to those matches while watching Danielson battle Bison Smith today. While Danielson vs. Smith is pretty good here, it is not Danielson vs. Morishima good by a long shot. Much of the first half of the bout drags, with Smith keeping it at a slow pace as he is in control. Things then build up, some really exciting moments occur, and then, unfortunately, we get the finish. To say the match ends just when it was getting good is an understatement. As a first battle in a potential series, it works, and the ending makes sense, but it is still a bit underwhelming that just as it is really heating up, things abruptly conclude.
-All I want to say about Tyler Black and Jerry Lynn vs. Jimmy Jacobs and Delirious is that there is finally some major storyline progress at the end of the bout, and finally we seem to have seen the last of the Jacobs and Delirious against random combination of Black, Lynn, Necro Butcher, and Bryan Danielson matches. Not that they were bad, they were just left in the frying pan way too long (I could have just said “overdone,” but the frying pan line seemed more fun).
-Second time we’ve seen Nigel McGuinness and Brent Albright grapple recently, and once again both men shine. The chemistry shared between these two is phenomenal. I love the work both men do here, and how the story escalates until you just cannot wait to see how it will end. Unfortunately, the ending does come off as somewhat anti-climatic, but everything up to that point deserves the highest of praise. I wonder if a third, decisive meeting between the two is waiting in my DVD watching future.
I’ll move past the “Nature Boy” portion of the show and focus on the matches now. Seems more constructive. And if there’s one thing I’m all about, it’s constructivism. But hey, who isn’t all about abstract artistic movements founded in Russia during the 20th century?
-Now THAT is how you start a show! Jay Briscoe and Roderick Strong have easily one of the best singles matches I’ve seen so far in my 2009 viewing, certainly in ROH and possibly overall. They both show impressive technical prowess, both turn the intensity meter a little bit past ten, and both just steal this show before it has even really begun. Wow. The great surprise here is while Strong is somebody you expect such aptitude from, Jay Briscoe isn’t. Jay may never be known as a singles wrestler, but he proves here that he can be one of the absolute best. Amazing match, thumbs way up for it.
-Love how much MsChif vs. Daizee Haze feels like a “title” match. I know, I know, it IS a title match, but on paper it just doesn’t have that big bout sound to it. Great use of story and great chemistry between the two women, which is a nice surprise since while I adore MsChif, I don’t always think of Daizee Haze as being that great. But she is, and it shows here. Overall it is a really strong contest.
-Do Silas Young and Austin Aries get paid more to be in the same match whenever they’re booked on the same ROH show? At least Claudio Castagnoli and Kenny Omega are added to the mix, making for an at times exciting four-way attraction. Lots of good work from everybody involved.
-Honestly, I really didn’t enjoy the six-man pitting Kevin Steen, El Generico, and Bobby Dempsey against Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, and Chris Hero. Anytime the American Wolves and Steen and Generico interacted, things were somewhat interesting, but most of the match just did not click with me. Dempsey really doesn’t belong in there. And Hero is good, but he feels a little odd man out when what we really want to see is the Wolves and Steen and Generico going after each other uninterrupted. Overall a meh match, unfortunately.
-It is crazy how great a team Kenny King and Rhett Titus have become. The connection they have is amazing, and a real treat to watch. Their bout here with Irish Airborne, who I like a lot as well, is highly enjoyable, even if it is clearly designed to make King and Titus look good. Truth is, the Irish Airborne also come out looking like gold, which is no small feat for what could have amounted to a squash match.
-We’ve seen the American Dragon vs. The Monster storyline before, in the classic Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima series back in 2007. It is only natural to think back to those matches while watching Danielson battle Bison Smith today. While Danielson vs. Smith is pretty good here, it is not Danielson vs. Morishima good by a long shot. Much of the first half of the bout drags, with Smith keeping it at a slow pace as he is in control. Things then build up, some really exciting moments occur, and then, unfortunately, we get the finish. To say the match ends just when it was getting good is an understatement. As a first battle in a potential series, it works, and the ending makes sense, but it is still a bit underwhelming that just as it is really heating up, things abruptly conclude.
-All I want to say about Tyler Black and Jerry Lynn vs. Jimmy Jacobs and Delirious is that there is finally some major storyline progress at the end of the bout, and finally we seem to have seen the last of the Jacobs and Delirious against random combination of Black, Lynn, Necro Butcher, and Bryan Danielson matches. Not that they were bad, they were just left in the frying pan way too long (I could have just said “overdone,” but the frying pan line seemed more fun).
-Second time we’ve seen Nigel McGuinness and Brent Albright grapple recently, and once again both men shine. The chemistry shared between these two is phenomenal. I love the work both men do here, and how the story escalates until you just cannot wait to see how it will end. Unfortunately, the ending does come off as somewhat anti-climatic, but everything up to that point deserves the highest of praise. I wonder if a third, decisive meeting between the two is waiting in my DVD watching future.
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