At last, we’ve reached the end of February! How can a month so short last so long? Our last stop is JAPW “Jersey City Rumble” (2/28/09), hailing from the aforementioned Garden State locale.
-I really like seeing The Osirian Portal as faces. It is completely different from their CHIKARA work, and thus something unique to watch. They have another strong opener here against the Garden State Gods, who individually aren’t that impressive but work really well as a team. Good stuff.
-Flip Kendrick and Louis Lyndon are talented guys, but both can be pretty spotty at times. When they are working equally capable competition, the results tend to be enjoyable. When they are working against people who should never have been allowed to purchase wrestling tights lest they be mistaken for actual wrestlers, the results are what we have here. Bryan Skyline and Jack Verville are horrible. Skyline maybe has some chance of getting better, but at the very least he needs to learn how to throw a decent dropkick. As for Verville, well, when your big moment involves your pants coming down (and why was his ass so red? What did he have to do to get booked on this show anyway?), it really does speak for itself. Kendrick and Lyndon are capable of much better, they just need actual competition.
-Demolition! Yes! So what if they can’t really wrestle anymore, they’re Demolition! They’re awesome by default! The 7-year-old in me marked way too hard for this match to not get my thumbs up. Plus, truthfully, the Heavy Hitters and Ax and Smash do a pretty good job of working a decent bout.
-As a basic tag team contest, The Best Around vs. DNA is perfectly acceptable. There’s even some good in-ring work from everybody involved. But nothing really excited me overall here. I felt a large disconnect from the match, perhaps because The Best Around were clearly playing the good guys when I’m used to them as, and much prefer them in, the bad guy role.
-As the hottest feud coming from the last JAPW show, Eddie Kingston taking on Bandido Jr. had me quite excited. And for the most part their match works. The psychology is great, with Kingston working his maximum impact style and controlling most of the bout, while Bandido Jr. battles back best he can with his arsenal of aerial offense. Past the story, the actual action in the contest is good, but I was expecting some more excitement from the two.
-The Jersey City Rumble is your basic rumble match, with some fun moments, some dull moments, and lots of guys beating up lots of other guys because that’s just what you do in a rumble match. Dan Maff and Jay Lethal, who is so much better here without that stupid “Black Machismo” gimmick he has in TNA, do a ton of great work throughout the contest. Danny Demanto is annoying. Balls Mahoney is tall, and Azriel sure knows how to work a near-elimination spot, I just wish he didn’t milk it so much.
-Without spoiling who wins the rumble, I will say that the main event, featuring Kenny Omega defending the JAPW World Title against said winner, runs way too long to be really enjoyable. There also seems to be a lack of excitement in the bout, which is a shame. The finish comes off fantastically, and had the match been only five minutes with the same finish, I’d probably be praising the overall contest and not just the finale.
And this is where my experience with JAPW ends for 2009. There is a part of me that is interested in seeing what happens next, particularly between Dan Maff and Jay Lethal, but at this point I am so far behind in viewing 2009, and wanting so desperately to start watching 2010 sometime, you know, before 2011, that I cannot justify buying more shows from 2009 to add to my viewing schedule. Sorry JAPW, I may be back, but it won’t be for quite some time.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Eliminating The Competition You've Already Eliminated
Of the many, many shows I have left to watch from 2009 (seriously, why did I buy so many wrestling DVDs from 2009? What the heck?), a large portion of them are, not surprisingly, from Ring of Honor. It occurred to me recently to cut some corners and maybe watch a match or two from certain cards as oppose to the entire thing. Or maybe even omit some entirely, especially if nothing on the bill sound that great.
I was all set to skip most of ROH “Eliminating The Competition” (2/27/09) since the card didn’t strike me as must-see. But as I loaded the DVD, ready to jump ahead to the last few bouts, I had a change of heart. Why not watch the whole thing? Worst case you could always hit the fast forward button during any particularly dull outing. The least I can do is give everything a fair chance. Right?
How glad I am that white guilt set in! The show is great, with every match being quite enjoyable. Allow me to break it down, if you will:
-Bobby Fish is a guy I think I’d be a huge fan of if he worked anywhere that I regularly watched. His random appearances in ROH have always been enjoyable, and that trend stays alive here. Papadon, Fish’s opponent, has a great look and some real potential, I just hate his name. Good opener.
-I’ve never doubted Bobby Dempsey’s talent as a grappler, but seeing him on recent shows, especially here teaming with Erick Stevens against Kenny King and Rhett Titus, makes me wonder if he belongs. Bobby’s inability to fit in really stands out. He looks out of place among his colleagues, and it is distracting. The match is good, but it is Stevens, Titus, and King carrying the load of the work that makes it good.
-Now this is the kind of contest I’ve been wanting from Brent Albright and Claudio Castagnoli! Great action, great chemistry between the two, and a great story. The finish may come off as not the most fulfilling, but I think it works for what it is trying to accomplish. Can’t wait to see these two battle again, and judging by the vast amount of ROH coming up on my viewing list, I probably won’t have to wait long at all.
-I have to praise Chris Hero and Eddie Edwards vs. Jay Briscoe and Kevin Steen as an unexpected near-masterpiece of a match. Every little thing about this contest works, from the intensity pulsating through every maneuver, to the exciting back and forth built between the teams. Add in the fantastically layered relationship between Jay and Steen – an “I respect you, but I don’t like you” connection that makes total sense and helps fuel the narrative of the match – and you have a really fantastic bout overall. Easily the best of the night.
-Any bout that makes me sit in awe at the wrestling ability of Delirious has to be considered first-rate. Yes his opponent, Bryan Danielson, looks great too, but Danielson always looks great. Danielson looking great is almost an afterthought at this point in his ROH tenure. But Delirious’ talents really struck me here. I’m impressed.
-You know I love me some Sami Callihan, so getting to see him in a more serious environment like ROH was quite the pleasant surprise. Callihan has some real in-ring ability, and a natural charisma that comes out even when he isn’t playing up a character. Of course it doesn’t hurt that Austin Aries is his opponent. Together they put on quite the enjoyable contest. Good stuff.
-Okay, so my excitement over watching The Necro Butcher and Brodie Lee clash may be starting to diminish, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the heck out of their street fight here. There are some good spots, and generally a pretty entertaining flow to the whole ordeal. I liked it. Just not sure I need more of it right now.
-The idea of seeing Nigel McGuinness, Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black, and Jerry Lynn in a four-way world title match left me with one thought – this again? Seems like we’ve seen some combination of these four men fighting each other on just about every ROH show so far this year. It feels old. Luckily, the match itself is actually quite good. Lots of great work from all four, who have a fantastic chemistry, arguably born from their many, many contests against each other. There’s even some pretty decent story built during the match. It is overall an engaging experience. I just wish I had been more motivated going into it.
I was all set to skip most of ROH “Eliminating The Competition” (2/27/09) since the card didn’t strike me as must-see. But as I loaded the DVD, ready to jump ahead to the last few bouts, I had a change of heart. Why not watch the whole thing? Worst case you could always hit the fast forward button during any particularly dull outing. The least I can do is give everything a fair chance. Right?
How glad I am that white guilt set in! The show is great, with every match being quite enjoyable. Allow me to break it down, if you will:
-Bobby Fish is a guy I think I’d be a huge fan of if he worked anywhere that I regularly watched. His random appearances in ROH have always been enjoyable, and that trend stays alive here. Papadon, Fish’s opponent, has a great look and some real potential, I just hate his name. Good opener.
-I’ve never doubted Bobby Dempsey’s talent as a grappler, but seeing him on recent shows, especially here teaming with Erick Stevens against Kenny King and Rhett Titus, makes me wonder if he belongs. Bobby’s inability to fit in really stands out. He looks out of place among his colleagues, and it is distracting. The match is good, but it is Stevens, Titus, and King carrying the load of the work that makes it good.
-Now this is the kind of contest I’ve been wanting from Brent Albright and Claudio Castagnoli! Great action, great chemistry between the two, and a great story. The finish may come off as not the most fulfilling, but I think it works for what it is trying to accomplish. Can’t wait to see these two battle again, and judging by the vast amount of ROH coming up on my viewing list, I probably won’t have to wait long at all.
-I have to praise Chris Hero and Eddie Edwards vs. Jay Briscoe and Kevin Steen as an unexpected near-masterpiece of a match. Every little thing about this contest works, from the intensity pulsating through every maneuver, to the exciting back and forth built between the teams. Add in the fantastically layered relationship between Jay and Steen – an “I respect you, but I don’t like you” connection that makes total sense and helps fuel the narrative of the match – and you have a really fantastic bout overall. Easily the best of the night.
-Any bout that makes me sit in awe at the wrestling ability of Delirious has to be considered first-rate. Yes his opponent, Bryan Danielson, looks great too, but Danielson always looks great. Danielson looking great is almost an afterthought at this point in his ROH tenure. But Delirious’ talents really struck me here. I’m impressed.
-You know I love me some Sami Callihan, so getting to see him in a more serious environment like ROH was quite the pleasant surprise. Callihan has some real in-ring ability, and a natural charisma that comes out even when he isn’t playing up a character. Of course it doesn’t hurt that Austin Aries is his opponent. Together they put on quite the enjoyable contest. Good stuff.
-Okay, so my excitement over watching The Necro Butcher and Brodie Lee clash may be starting to diminish, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the heck out of their street fight here. There are some good spots, and generally a pretty entertaining flow to the whole ordeal. I liked it. Just not sure I need more of it right now.
-The idea of seeing Nigel McGuinness, Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black, and Jerry Lynn in a four-way world title match left me with one thought – this again? Seems like we’ve seen some combination of these four men fighting each other on just about every ROH show so far this year. It feels old. Luckily, the match itself is actually quite good. Lots of great work from all four, who have a fantastic chemistry, arguably born from their many, many contests against each other. There’s even some pretty decent story built during the match. It is overall an engaging experience. I just wish I had been more motivated going into it.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Some more February 21, 2009 awesomeness!
Now off to Reseda, CA for our second show for this same calendar date, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s “Express Written Consent” (2/21/09). Can this show, matched with CHIKARA’s Motive, Means, Opportunity, mark February 21, 2009 as the greatest day in indie wrestling ever, obvious over exaggeration not withstanding? Let’s find out!
-Pretty sure the best way to describe the opener between Scorpio Sky and Zokre is not in words, but rather with a series of exclamation points. Thus…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Borderline epic is the perfect phrase for B-Boy vs. TJ Perkins. These two pull out all the stops and really give us something truly exceptional. It runs a little bit longer than necessary, but that is a small complaint to an otherwise blockbuster bout.
-There aren’t a lot of matches you can truly show a non-wrestling fan and expect them to see even remotely what you see that is entertaining about it. But there is El Generico taking on Kenny Omega, which I truly believe could make even the greatest skeptic admit slight amusement. A lot of time is spent clowning around in this one, and it leads to some really fun moments. Add in high-quality grappling scattered throughout and you end up with a vastly enjoyable match. Really quite memorable.
-It was just a few shows ago that I watched Necro Butcher and Austin Aries tangle in Ring of Honor, and now they’ve brought their act to PWG. Seeing them battle in a completely different venue, and having a completely different match than that last one, really has me impressed with both guys. It would have been easy to have essentially the same contest, but they really play off of the particular crowd and do a lot that wouldn’t have worked on the ROH show but is perfect for PWG. Another really fun bout between these two.
-Just when you think you’ve seen every spot and story imaginable in a three-way dance, you discover that true or not, three-ways can still be a ton of fun! There are some great moments of action between Chris Hero, Colt Cabana, and Human Tornado, and it makes for a first-rate contest. Good stuff.
-How do you end an already amazing show in the most unbelievable way possible? You send out The Young Bucks, Paul London, and The Dynasty and have them go crazy in the ring! The Bucks alone make this worth seeing, with their amazing double team moves and brilliant high flying work. London is a bit spotty, but nothing is so bad that it can’t be forgiven. And the work of Karl Anderson, Scott Lost, and Joey Ryan demands to be marveled at. They are a fantastic heel unit. An exciting finish to a fantastic show.
-Pretty sure the best way to describe the opener between Scorpio Sky and Zokre is not in words, but rather with a series of exclamation points. Thus…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Borderline epic is the perfect phrase for B-Boy vs. TJ Perkins. These two pull out all the stops and really give us something truly exceptional. It runs a little bit longer than necessary, but that is a small complaint to an otherwise blockbuster bout.
-There aren’t a lot of matches you can truly show a non-wrestling fan and expect them to see even remotely what you see that is entertaining about it. But there is El Generico taking on Kenny Omega, which I truly believe could make even the greatest skeptic admit slight amusement. A lot of time is spent clowning around in this one, and it leads to some really fun moments. Add in high-quality grappling scattered throughout and you end up with a vastly enjoyable match. Really quite memorable.
-It was just a few shows ago that I watched Necro Butcher and Austin Aries tangle in Ring of Honor, and now they’ve brought their act to PWG. Seeing them battle in a completely different venue, and having a completely different match than that last one, really has me impressed with both guys. It would have been easy to have essentially the same contest, but they really play off of the particular crowd and do a lot that wouldn’t have worked on the ROH show but is perfect for PWG. Another really fun bout between these two.
-Just when you think you’ve seen every spot and story imaginable in a three-way dance, you discover that true or not, three-ways can still be a ton of fun! There are some great moments of action between Chris Hero, Colt Cabana, and Human Tornado, and it makes for a first-rate contest. Good stuff.
-How do you end an already amazing show in the most unbelievable way possible? You send out The Young Bucks, Paul London, and The Dynasty and have them go crazy in the ring! The Bucks alone make this worth seeing, with their amazing double team moves and brilliant high flying work. London is a bit spotty, but nothing is so bad that it can’t be forgiven. And the work of Karl Anderson, Scott Lost, and Joey Ryan demands to be marveled at. They are a fantastic heel unit. An exciting finish to a fantastic show.
Friday, April 9, 2010
A February twosome of CHIKARA awesomeness
Double shot of CHIKARA with “If The Airplane Is Snowed In, Put Your Bloody Skis On And Get Going!” (2/20/09) and “Motive, Means, Opportunity” (2/21/09). Not going match-by-match with both shows, but rather giving some general thoughts to the weekend and highlighting some bouts that deserve to have love songs written about them.
-The war between F.I.S.T. and The Colony goes from start to HOLY COW over these two shows, and it is a fantastic escalation to watch! Their 6-man bout on (what for simplicity sake we will refer to as) Bloody Skis is a lot of fun, but it is the post-match brutality and the Motive, Means, Opportunity tag bout that really sizzles with excitement. That second bout is incredibly intense and quite awesome for it. Excellent stuff.
-Motive, Means, Opportunity is definitely the stronger of these two shows, if only for the two matches I am about to discuss. First, Gran Akuma and Claudio Castagnoli reach a whole new degree of assault on each other to everybody’s delight. The strikes between these two are beyond painful looking, and leave you salivating for more. A great, great singles bout. What follows is an off-the-charts tag contest between Cheech and Cloudy and Jigsaw and Mike Quackenbush. It is the kind of match that causes expletives to pour from your mouth after every unimaginable move is pulled off. Beyond entertaining, it is a truly exceptional contest.
-The two-night “Order of the Neo-Solar Temple auditions a new member” story is another fun little tale to follow. Pinkie Sanchez does well on Bloody Skis even as he sticks out from his would-be brethren. It is Sami Callihan on night two who fits in perfectly with Crossbones and UltraMantis Black, leading to a really grand opening contest against Eddie Kingston, Brodie Lee, and Grizzly Redwood. Callihan also looks great in singles competition against Delirious on Bloody Skis. Frankly I just like Sami Callihan.
-The UnStable has a pretty big weekend, though their highlight comes at Bloody Skis in a really strong contest with Quackenbush, Jigsaw, and Tim Donst. Lots of great story going on in that bout, along with some really good wrestling. I’m not always high on some of the members of The UnStable, particularly Colin Delaney, but everybody looks like a star here.
-Both shows are pretty even as far as main event matches go. Bloody Skis treats us to a battle of the big men between Claudio and Escorpion Egipcio, which I for one found to be enjoyable. Motive, Means, Opportunity is headlined by Amasis taking on Equinox, and while the bout gets off to something of a slow start, things really pick up by the finish. It may not be one of the best matches on the show, but given how extraordinary the best matches on this show are, that really isn’t an insult.
Overall two really good shows, though if I had to Sophie’s Choice them, I’d go with Motive, Means, Opportunity for Akuma/Castagnoli and Cheech and Cloudy/Jigsaw and Quackenbush alone.
-The war between F.I.S.T. and The Colony goes from start to HOLY COW over these two shows, and it is a fantastic escalation to watch! Their 6-man bout on (what for simplicity sake we will refer to as) Bloody Skis is a lot of fun, but it is the post-match brutality and the Motive, Means, Opportunity tag bout that really sizzles with excitement. That second bout is incredibly intense and quite awesome for it. Excellent stuff.
-Motive, Means, Opportunity is definitely the stronger of these two shows, if only for the two matches I am about to discuss. First, Gran Akuma and Claudio Castagnoli reach a whole new degree of assault on each other to everybody’s delight. The strikes between these two are beyond painful looking, and leave you salivating for more. A great, great singles bout. What follows is an off-the-charts tag contest between Cheech and Cloudy and Jigsaw and Mike Quackenbush. It is the kind of match that causes expletives to pour from your mouth after every unimaginable move is pulled off. Beyond entertaining, it is a truly exceptional contest.
-The two-night “Order of the Neo-Solar Temple auditions a new member” story is another fun little tale to follow. Pinkie Sanchez does well on Bloody Skis even as he sticks out from his would-be brethren. It is Sami Callihan on night two who fits in perfectly with Crossbones and UltraMantis Black, leading to a really grand opening contest against Eddie Kingston, Brodie Lee, and Grizzly Redwood. Callihan also looks great in singles competition against Delirious on Bloody Skis. Frankly I just like Sami Callihan.
-The UnStable has a pretty big weekend, though their highlight comes at Bloody Skis in a really strong contest with Quackenbush, Jigsaw, and Tim Donst. Lots of great story going on in that bout, along with some really good wrestling. I’m not always high on some of the members of The UnStable, particularly Colin Delaney, but everybody looks like a star here.
-Both shows are pretty even as far as main event matches go. Bloody Skis treats us to a battle of the big men between Claudio and Escorpion Egipcio, which I for one found to be enjoyable. Motive, Means, Opportunity is headlined by Amasis taking on Equinox, and while the bout gets off to something of a slow start, things really pick up by the finish. It may not be one of the best matches on the show, but given how extraordinary the best matches on this show are, that really isn’t an insult.
Overall two really good shows, though if I had to Sophie’s Choice them, I’d go with Motive, Means, Opportunity for Akuma/Castagnoli and Cheech and Cloudy/Jigsaw and Quackenbush alone.
Monday, April 5, 2010
X marks the spot
Here are my live as they pour out of my head thoughts on CZW X: Decade of Destruction (2/14/09), the ten-year anniversary show for the ultraviolent federation:
(NOTE: Thoughts may not be “live as they pour out of my head” but actually recreated a few weeks after I watched the show...still counts, right?)
-Why is Drew Gulak wrestling Kermit the Frog? Oh wait, that’s Little Mondo, I just confused him with Kermit because he’s SOOOO green! And why is Gulak so vanilla? Why can this match be described in colors and flavors?
-I enjoy Sami Callihan. A lot. The potential of Callihan as a major force in CZW...that has me paying attention.
-Hey, it’s The S.A.T., how relevant...in 2001! I suppose since this is an anniversary show I can’t complain too much about older talent being dusted off, so long as The S.A.T. promise not to become germane to the Indy scene again. At least the tag team gauntlet they are involved in isn’t completely awful. Particularly, Tyler Veritas and Adam Cole show some potential, though again why so cookie-cutter in their look? Why is that such a common problem on the CZW undercard?
-Sabian and Egotistico Fantastico actually have a fantastic match. Definitely needed this to save the show from an early toe-tag. Both guys work hard, tell a great story, and deliver some memorable moments. Good stuff.
-Perfect follow-up to the previous match with Drew Blood and Pinkie Sanchez in a bout that is probably better than I ever assumed either man had in them. The intensity is turned all the way up, and it makes for a fun bout. I’m actually quite impressed by this one. Fantastic stuff. More of this please!
-The Best Around and El Sexisto against 2 Girls, 1 Cup and Lord Everett Devore works just fine as a mostly comedic match. It does help that everybody involved is full of personality and knows how to work it during a bout. Plus, I really like The Best Around, so seeing them in any capacity gets slight thumbs up right from the get go.
-Dear Devon Moore and Ruckus: You wasted my time. You had a crap match. I’m pretty sure you were trying to have a crap match. And you succeeded. At crap. Good job. Though I won’t blame you for the ridiculously weak finish to the bout, but whoever came up with it deserves some of the crap credit as well. It takes a lot to make me really dislike a match, and you did it.
-Really wanted to like Ryan McBride vs. Quick Carter Gray. I really did. Both guys look good and I’m sure they have plenty of great matches in them. But this wasn’t one at all. Something was just off, and slow, and borderline boring. Disappointing really, but I’m not ready to give up on these two talents yet.
-Death Matches aren’t my thing most of the time, though if you do something really unique or original with the stipulation, I can definitely be won over. The H8 Club and Cult Fiction didn’t do anything unique, or original, thus they didn’t win me over. The bout isn’t bad; in fact fans of the genre may consider it quite good, but I wasn’t sold on it.
-I’ll admit that Drake Younger vs. Eddie Kingston on paper is what first attracted me to this show. I’ve seen them wrestle before, and consider myself a big fan of both men, so the prospect of them battling for the CZW World Title sparked my interest. That it was a No Rope Barbed Wire match knocked my expectations down a notch, but I must say, bravo to both men for a great showing. They work the gimmick perfectly, making for a really strong contest overall.
(NOTE: Thoughts may not be “live as they pour out of my head” but actually recreated a few weeks after I watched the show...still counts, right?)
-Why is Drew Gulak wrestling Kermit the Frog? Oh wait, that’s Little Mondo, I just confused him with Kermit because he’s SOOOO green! And why is Gulak so vanilla? Why can this match be described in colors and flavors?
-I enjoy Sami Callihan. A lot. The potential of Callihan as a major force in CZW...that has me paying attention.
-Hey, it’s The S.A.T., how relevant...in 2001! I suppose since this is an anniversary show I can’t complain too much about older talent being dusted off, so long as The S.A.T. promise not to become germane to the Indy scene again. At least the tag team gauntlet they are involved in isn’t completely awful. Particularly, Tyler Veritas and Adam Cole show some potential, though again why so cookie-cutter in their look? Why is that such a common problem on the CZW undercard?
-Sabian and Egotistico Fantastico actually have a fantastic match. Definitely needed this to save the show from an early toe-tag. Both guys work hard, tell a great story, and deliver some memorable moments. Good stuff.
-Perfect follow-up to the previous match with Drew Blood and Pinkie Sanchez in a bout that is probably better than I ever assumed either man had in them. The intensity is turned all the way up, and it makes for a fun bout. I’m actually quite impressed by this one. Fantastic stuff. More of this please!
-The Best Around and El Sexisto against 2 Girls, 1 Cup and Lord Everett Devore works just fine as a mostly comedic match. It does help that everybody involved is full of personality and knows how to work it during a bout. Plus, I really like The Best Around, so seeing them in any capacity gets slight thumbs up right from the get go.
-Dear Devon Moore and Ruckus: You wasted my time. You had a crap match. I’m pretty sure you were trying to have a crap match. And you succeeded. At crap. Good job. Though I won’t blame you for the ridiculously weak finish to the bout, but whoever came up with it deserves some of the crap credit as well. It takes a lot to make me really dislike a match, and you did it.
-Really wanted to like Ryan McBride vs. Quick Carter Gray. I really did. Both guys look good and I’m sure they have plenty of great matches in them. But this wasn’t one at all. Something was just off, and slow, and borderline boring. Disappointing really, but I’m not ready to give up on these two talents yet.
-Death Matches aren’t my thing most of the time, though if you do something really unique or original with the stipulation, I can definitely be won over. The H8 Club and Cult Fiction didn’t do anything unique, or original, thus they didn’t win me over. The bout isn’t bad; in fact fans of the genre may consider it quite good, but I wasn’t sold on it.
-I’ll admit that Drake Younger vs. Eddie Kingston on paper is what first attracted me to this show. I’ve seen them wrestle before, and consider myself a big fan of both men, so the prospect of them battling for the CZW World Title sparked my interest. That it was a No Rope Barbed Wire match knocked my expectations down a notch, but I must say, bravo to both men for a great showing. They work the gimmick perfectly, making for a really strong contest overall.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Proving Ground - Night 2
You know the deal, ROH Proving Ground Night 2 (2/7/09), nine matches, what is proven in each of them, yada yada:
-I’m still not sold on Shawn Osbourne. His look is eh, his wrestling is eh, and his performance against Jerry Lynn is eh. Frankly it doesn’t help that Lynn is a guy who looks best when facing a great talent, and looks eh when facing an eh talent. Overall, the match is very, very eh. I actually kind of wandered off during it. Something going on in the other room, or maybe I grabbed a drink, I don’t know. It wasn’t that eventful. PROVEN: Eh.
-A team named The British Lions should be awesome, not out of shape and generally kind of lame. How disappointing that they turned out to be two total tools. At least Kenny King and Rhett Titus look good in the match and keep things afloat. Not bad but man was I expecting more from The British Lions. PROVEN: Awesome team names sometimes go to waste.
-SQUASH! Seriously, when you don’t even have your entrance shown on current ROH DVD, you know you’re a jobber. When you’re “wrestling” Bison Smith and your name isn’t well known, you really know you’re a jobber. Thanks for coming John Kermon, hope you enjoyed the beating. PROVEN: Jobbers are people too...maybe.
-Really enjoyed Davey Richards vs. Kevin Steen. Both guys are really coming into their own as major stars with each show, and it is enjoyable to watch. Nothing to complain about here. PROVEN: Richards and Steen are awesome.
-We’ve now come to the Age Of The Fall vs. some combination of former Age Of The Fall members/and their friends portion of the night. Honestly, all these matches are starting to fade together into one extended memory of a never-ending story. This is probably one of the better mixings of the “series,” but how many of these do we need? PROVEN: Age Of The Fall vs. Age Of The Fall Wolfpac is getting old fast.
-Great to see Brad Attitude against a regular roster member in Austin Aries. The two have a really entertaining match that makes Attitude look quite good. It would be nice to see more of him in Ring Of Honor. PROVEN: Brad Attitude deserves a real shot as a regular part of the company.
-Wow, talk about your unexpected blow-away match, that’s exactly what the six-man between Roderick Strong, Erick Stevens, Brent Albright, The Dark City Fight Club, and Francisc Ciatso is! Nothing prepared me for the level of awesomeness reached here. Fantastic energy, intensity, and excitement. Easily the sleeper match of the night.
-After some fun repartee between Bryan Danielson and El Generico, the two settle into a really good back-and-forth bout that shows exactly how brilliant both men are. I love the chemistry between these two, and how they manage to weave a highly interesting narrative throughout. Not a lot of guys can go from shenanigans to seriousness in seconds and have it not come off as bizarre, but Danielson and Generico can and together exploit that unique ability for all that it is worth.
-It feels like we’ve reached the point in Nigel McGuinness’ world championship reign where he can do no wrong. His battle here with D’Lo Brown, who I don’t feel comfortable labeling “veteran” but certainly does have a ‘90s-made name value to him, is quite good by heavyweight match standards. There are no big memorable spots, but there is plenty of story that keeps things enjoyable. Not the most unforgettable Nigel title defense, but a nice change of pace from seeing him defend against the same top challengers for the third or fourth time.
-I’m still not sold on Shawn Osbourne. His look is eh, his wrestling is eh, and his performance against Jerry Lynn is eh. Frankly it doesn’t help that Lynn is a guy who looks best when facing a great talent, and looks eh when facing an eh talent. Overall, the match is very, very eh. I actually kind of wandered off during it. Something going on in the other room, or maybe I grabbed a drink, I don’t know. It wasn’t that eventful. PROVEN: Eh.
-A team named The British Lions should be awesome, not out of shape and generally kind of lame. How disappointing that they turned out to be two total tools. At least Kenny King and Rhett Titus look good in the match and keep things afloat. Not bad but man was I expecting more from The British Lions. PROVEN: Awesome team names sometimes go to waste.
-SQUASH! Seriously, when you don’t even have your entrance shown on current ROH DVD, you know you’re a jobber. When you’re “wrestling” Bison Smith and your name isn’t well known, you really know you’re a jobber. Thanks for coming John Kermon, hope you enjoyed the beating. PROVEN: Jobbers are people too...maybe.
-Really enjoyed Davey Richards vs. Kevin Steen. Both guys are really coming into their own as major stars with each show, and it is enjoyable to watch. Nothing to complain about here. PROVEN: Richards and Steen are awesome.
-We’ve now come to the Age Of The Fall vs. some combination of former Age Of The Fall members/and their friends portion of the night. Honestly, all these matches are starting to fade together into one extended memory of a never-ending story. This is probably one of the better mixings of the “series,” but how many of these do we need? PROVEN: Age Of The Fall vs. Age Of The Fall Wolfpac is getting old fast.
-Great to see Brad Attitude against a regular roster member in Austin Aries. The two have a really entertaining match that makes Attitude look quite good. It would be nice to see more of him in Ring Of Honor. PROVEN: Brad Attitude deserves a real shot as a regular part of the company.
-Wow, talk about your unexpected blow-away match, that’s exactly what the six-man between Roderick Strong, Erick Stevens, Brent Albright, The Dark City Fight Club, and Francisc Ciatso is! Nothing prepared me for the level of awesomeness reached here. Fantastic energy, intensity, and excitement. Easily the sleeper match of the night.
-After some fun repartee between Bryan Danielson and El Generico, the two settle into a really good back-and-forth bout that shows exactly how brilliant both men are. I love the chemistry between these two, and how they manage to weave a highly interesting narrative throughout. Not a lot of guys can go from shenanigans to seriousness in seconds and have it not come off as bizarre, but Danielson and Generico can and together exploit that unique ability for all that it is worth.
-It feels like we’ve reached the point in Nigel McGuinness’ world championship reign where he can do no wrong. His battle here with D’Lo Brown, who I don’t feel comfortable labeling “veteran” but certainly does have a ‘90s-made name value to him, is quite good by heavyweight match standards. There are no big memorable spots, but there is plenty of story that keeps things enjoyable. Not the most unforgettable Nigel title defense, but a nice change of pace from seeing him defend against the same top challengers for the third or fourth time.
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