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.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
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.
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