|
Post by tetsujin on Jan 28, 2023 8:49:18 GMT -5
Finally got to watch the most interesting NJPW vs NOAH matches + a random Sting/Jeff Jarrett squash.
Shingo Takagi vs Katsuhiko Nakajima (NJPW vs NOAH 2023 -not calling it WrestleKingdom, fuck it-): Yeah this was pretty good. In the very beginning I was afraid this was gonna turn out to be another mindless "your turn-my turn" strike contest, but they worked around that in a super clever way. You can clearly follow the story of the match by looking at who's connecting the harder strikes, who sells the most, who changes first from forearms to kicks or punches, stuff like that. And Nakajima, man, he still has the absolute best smile in professional wrestling, such a bastard of a guy. In the end I think this needed just five more minutes to really come together as a great match, because Shingo kinda wins outta nowhere a little, but it doesn't bother me as much, I just hope they do a rematch because the potential for a MOTYC is there. ***3/4
Tetsuya Naito vs KENOH (NJPW vs NOAH 2023): This was a bit too long and nothing more (but nothing less) than the usual Naito's big match formula, which in some ways is kind of a shame because this feels like a special match and you could expect something kinda differen than the usual NJPW main event, BUT, on the other hand, this was the first Naito singles match I've seen since... Ehm... The Jeff Cobb WK match last year, iirc. I just can't stand non-cheering japanese crowds, it just hurts me emotionally in a very subjective, dumb way. So considering this was my first match in a while of one of my absolute favourite wrestlers ever, just watching him doing his shit turns me on. The match is good, KENOH looked more interested in drawing the crowds attention than actually work the match, and they didn't have the best of the chemistries, but it still feels satisfying to watch. ***1/2
Sting vs Jeff Jarrett (TNA Sacrifice 2010): Their Halloween Havoc encounter is ABSOLUTELY one of my favourite matches ever, just hilarious nonsense on and on and on. This was never going to be at that level of absurdity, but it is still a very bizarre experience. Basically heel Sting, who nobody boos, beats the living fucking shit out of babyface Jeff Jarrett, who nobody roots for, for five or so minutes at backastage and ringside. Then Sting introduces a bloody Double J to the ring, ringbell, Scorpion Deathdrop and it's over. Weird angle, but somewhat funny. Each time these two fight together the laws of physichs stop working. ***
|
|
|
Post by tetsujin on Feb 1, 2023 10:11:40 GMT -5
Gotta cover both Rumble matches later on, but for now let's catch up with some interesting stuff:
Devil Masami vs Yukari Ohmori (WWWA World Title, AJW 23/8/1986): really solid Masami performance, her facial expressions and body language alone tell the whole story. This match was weird but in a good way, like, it doesn't have a particular pace or style or anything, it's more like a collection of greatest hits from different stuff. And that's crazy, considering this happened in 1986, decades before ringwork really evolved into the variety of forms that are here today. You have limbwork, you have dramatic finishing segments based on selling, you have powerhouse moves, you have struggle for connecting high risk spots at the top of the corner, you get brawl at ringside... There's a little bit of everything here, and it's crafted in a pretty cool way. I would love to see the full match of this someday, because it seems the first minutes had some really interesting stuff going on based on Devil's selling right after the cut, but for now we have a very good match here, building up a powerful title win for Ohmori. Let's go with ***3/4.
Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens (Undisputed WWE Universal Title, WWE Royal Rumble 2023): This was straight to the point and they worked it as a 50/50 match, something surprising to me, but it makes sense for the story they were going to tell. The thing here is that Owens might win this time, so Roman becomes more and more desperate as the match goes on, which leads to the ultimate humilliation and beatdown of the postmatch, obviously that leading up to Sami's turn as well. Beautifully crafted pro wrestling. I'm gonna go with **** because of the whole post match, which is wrestling perfection, but the match itself is good enough as well.
Seth Rollins vs Chad Gable (WWE RAW, 30/1/2023): pretty enjoyable little TV match right here. Gable in particular has a great performance working the leg and trying to capitalize on it at the climax of the match. The detail of him going for the ankle lock to beat Rollins into the "push him away with your legs" counter just to catch his bad leg instead was brilliant, one of those golden little touches that elevates the good stuff into true greatness. Sadly this wasn't too long, as both guys showed enough chemistry together to reach MOTYC levels with the propper setting, but if you're looking for a modern short, extremely solid and fun match to watch, go for this. ***1/2
|
|
|
Post by tetsujin on Feb 5, 2023 8:07:16 GMT -5
All right let's catch up. Another banger of a Dynamite this week:
Jon Moxley vs Hangman Adam Page (AEW DYnamite, 1/2/2023): My fucking god. If the last one was all about giving concussions, this is all about Moxley not wanting to lose again, in his home estate (the crowd is nuclear for him throughout the whole match and really elevates it to something special). You can feel Mox's inner pressure all the time, and between his fighting spirit and his variety in offence (gotta love those spots where wrestlers try new stuff in order to surprise their opponent), he gives us an amazing performance. Hangman looks great as well and doesn't retreat at all, in fact, I really like that Mox barely survives him this time, still mantaining Page over as the guy Moxley needs to decisively win, but at the same time not overpowering him. I connected a lot with this match, it's super fun and intense and unpredictable and gritty, and yet, after three whole matches (two of them almost back to back), they still give us the need of even more between them. Unexpected MOTYC and I 100% recommend it to anyone here to give it a chance for your lists. ****1/4
Bryan Danielson vs Timothy Thatcher (AEW Dynamite, 1/2/2023): People said Thatcher wasn't over, and I'm not sure about that. I think the crowd understood this kind of match needed more silence and focus on the stuff they were going to do. Sadly, this isn't the clash of the mat prodigies I expected, because of Bryan's kayfabe arm injury. It's a match about Thatcher doing nasty armwork and Danielson overcoming the odds, with a random ref bump and MJF/Takeshita interference that shouldn't had happen, but hey, pretty good stuff still. I like Thatcher when he's more focused on working the match itself than the crowd, he has a cooler aura performing like that, and here he was too busy with a crowd that wanted to remain silent most of the time (again, I don't think it was because they weren't interesting or anything, it's just the mood these two together put you in). Even being kinda dissapointing, these two are so so good that this can't be lower than something like ***3/4
Jade Cargill vs Red Velvet (TBS Championship, AEW Dynamite, 1/2/2023): Wanted to look at Jade's 50th victory. She still looks kinda green most of the times, but she's a natural when it comes to working a crowd and she still adds an interesting spot or two each match to manage to never lose an audience, and that's money if you ask me. Velvet looked nice, but not much more actually capable of wrestling than Cargill. These two have potential, and they definitely need more time to mature, but I'm a bit worried about Jade not showing a better ringwork level after all this time and chances and training with Danielson. Still a fun, very decent match that doesn't hurt Cargill's aura by any means. ***1/4
Darby Allin vs Samoe Joe (No Holds Barred, TNT Championship match, AEW Dynamite, 1/2/2023): Joe fucking killed Darby (multiple times) on live TV, gotta love it. These two were born to face each other, and while I don't like that Darby was only a transitional champ (specially when he was having such a great run with the title), and I like even less that it was only for Joe to drop the title to Wardlow sooner than later, the match itself is brutal. The thumbtack jacket spot was funny and I like that Darby made a lot of mistakes that gave Joe the chance of recovering and giving him the most horrible punishments that he could do. Maybe their best match together, and a really cool ending for a pretty great wrestling trilogy right here in front of our very eyes. These matches will be remembered, head my words. ****
|
|
|
Post by tetsujin on Feb 7, 2023 18:18:36 GMT -5
Shit I forgot about the Rumbles!
Men's Royal Rumble (WWE Royal Rumble 2023): I've heard a lot of praise for this one, like it was one of the best Rumbles of the modern era, and even among the best Rumbles. Far from any of that. It's a very solid, definitely good Rumble, but I thin it lacks the special feeling of some of the very best (2018 and 2020 come to mind, just to name some recent ones). Gunther's performance was a bit underwhelming considering his record-breaking ironman role, he looked super lost a lot of time, having to work this chaotic kind of match for the first time in his life. He obviously was great at the beginning with Sheamus and other guys, and the final confrontation with Cody was super well done, but in the middle there are like an hour of nothingness. Sheamus and McIntyre did it well. The Logan Paul-Ricochet spot was stupid as fuck, but iconic. Cody being #30 bothered me, not only because of the Sami Zayn factor but also because why the fuck would you confirm early on he was going to return in this match if you were going to keep him at #30 still? In fact, why did they move this Rumble to the opener? They were clearly afraid of the crowd hijacking this Rumble due to Zayn's popularity, and I gotta admit they did the right move in order to avoiding Rhodes getting booed (also by giving him the eliminations of Dominik and Paul), but it still bothers me. Lesnar showing up for only three minutes and setting up his WM match has been done so fucking many times already, that it feels outrageous by now. Stop trying to give Kofi some special spot to do, he had enough of that. Dominik was great in his role, but sadly Bálor, Priest and Edge only appeared to do their angle and nothing more, I always hate that of the Rumbles. Just take advantage of your good wrestlers for some part of the match and then have them do their thing and leave! Overall a good, fun Rumble, but the format feels overdone most of the time. ***1/2
Women's Royal Rumble (WWE Royal Rumble 2023): This one was a bit more boring sometimes, because of the lack of eliminations most of the time. There's no reason why people like Dana Brooke or Tamina have to last more than five minutes, let alone ten. Damage CTRL's performance was really good and the glue for the first half of the match, although I didn't like Becky not doing anything for most of the time. The same I said about Gunther can be said about Rhea Ripley here, she was fucking stelar at the end (one of the best endings for a Rumble match, ever) but she did literally nothing for the previous hour. Hard to buy a supossed star-making performance when they do absolutely nothing for the whole match, even if they last long. Asuka's return felt HUGE, what an absolute megastar. And Nia Jax played her role pretty god damn well too, giving the endgame some needed life. The crowd was sadly not very interested in this, and the overall booking of the Rumble didn't help either beacause it felt really inconsistent and most of the female roster doesn't feel as huge as the male one, even though most of them have tons of potential (the NXT girls, Tegan Nox, Piper Niven, Liv, Zelina, Raquel Rodríguez...). Michelle McCool's return was cool, god am I old now. She did nothing but her finisher but it looked great. The winner was the right choice as well. ***1/4.
|
|
|
Post by tetsujin on Feb 10, 2023 7:07:23 GMT -5
The most random post yet:
Ángel de Oro/Stuka Jr/Stigma vs Dragón Rojo Jr/Tiger/Puma (CMLL Lunes Arena Puebla, 5/9/2016): So. I can explain. Some years ago, I was in a spanish wrestling forum (that no longer exists, sadly) and there was a guy that was... Unique. He was clearly out of his mind somehow, and had a lot of disturbing yet fascinating wrestling opinions. It's hard to describe, you just had to read his stuff. Whatever. One day, he and another guy recorded a podcast, and for some reason they chose this particular match to watch and react to. I only knew Ángel de Oro and Stuka Jr, and random mexican tríos matches are not my thing, but the commentary by this guy was so hilariously insane, I often find myself searching that podcast and watching this match with it because I can't stop burst out laughing. So, that happened a few days ago and... I guess it counts as watching a match, duh. Hell, I even had to search on fucking cagematch for this match because I didn't know 3/4 of the guys involved, nor the date or event it happened. I know there's another guy from that forum here as well, so if you read this, I hope you also remember Mr. Bumpy and Código Wrestling. The fight itslef is bad, like, really bad. Full of bad-looking lucha clichés between mediocre to bad wrestlers. *1/2 would be right, it is 100% a bad match. But the overall experience to me is always 5*.
Toshiaki Kawada/Kenta Kobashi vs Stan Hansen/Rob Van Damn (AJPW, 19/2/1993): Remember the nonsense about that crazy guy recording a podcast and watching random stuff? Yeah they did a second part, and this was the match they chose. The guy I'm talking about kept complaining about why did they chose this match, because it was a good one and wasn't something you can make fun of. But then the Pillars start bullying a young as fuck RVD, and Hansen obviously bullies the Pillars in return, and he fucking laughs like a maniac any time there's a potentially career-ending blow. Again, it's fucking hilarious. The match itself is obviously pretty solid but nothing out of this world, it's basically unnecesary bullying and sometimes in wrestling you just need that. ***1/4
Aja Kong vs Megumi Kudo (WWWA World Championship, AJW Battle Final 1993): Don't worry, no more spanish podcasts delirious. This one was recently talked about in PWO and I wanted to give it a try, because people were saying Kudo brought something very different to the usual Aja big title match scenario. And fuck yes, she obviously did. Much more mat-focused, Kudo worked Kong's arm pretty well and made herself a credible challenger by her own rights. Props to Aja as well, obviously, because she balances vulnerability and danger like few others dominant champions I've seen. There are some awkward moments here and there, the pacing is a bit off sometimes, but they manage to build a lot of tension and Aja's comeback feels really good, it's a pretty great subversion of our expectations going into the match. Not among my favourite Kong matches, but definitely something that elevates both womens case for GWE, and I will even say that some people here might have a chance of putting this on their GME lists if they give it a try. So do that. ****
|
|
|
Post by tetsujin on Feb 16, 2023 19:36:19 GMT -5
It seems this week's Dynamite was kinda bad. So here they are the quick reviews of last week's Dynamite, one of their all time best:
MJF vs Konosuke Takeshita (AEW Dynamite, 8/2/2023): I'm sorry but anyone who says MJF is not good is just hating. There are some aspects of his character that you cannot like, of course, but he has become a very, very solid worker. That flip to counter Takeshita's big move from the top rope was nuts, basically him saying "yeah I could do the stuff you'd love too, but I choose not to because I'm better than that" and I loved it. Takeshita looks better every week and I'm glad he gave the world champion a run for his money while still looking like a midcarder. The armwork was good enough and it payed off at the end, so very nice. The awesome crowd makes this match stand out, not only your usual good match in a random week of tv. ***3/4
Bryan Danielson vs Rush (AEW Dynamite, 8/2/2023): This, however, this was even better. Anyone is losing their shit because of this match and I totally get it, it's just Bryan trying to survive a mexican bloodbath from one of the most ruthless mexican brawlers of this century. Rush performance is absolutely stellar, the guys just has *it* and he worked the crowd perfectly. The match was 90% his, while Bryan had to sell, have good timing with some hope spots and earn his comeback at the end, and while I felt the ending a bit anticlimatic because it came easier than expected after all that punishment, I don't mind it that much because it was Rush's mistake, as he was overconfident and let Danielson hit him tons of time to try to prove a point, and it backfired at the end. A great match, to me it isn't as special as Bryan/Bandido or the Hangman/Mox rematch, but it's damn close. There's something magical about El Paso's crowd chanting "¡sí se puede!" ("yes you can!") while Bryan is coming back (and no, it doesn't have anything to do with Obama or something, in Spanish that chant is often atributed to popular, usually even revolutionary movements, althought social democrats here in Spain have appropriate it, sadly. But that's a story for another time). ****
Jamie Hayter vs The Bunny (AEW Womens Championship, 2/8/2023): Ok, I'm MAD because of this match. There's a big problem with AEW's womens division, and it's worse than "they're not good wrestlers yet" or even "Tony Khan doesn't give them enough time and chances". It's actually that, because of those two problems together, the actual good stuff doesn't get as over with the crowd as it should. Remember how I talked about the crowd being an all time great crowd in the last two matches? Well, here they just couldn't care as much. And it's not the wrestlers fault: Hayter is over, and both her and Bunny are working a good match, with some really cool stuff in it here and there. Why MJF/Takeshita gets a special treatment by the crowd, and this one, a title match between two good wrestlers and the champ being over, doesn't? Because it's not positioned by the company as a special attraction. It's a random transitional title defence, with almost no build up, no special placement in the card, and not enough time to make it feel important. And again, it's a shame because this is a good match that, due to AEW crowds, should have felt even better, as it happens almost all the time with most of the male matches. But this company refuses to give women the same treatment as men, and the crowd perceives it easily, so even when a good product happens like this match, they just don't care enough. A real shame. Watch the match if you wanna understand how frustrating it is, and how unfair for the two solid wrestlers working it. Not the crowds fault, they just react to what the company teaches them. ***1/4
|
|
|
Post by tetsujin on Feb 16, 2023 20:04:55 GMT -5
Triple H vs Randy Orton vs Batista vs Chris Benoit vs Edge vs Chris Jericho (World Heavyweight Title, Elimination Chamber match, WWE New Year's Revolution 2005):
Shawn Michaels is the special referee for some reason.
Haven't seen this since I was a child, and OH BOY, this might be the best Chamber ever. I really like the 2014 one, but this one has a more brutal aspect to it, because of the pre-PG context, and it really helps a match like this to stand out. An EC match should feel brutal above all else. And it's not like there's a lot of over the top spots or ultraviolence or anything, it's just the way these guys hit each other and how well they sell the pain of the steel + the bladejobs. Because almost everyone fucking bleeds by the end of this match.
Benoit and Jericho start things off, as they should considering they were the two best workers of the match, and they have such a strong opening five minutes that I even forgot Shawn was the referee. Some of those chops were NASTY. Then Triple H came in, and I said this before and probably will say it again, but Triple H is so good when it comes to being the glue of a long, multiman match. Always has, even during his reign of terror. Here he feeds both Benoit and Jericho really well, and later on he will have strong dynamics with the Evolution guys as well (gotta love Orton's early beatdown with the crowd going nuts). He might be the mvp of the match, but it's hard to say, as everyone has a strong performance this time. Even Edge, the first guy eliminated and the one that spent less time in the Chamber, gets to shine, and he didn't felt like "the inferior guy" of the match until the HBK spot that set up their rivalry or whatever (I don't remember what happened between the two after this, but the accidental Spear here surprised the shit out of me, very well done spot).
Batista's role in this match is crucial. You can feel he's already becoming a star, and the suspense leading up to this match in regards of him maybe turning on Trips paid off really well in a lot of ways. He earned the right to be the last guy to enter the match, so Triple H had to manage to survive until his turn, and there's this brilliant spot of the Walls of Jericho + Clipper Crossface at the same fucking time on him, while Batista's clock was running, and it was hella tense. Batista's urgency to save his master was contagious, even if Triple H was the heel. You, and the crowd, feel conflicted. Then Batista beats the shit out of Benoit and Jericho, who were here since the very beginning and are a bloody mess. And now it's time for the Evolution drama, and it's really well done, with Orton selling the beatdown wonderfully (Randy's overal selling is SO underrated!) and earning a nice comeback before disaster. I LOVE Triple H's body language during the Batista elimination, because you can clearly tell he could have saved him but chose not to, it wasn't just him not knowing where he was at because of the blood loss or anything. But it is subtle enough. The ending is hilarious, with Flair trying to interfere and Michaels stomping the living shit out of him for no other reason, and Triple H pulls Orton's tights so much that we end up looking at his whole butt. Nice.
This was so much fun, guys. There's even a funny cameraman ref bump that you watch it from his cam's POV, so it looked like when they kill you in a bad shooter game or something, and the production team started to replay it. I could see, as clear as day, Vince and Kevin Dunn laughing their asses of while ordering the crew to replay it again and again. But seriously, everyone brings their A game here, I love the respect they give to the gimmick of the match and how can it make a bloody pulp out of you at any moment, and the different storylines on display here collide wonderfully: Benoit-Jericho, Jericho-HHH, Benoit-HHH, Edge-HBK, Benoit-Orton, the Evolution stuff... It all flows organically and there's always something interesting going on, with the crowd totally on board with it. Yeah, no doubt my favourite Chamber match, and surprisingly really close to make my GME list. Give it some love!
****1/4
|
|
|
Post by tetsujin on Feb 21, 2023 19:48:49 GMT -5
Watched Roman/Sami and a couple of interesting matches from NJPW Battle in the Valley.
Jay White vs Eddie Kingston (Loser Leaves NJPW match, NJPW Battle in the Valley 2023): I've read a lot of people calling this an storytelling masterpiece and everything, and it's obviously not that big of a deal. In fact, I consider it a pretty dissapointing match, when you think about the wrestlers involved. Maybe it's because it was obvious this was just some paperwork that nedeed to be done for Jay to leave, maybe because of the bad production that made the match sound like it happened in an empty building, but the ringwork itself didn't resonated a lot with me. Too much focus on pointless strike exchanges, when these two have really cool movesets to utilize (specially White). It's still very decent, because these two kinda feel like natural enemies (the young prodigy, super fit yet arrogant as fuck chicken shit heel vs the old and fat babyface underdog that's passionate as fuck about wrestling, although that dynamic wasn't explored enough), and I appreciate Jay choosing Eddie for going over in his last match for New Japan, but sadly this was far from the MOTYC they could have done. ***1/4
KAIRI vs Mercedes Moné (IWGP World Womens Championship, NJPW Battle in the Valley 2023): Gotta admit I need to rewatch this. When I watched this, I was with a hangover and I already watched Reigns/Zayn and the White match, so yeah I was fucking exhausted. But I appreciated this match a bit more than the previous one, as it had a very motivated Moné trying to prove a point. It was a much lesser version of the first Juice/Moxley match four years ago: the rebirth of a very promising wrestler finally being free of his/her chains. I expect a rematch at Dominion or whenever, and this time they will bring their A game, but this was a neat appetizer. Don't like Mercedes' new finisher though, even if I get the Guerrero symbolism. ***3/4
Roman Reigns vs Sami Zayn (Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, WWE Elimination Chamber 2023): Ok, time to talk about this match. I liked it, I really did. I love how different it is from the Owens match last month, with that one being a short, concise slugfest and this being a long, slow soap opera with a lot of trashtalking and dramatic selling more than action... But it got just a tiiiiny bit old later on. It's like the match never went to the next level. The overbooked bullshit obviously didn't help, it screamed "we're desperate about not knowing how to please this Montreal crowd when their guy loses!!!" a lot. But again, it's a match that was worked in a very different way than your usual big match, not only in WWE but anywhere, and while they were very reserved in their ringwork for the benefit of (maybe too much) drama, they knew the atmosphere would follow through everything. This was one of the best crowds in recent years. I honestly can't comprehend how anyone could say that Sami wasn't the right choice for the WM main event. I'm so mad. Also, Owens' stunner to Heyman was hilariously bad. ****
|
|
|
Post by tetsujin on Jun 16, 2023 19:10:18 GMT -5
2023 GME ballot submitted!
Man, this was an intense first half of the year. I moved to the Canary islands to work in a hotel and just didn't had time for keeping with the reviews of every match I was watching this year. But it's gonna be over by july when I return back home, so when that happens I'll update with the ~100 matches I have watched since Reigns/Owens (sorry for that), AND after GME results I'll share my list.
My top 100 has changed quite a bit in the second half, but remained mostly the same at the top. I guess that's fair. I'm so hyped for this year edition.
|
|
|
Post by TheDutifulWebmaster on Jun 17, 2023 1:23:23 GMT -5
entry 64 is wm viii, not vii. Just saying. I'm glad the 1992 ajw dream slam tag match is getting the respect it deserves.
|
|
|
Post by tetsujin on Jul 31, 2023 5:26:32 GMT -5
My 2023 list. More in depth comments later.
1. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kenta Kobashi (NOAH - 1/03/2003) 2. Nick Bockwinkel vs Curt Hennig (AWA - 21/11/1986) 3. Kazuchika Okada vs Katsuyori Shibata (NJPW - 9/04/2017) 4. Akira Taue vs Mitsuharu Misawa (AJPW - 14/04/1995) 5. Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa (AJPW - 20/01/1997) 6. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada (NJPW - 7/04/2013) 7. The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (WWE - 28/03/2010) 8. Akira Hokuto vs Meiko Satomura (GAEA - 29/04/2001) 9. Mitsuharu Misawa/Kenta Kobashi vs Toshiaki Kawada/Akira Taue (AJPW - 9/06/1995) 10. Espanto Jr vs Hijo del Santo (2/3 Falls Match - UWA - 10/04/1988) 11. Riki Choshu vs Shinya Hashimoto (NJPW - 2/08/1996) 12. The Shield vs The Wyatt Family (WWE - 23/02/2014) 13. Tetsuya Naito vs Kenny Omega (NJPW - 13/08/2016) 14. Manami Toyota/Toshiyo Yamada vs Mayumi Ozaki/Dynamite Kansai (2/3 Falls Match - AJW - 26/11/1992) 15. Bill Dundee vs Jerry Lawler (Loser Leaves Town Match - CWA - 6/06/1983) 16. Antonio Inoki vs Billy Robinson (NJPW - 11/12/1975) 17. Ric Flair vs Rick Martel (AJPW - 21/10/1985) 18. Stan Hansen vs André the Giant (NJPW - 23/09/1981) 19. Ricky Steamboat vs Rick Rude (30' Ironman Match - WCW - 20/06/1992) 20. Aja Kong vs Yumiko Hotta (AJW - 24/01/1994) 21. Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi (AJPW - 29/07/1993) 22. Owen Hart vs Bret Hart (WWE - 20/03/1994) 23. Tetsuya Naito vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW - 11/08/2017) 24. Tetsuya Naito vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW - 4/01/2017) 25. Brock Lesnar vs John Cena (WWE - 29/04/2012) 26. Américo Rocca vs Mocho Cota (2/3 Falls Match - CMLL - 27/01/1984) 27. Akira Hokuto vs Shinobu Kandori (AJW - 2/04/1993) 28. Samoa Joe vs Kenta Kobashi (ROH - 2/10/2005) 29. Rick Martel vs Buddy Rose (2/3 Falls Match - PNW - 24/04/1980) 30. Randy Orton vs Mick Foley (Hardcore Match - WWE - 18/04/2004) 31. Shinobu Kandori vs Yumiko Hotta (LLPW - 21/03/1998) 32. Nigel McGuinness vs Bryan Danielson (ROH - 23/02/2008) 33. Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW - 14/10/2013) 34. Mariko Yoshida vs Hiromi Yagi (ARSION - 18/02/1999) 35. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Jay White (NJPW - 3/05/2021) 36. John Cena vs Umaga (Last Man Standing - WWE - 28/01/2007) 37. Brock Lesnar vs Eddie Guerrero (WWE - 15/02/2004) 38. Doug Furnass/Dan Kroffatt vs Kenta Kobashi/Tsuyoshi Kikuchi (AJPW - 25/05/1992) 39. Buddy Rose/Doug Sommers vs Shawn Michaels/Marty Janetty (AWA - 30/08/1986) 40. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW - 3/06/1994) 41. Jushin Thunder Liger vs Naoki Sano (NJPW - 10/08/1989) 42. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Shinsuke Nakamura (NJPW - 16/08/2015) 43. Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura (RINGS - 22/01/1997) 44. Brock Lesnar vs John Cena vs Seth Rollins (WWE - 25/01/2015) 45. Jerry Lawler vs Terry Funk (No DQ Match - CWA - 23/03/1981) 46. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Minoru Suzuki (NJPW - 8/10/2012) 47. Jushin Thunder Liger vs Shinjiro Otani (NJPW - 9/02/1997) 48. CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar (No DQ Match - WWE - 18/08/2013) 49. The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (Hell in a Cell - WWE - 5/10/1997) 50. Kenta Kobashi vs Minoru Suzuki (NOAH - 8/01/2005) 51. Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair (NWA - 7/05/1989) 52. Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs Ted DiBiase (Loser Leaves Town, Coal Miner's Glove on a Pole, Tuxedo, Steel Cage Match - UWF - 30/03/1985) 53. Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns (WWE - 29/03/2015) 54. Low Ki vs Bryan Danielson (Submission Match - JAPW - 7/06/2002) 55. Masahiro Chono vs Keiji Mutoh (NJPW - 11/08/1991) 56. Sasha Banks vs Bailey (WWE - 22/08/2015) 57. Harley Race vs Terry Funk (2/3 Falls Match - 1/07/1977) 58. AJ Styles vs Minoru Suzuki (NJPW - 1/08/2014) 59. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Yuji Nagata (NJPW - 13/04/2007) 60. Manami Toyota vs Akira Hokuto (AJW - 2/09/1995) 61. El Samurai vs Shinjiro Otani (NJPW - 21/01/1996) 62. Kiyoshi Tamura vs Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (RINGS - 27/06/1998) 63. Hijo del Santo vs Negro Casas (CMLL - 19/09/1997) 64. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada (NJPW - 4/01/2015) 65. Diesel vs Bret Hart (No DQ Match - WWE - 19/11/1995) 66. Shinya Hashimoto vs Lord Steven Regal (NJPW - 16/04/1995) 67. Kairi Hojo vs Meiko Satomura (STARDOM - 14/06/2015) 68. Juice Robinson vs Jon Moxley (NJPW - 5/06/2019) 69. Kiyoshi Tamura vs Yoshihisa Yamamoto (RINGS - 24/06/1999) 70. Shawn Michaels vs Diesel (WWE - 28/04/1996) 71. Negro Casas vs El Dandy (2/3 Falls Match - CMLL - 3/07/1992) 72. Edge vs The Undertaker (Hell in a Cell - WWE - 17/08/2008) 73. Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kota Ibushi (NJPW - 4/01/2015) 74. Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker (WWE - 5/04/2009) 75. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kenta Kobashi (AJPW - 25/10/1995) 76. Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair (2/3 Falls Match - NWA - 2/04/1989) 77. Daniel Bryan vs Triple H (WWE - 6/04/2014) 78. Volk Han vs Yoshihisa Yammamoto (RINGS - 17/06/1995) 79. Hiromu Takahashi vs KUSHIDA (NJPW - 11/06/2017) 80. The Miz vs Cesaro vs Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn (WWE - 22/05/2016) 81. AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe (TNA - 11/12/2005) 82. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW - 24/07/1995) 83. The Shield vs Ryback, Daniel Bryan and Kane (TLC Match - WWE - 16/12/2012) 84. Kiyoshi Tamura vs Volk Han (RINGS - 26/09/1997) 85. Jushin Thunder Liger vs Koji Kanemoto (NJPW - 16/02/1997) 86. Devil Masami vs Chigusa Nagayo (AJW - 22/08/1985) 87. Ric Flair vs Kerry Von Erich (2/3 Falls Match - WCCW - 15/08/1982) 88. Ric Flair vs Barry Windham (JCP - 20/01/1987) 89. Johnny Saint vs Steve Grey (2/3 Falls Match - JP - 28/01/1980) 90. Carlos Colón vs Stan Hansen (Bullrope Match - WWC - 6/01/1987) 91. Team Ishin Gundan vs Team NJPW (5x5 Gauntlet Match - NJPW - 19/04/1984) 92. Josh Barnett vs Hideki Suzuki (IGF - 31/12/2011) 93. Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Kazuo Yamazaki (UWF II - 24/07/1989) 94. Samoa Joe vs CM Punk (ROH - 12/06/2004) 95. Batista vs Triple H (WWE - 26/06/2005) 96. Jeff Hardy vs CM Punk (Ladder Match - WWE - 23/08/2009) 97. Kenta Kobashi vs Yoshinari Ogawa (NOAH - 1/11/2003) 98. Jaguar Yokota vs La Galáctica (AJW - 27/02/1985) 99. Kenta Kobashi/Jun Akiyama vs Stan Hansen/Vader (AJPW - 5/12/1998) 100. Genichiro Tenryu vs The Great Muta (NJPW - 10/11/1996)
|
|
|
Post by tetsujin on Aug 3, 2023 13:59:21 GMT -5
So, GME is over. It's now time to take a look at the matches that caught my attention on the "other receiving votes" section, and this time I just wrote them on a list and swore to watch every single one of them. Here's where I'll be writing my impressions, logically.
I saw some of them before (hell, one it's on my list), but the vast majority are matches I've never seen before. The list has gotten quite diverse as well, I'm so hyped.
I'll wait until this year's G1 is over (ten more days!) and then I'll proceed to watch them, in the order they were released on the list.
Here it is:
Mayumi Ozaki vs Chigusa Nagayo (JWP - 5/22/1994) Minoru Suzuki vs Kazushi Sakuraba (NJPW - 1/4/2015) Tatsumi Fujinami vs Osamu Nishimura (MUGA - 9/25/2006) Bull Nakano vs Yumiko Hotta (Cage Match - AJW - 1/23/1991) Kevin Von Erich vs Harley Race (WCCW - 6/17/1983) Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs Yoshihisa Yammamoto (RINGS - 5/22/1999) Akira Hokuto vs Kaoru (GAEA - 4/12/1997) Roddy Piper v. Jimmy Snuka (WWF - 7/15/1984) Akira Hokuto vs Kyoko Inoue (AJW - 11/26/1992) Larry Zbyszko vs Nick Bockwinkel (AWA - 7/11/1987) Giant Baba vs Bruno Sammartino (JWA 3/7/1967) Arn & Ole Anderson vs Rock N Roll Express (JCP - 7/17/1986) KENTA & Taiji Ishimori vs Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji (NOAH - 07/15/2007) Eddie Kingston vs Chris Hero (Last Man Standing - IWA-MS - 9/29/2007) Vader vs Tatsumi Fujinami (NJPW - 4/24/1989) Aja Kong vs. Meiko Satomura (GAEA - 9/15/1999 Hijo del Santo & Eddie Guerrero vs Negro Casas & Blue Panther (Juarez - 1987) Meiko Satomura vs Shinobu Kandori (LLPW - 2/25/2007) LA Park vs. El Mesias (Hair vs. Mask - AAA - 6/18/2011 Lola Gonzalez vs Pantera Surena (Hair vs Hair EMLL - 12/9/1988) Negro Casas vs Blue Panther (Hair vs Hair - CMLL - 3/2/2012) Samoa Joe vs Bryan Danielson (ROH - 10/2/2004) Carlos Colon vs Hercules Ayala (Fire Match - WWC - 9/10/1988 Akira Hokuto and Manami Toyota vs Toshiyo Yamada and Kyoko Inoue (AJW - 12/10/1993) Austin Aries vs Nigel McGuinness (ROH - 12/29/2007) Kyoko Inoue vs Manami Toyota (AJW - 5/7/1995 Low-Ki vs KENTA (ROH - 12/17/2005) LA Park vs el Mesias (AAA - 12/5/2010 Rey Hechicero vs Charles Lucero (Monterrey - 8/4/2013 Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kazushi Sakuraba (NJPW - 1/4/2013) Bob Backlund vs Greg Valentine (WWF - 2/19/1979) Mayumi Ozaki vs Dynamite Kansai (AJW - 3/17/1995) The Destroyer vs Mil Mascaras (AJPW - 10/9/1973 Yuji Nagata vs Kensuke Sasaki (NJPW - 1/4/2004 Dick Togo vs Antonio Honda (DDT - 1/30/2011) Bryan Danielson vs Nigel McGuinness (ROH - 2/23/2008) Genichiro Tenryu and Koki Kitahara vs Kengo Kimura and Shiro Koshinaka (NJPW - 10/23/1992) LA Park vs Dr. Wagner Jr. (TXT - 5/11/2013) Hijo del Santo vs La Parka (Monterrey - 12/23/2001) Great Muta vs Shinya Hashimoto (AJPW - 2/23/2003) Buzz Sawyer vs Jim Duggan (Mid South - 11/11/1985) Bryan Danielson vs Low-Ki (ROH - 3/30/2002)
Hope you (and I!) enjoy the ride.
|
|
|
Post by TheDutifulWebmaster on Aug 3, 2023 20:48:16 GMT -5
I plan on watching the Okada / Shibata match one day, I have read that Shibata suffered a very serious brain injury or hematoma or something. It sounds very gross, which makes me kind of not want to watch it. But you ranked it number 1 so it must be good.
|
|
|
Post by mrjmml on Aug 4, 2023 2:49:10 GMT -5
I plan on watching the Okada / Shibata match one day, I have read that Shibata suffered a very serious brain injury or hematoma or something. It sounds very gross, which makes me kind of not want to watch it. But you ranked it number 1 so it must be good. It is good and he recovered.
|
|
|
Post by tetsujin on Aug 19, 2023 18:00:34 GMT -5
And so, we come back:
Mayumi Ozaki vs Chigusa Nagayo (JWP - 5/22/1994)
This was unique. I don't have any idea of the context of this match, but just from the very first stare down before the ring bells you can tell the rivalry between the two. Ozaki attacks Chiggy by surprise right after, and she makes her bleed outside the ring. I usually don't do this, but at this point I looked at the duration of the vid and saw +40 minutes and thought "well, they better know how to work a 40-minute bloodbath without dragging it". And boy the knew. Fool of me (the match ended up lasting 30 minutes though but it is still such a risky duration for this kind of matches).
While Chigusa bleeds first, Ozaki gets cocky and allows her to return to the ring on her own, something that obviously leads to Oz being demolished by Nagayo in return. The dynamic was then clearly stablished in the first five minutes: Ozaki needs her speed and brawling, Chigusa has the size advantage and is capable of overpower her with just a couple of attacks.
I liked the pacing for most of the match. It's slow, because both women want to take their time punishing each other. Chigusa's sleepers are really over as a fake finish, and Oz is wonderful playing with the steel bar and biting Chiggy's cut, she's a better mexican brawler here than most I've seen on regular luchas de apuestas. Once Chigusa manages to finally make Ozaki bleed, it's just a matter of time... Or so she thought, because Mayumi's resilience is as unexpected as brave. She even manages to get a great comeback by spamming her sleeper suplex, but Nagayo is just much less weakened than her, she kicks out four times in a row. Ozaki gets desperate and tries something from the top rope, but Chigusa avoids it and finishes her off with a rude as fuck Razor's Edge for the win.
I really liked this overall. It's worked in a very different way than I expected, and also quite different from the usual joshi bloody brawls I've seen. This is slow, calculated violence, with two clear strategies colliding and a feeling of true animosity behind everything. While I hoped for the match to get more urgent later on, and for Ozaki to manage to get closer to a victory, these two women put on such badass performances that I can't help but understand why somebody thought it belongs among the top 100 GME. So,
Rating? ****1/4, great match with some special touches here and there. Deserves consideration for a top 100? Yes, no doubt. Hidden gem for both women's case for GWE, as well. Will I vote for it next time? No, it's more of a top 200 for me.
|
|